When it comes to haunted cities, few can hold a candle to Gettysburg. The site of one of the Civil War’s most gruesome battles, the small borough bears a history soaked in blood. While there was a central battleground, buildings all around were touched by the conflict. From homes pelted with stray Minié balls to estates converted into field hospitals, it’s difficult to find historical buildings that weren’t touched by war. When the fighting ceased, the energy of the Civil War remained, manifesting in the form of wandering apparitions and tortured phantoms.
To explore all of Gettysburg’s haunted properties would be an undertaking. Instead, you can isolate a list of the most haunted locations and still get a clear picture of how daunting and deadly the Civil War was. The following haunted hotspots represent the must-visit locales of Gettysburg, each offering a glimpse at the turmoil as told through the spirits that remain behind.
Brickhouse Inn Bed & Breakfast
Today, the Brickhouse Inn is a quaint two-building B&B catering to travelers wanting to stay amongst the history of Gettysburg. The newest of the buildings, built after the war in the 1890s by Harriet Toot, is the main structure of the inn.
Adjacent to that sits what was once known as the Welty House, the 1930s brick home of Solomon Welty and his wife, Jane. It’s in this building that much of the haunted activity originates.
While any of the previous owners may have returned to their former home, the real source may be a tragic one. During the war, the Welty home was in the thick of the battle. Not only does it bear markings of incoming fire, but Confederate snipers used it as a nest. Bodies littered the ground after the fight, and many of those were buried on Welty’s property. It’s believed that some of the ghostly activity, from whispered names to phantom footsteps, is caused by the fallen soldiers. Though the bodies were eventually moved to the nearby national cemetery, the spirits have been anchored to this property by the trauma of their wartime death.
Legend has it that, during a renovation of the Welty home, the plumber’s tools kept disappearing and being moved. Sounds like someone didn’t want their old home to change.
Jennie Wade Birthplace/Jennie Wade House Museum
It’s a misconception that the spirits of Gettysburg are all soldiers. Sure, much of the borough is visited by Confederate and Union-clad entities, but there are at least two locations where a civilian specter still roams. Most fascinating about the haunted locations is that they’re both watched over by the same presence.
During the war, Mary Virginia “Jennie” Wade was a civilian supporter of the Union. She’d bake bread in her home, which happened to be her birthplace, and distribute it to soldiers. When her home proved too close to the battle, she moved in with her sister and continued baking. One ill-fated morning, while Jennie was tending to a batch of bread, a bullet pierced the exterior door and struck her in the back. She became known as the only civilian casualty of the war and received ample praise and honors in the years that followed.
Jennie haunts both her birthplace and the home she died in, now known as the Jennie Wade House Museum. The phantom aroma of freshly baked bread will fill the old home as a sudden chill fills the room. Jennie’s ethereal form has also been spotted enjoying a walk in the nearby countryside, as if the war and her death had never happened.
The Farnsworth House Inn
At the height of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate soldiers took shelter in buildings around town. Often, these were chosen based on the vantage points they provided sharpshooters. Among those occupied by Confederates was the home of Union Brigadier General Elon John Farnsworth, who died on the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Due to its positioning, it’s believed that the shot that killed Jennie Wade came from Farnsworth’s house.
As the battle came to a conclusion, Union soldiers moved on the small brick home. Return fire burst from its windows as Confederates mounted one last stand. The soldiers who hit the ground and slumped onto bloodied wooden floors became eternal residents, even as the building changed hands. Long after the debris of the battle had been cleared, the home was purchased by the Schultz family. It was then, at the turn of the 1970s, that the first activity was reported.
Ever since, the hauntings of the Farnsworth House Inn have been part of the lodging’s charm. Entities have been spotted standing at the windows, a possible echo of a Confederate soldier. Shadows dart in the blink of an eye, and a heavy energy follows employees throughout the day. Around the bewitching hour, some have even reported hearing a jaw harp cutting through the silence.
Devil’s Den
Though its name may suggest it, Devil’s Den wasn’t the site of some satanic ritual. Rather, its moniker has been attributed to a large snake that used to reside within the boulders. Reports of eerie sights and unsettling sounds were common even before the Battle of Gettysburg. Things only became more active in the aptly-named landmark after blood was spilled within the rocky formation.
The fighting that erupted within the den was chaotic, more so than that on the open battlefield. The many nooks amidst the boulders offered a hiding spot for soldiers, but also made it so no one knew what was around the corner. It was a veritable maze that heightened the tension. When Confederates took Devil’s Den, Federal forces marched in and turned the site into a blood bath. Bodies were strewn about, and blood splattered across the porous rocks and dirt, corrupting the grounds with the negative energy of war.
The air around Devil’s Den is still heavy, and every so often, visitors may catch a faint hint of death and decay. Bodies had been left to rot between the rocks for days, their spirits unsettled. Apparitions of a man in ragged clothing and a phantom cavalryman have been reported by visitors to Devil’s Den.
Tillie Pierce House Inn
While poor Jennie Wade was shot while standing in the kitchen, Matilda “Tillie” Pierce Alleman somehow navigated the battlefields of Gettysburg and survived. Like Wade, Pierce wished to assist the Union soldiers. As the war broke out, Tillie’s parents sent the 15-year-old girl to the neighboring Weikert Farm, feeling it was safer. It was, in fact, not. Wounded soldiers found refuge on the Weikert property, desperate for medical attention. Rather than shy away from the grisly sight, Tillie took on the role of a field nurse.
Over the course of the battle, she dressed wounds and amputated limbs. Her main goal was to save as many men as possible, even if her life were in danger. Being surrounded by death and the trauma of war could have shattered anyone’s spirit, but Tillie persevered. Even when she returned to her home on Baltimore Street, the young girl continued to help wounded soldiers. Many years later, her home, now an inn, resonates with echoes of the bloody battle.
The Blue Room of the Tillie Pierce House Inn is especially active. It’s believed a soldier that Tillie tended to now resides there, his footsteps sometimes heard marching toward the attic. Apparitions of soldiers have been spotted walking the stairs and sitting on the edge of guests’ beds.
Interested in learning more about Gettysburg’s haunted history? Hop on a local Gettysburg ghost tour and get ready to meet some spirits!