GETTYSBURG REPORT

Gettysburg is apparently filled with ghosts. Approximately 58,000 men lost their lives there on the battlefields during the three-day battle that lasted between July 1 -July 3 1863. Hence, there are tons of paraphernalia pertaining to the spirit world all over the small town.

There are loads of ghost tours advertised, some that even include seances and walks through some of the notoriously haunted buildings in town. Since I have a cranky two year old, I wasn't able to partake in the spookery. Luckily I live nearby and can do it another time.


One of these haunted places, named the "most haunted house in Gettysburg", is the Jenny Wade House. Jenny Wade was baking bread for Union soldiers in her house when a stray bullet came through the window and killed her. She is the only civilian killed in the battle of Gettysburg. During some of the ghost tours, the guides bring people into the house after dark.


Another haunted house, which is also a bed and breakfast, is The Tillie Pierce House. I just watched an old episode of Paranormal State that focused on the activity taking place in this house. The in-keepers claim that at 3:02 every night the house shakes (this was documented by the Paranormal State team). The woman that runs the place was reluctant to even walk up to the second floor of the house where most of the activity takes place. One interesting piece of footage that the team got was a bottle of hand soap that switched sides on the sink.

Tillie Pierce was a fifteen-year-old girl who volunteered as a nurse during the war. She cared for the soldiers, witnessing some grisly things that she eventually wrote about in a book that made her famous. It's said that her spirit still lingers in the house along with some of the soldiers who lost their lives there.

“The horrors of war are fully known only to those who have seen and heard them. It was my lot to see and hear only part, but it was sufficient.” - Matilda “Tillie” Pierce -

The in-keepers have a black lab named Sam who feels right at home with the ghosts - check it out here.


What impressed me the most about Gettysburg were the battlefields. They are truly awe-inspiring when considering just how much history took place on them. I felt the hairs stand up on the backs of my arms in some spots. There were so many lives lost, it's incredible to consider. In addition to the history that saturates them, the fields are also gorgeous, decorated with the split-rail fences of the era.
The bloodiest battle of Gettysburg took place on Wheatfield. Legend says that after the fighting, it was impossible to walk on the field without stepping on bodies and that the wheat was crushed and red with blood.

Wheatfield today.

Understandably, the battle fields are considered haunted and some of the ghosts tours take patrons onto the fields after dark. I talked to one of the tour guides who informed me that The Travel Channel's Most Haunted also visited the fields last year.