I’ve been covering Gettysburg a LOT lately. Truly, it’s my favorite place in the world, not just for history, but also for the ghosts! Whenever I talk to people about Gettysburg, the first question that comes up the most is, “So where should I go to find some ghosts?” That’s a loaded question! Truth be told, Gettysburg is a spiritually dense place. Almost every inch of it has some sort of ghostly activity. I joke all the time that you can throw a rock and hit a ghost wherever you are!

If you want to go ghost hunting while in Gettysburg, then these places should be on your list. I’ll make a note if you need to contact a specific company to arrange a tour or an investigation. Are these the only places where you can find ghosts? Of course not! I’m starting with the places I’ve already been to. I’ll be doing a part two in the future!

Sachs Covered Bridge

Built in 1854, legend says that three Confederate deserters were hung next to this bridge during the Battle of Gettysburg. It is also said that wounded Confederate soldiers rested on the banks of the creek to recover. But what many don’t know is that the day after the Battle of Gettysburg ended, it rained. From that rain, the creek overflowed and numerous Confederate soldiers drowned. What is definitely true is that both the Union and Confederate used this bridge during and after the battle.

People who have visited here have reported cold spots in the middle of summer. Others have seen bodies hanging from the trees. Other reports include smelling cigar smoke, getting tapped on the shoulder (with no one there), as well as three disembodied heads on the bridge. Finally, gunshots and cannon fire have been heard at night.

Devil’s Den

“Jesus Himself would not investigate Devil’s Den…”These were the first words I heard when I was talking about doing an EVP session at Devil’s Den, which sits at the bottom of Little Round Top on the battlefield. July 2nd, 1863 marked the second (and bloodiest) day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Union soldiers used the hill to counterfire the Confederates before the First Texas Regiment eventually took it over. Confederate sharpshooters hid in between the rocks to fire at the Union soldiers on Little Round Top. Many of the Confederate soldiers in the rocks died from the concussion of air. After the second day of the battle, the dead and wounded were spread all over Devil’s Den. What was the most heartbreaking is that the wounded soldiers were crying for their mother in agony throughout the night.

Ghost seekers who visit Devil’s Den report that their cameras and phones will glitch while trying to take a picture. Not only that, but paranormal equipment will run out of batteries or stop functioning all together. Apparitions appear moments before the tech breaks. When the ghost seekers leave the battlefield, the broken technology starts working again. On the windy road behind Devil’s Den, people have seen apparitions of soldiers, particulary soldiers waving their amputated limbs in the middle of the road.

Battlefield Farm House

You can only visit this location through Gettysburg Ghost Tours. This particular location is interesting, and it has also been the center of some controversy. While it seems the foundation of the house was built in 1830, sites like Realtor claim that the house was built in 1865. Given I’ve seen the foundation myself, that in of itself is probably 100+ years old. The rest of the house does look a lot more modern, but that could be due to renovations. Either way, it’s haunted. There is plenty of activity waiting for you. The stories told by the guides I’ve worked with over the years seem to be true. What I really like about this place is that it is located right along the battlefield near Culp’s Hill and across the street and down the road from Evergreen Cemetery.

I had a few very personal experiences at the Battlefield Farmhouse. One of them wasn’t even related to the Battle of Gettysburg at all. My mother came through May 2017. I didn’t realize it at the time, but when midnight struck during our investigation, it was Mother’s Day. The last time my team and I were there (July 2020), we couldn’t help but notice a lot of shadows running through the trees behind the black gate. We also watched lights behind the trees, as if someone was holding a lantern.

McCurdy School House

The McCurdy School House was a surprising experience for my team and me. We ran into something extremely negative that really shook one of my mediums. We kept hearing a grown man’s voice act as though it were a child. Needless to say, we know why there’s a photo of Jesus in one of the rooms. This place has a ton of history. It was built in the 1800s and it was a stone structure at the time of the battle. The white bench you see in the photo on the right has had some ghostly activity. As soon as I sat in it, I felt like I was being touched. The guide told me that people have heard the voice of a young boy, and also felt like they were being touched. If you would like to investigate this place for yourself, contact Gettysburg Ghost Tours.

Daniel Lady Farm

I had the unique opportunity to participate in a Ghost Excavation, led by John Sabol and his team at the Daniel Lady Farm. If you’re not familiar with Mr. Sabol and his work, I highly recommend checking him out! This place is so special. It was used as General Ewell’s headquarters, and about 10,000 Confederate troops were camped out around the property. Wounded officers were tended to in the house while wounded soldiers stayed in the barn. As most Civil War hospitals go, they were mainly a place for death and amputations. And in case you’re wondering, yes, cadaver dogs scoped the area and they found mass graves of amputated limbs.

During our Ghost Excavation, we focused on the attic in the house in the beginning, where ghostly children were eager to play with us. The team also did simulated amputations in the barn, and then the women scoped the land around the barn looking for lost loved ones…all while wearing Civil War attire. After we were out of the house, all of the lights were turned off, and yet, we saw a light in the second-floor window. Like the field next to the Battlefield Farmhouse, I also saw a lantern-like glow in the woods. Mr. Sabol and his team also caught incredible audio of gunshots, cannon fire, and men screaming.

Since I wasn’t a part of the organization of this opportunity, I’m not sure how it was arranged. But, it is worth a visit to the Daniel Lady Farm for its historical value alone. There are bloodstains on the floor of the house, as well as blood splatters on the walls of the barn. It was bought by the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association in 1999, who played a huge role in restoring it.

Tillie Pierce House Inn

The Tillie Pierce House Inn is so haunted that it has been featured by many paranormal television shows. Tillie Pierce was just a teenager during the Battle of Gettysburg, and she became famous after writing a book of her accounts during Gettysburg and the Civil War. Before she was even old enough to drive by today’s standards, she was amputating limbs, sewing up, and dressing wounds of soldiers.

The Tillie Pierce House Inn continues to keep its tradition of being one of the most haunted places in Gettysburg. It’s occurrence of paranormal activity remains fairly consistent. For example, in the Blue Room where Tillie treated countless soldiers, footsteps are often heard. Guests at the inn have also heard a woman singing, seen troops patrolling the area, a soldier walking up and down the stairs, seeing ghosts sitting at the edge of their bed, and countless ghost children. Luckily, the ghosts haunting the Tillie Pierce House Inn seem to be all friendly.

When I was at the Tillie Pierce House Inn, I went under the Ganzfeld Experiment in the Blue Room, you can read my account here. I felt like I had made contact with something in the house, and I was overwhelmed by a feeling of sadness.

Hoffman Mansion

Sadly, this property is no longer available for investigations. However, you can still visit and admire from the outside…or look for ghosts in the windows! The property sits in front of the Eisenhower Hotel, and the grounds are definitely haunted. It stood as a hospital for the Union during the Battle, and it looks like this sits right on the line of Pickett’s Charge. This means, there was a lot of bloodshed especially around this time. When I visited this place, you could only book this location through Gettysburg Ghost Tours. The story behind this location is that years after the Civil War, a girl committed suicide in the house. Black masses have been seen in corners as well as a spooky woman walking down the stairs.

While I was investigating this location, I kept feeling a cool breeze as well as seeing a black mass out of the corner of my eye. When I asked one of the guides what the deal was with that particular corner on the second floor, he said that was where the girl was found hanging after she took her own life.

National Soldiers’ Orphanage Homestead

Where do I begin? I’ve been investigating the Orphanage since 2011. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been here now. I had my most alarming paranormal experience at this location. To sum up the history briefly, after the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War, you can imagine that there were a lot of displaced kids. There was an overload of orphans. The Civil War wiped out entire families.

The Orphanage was opened in 1866, and it started off as a wonderful place. However, the first headmistress was replaced by a woman named Rosa J. Carmichael, and she wasn’t quite so nice. She ended up being a cruel person who even built a dungeon in the basement to punish children. She also commissioned a few of the older kids to carry out some of the harsher punishments. There is a legend of a murdered infant buried in the back, and the numerous children that still haunt the location can’t cross over because of Rosa.

Remember I mentioned my most terrifying experience? Well, it was with Rosa. While the orphanage is overall a fairly positive place, Rosa’s presence changes the mood immediately. She tends to stay in the darker area on the other side of the basement, but will come when beckoned. Every time I visit, I feel like Rosa is expecting me, and she never underdelivers with the creepiness.

Jennie Wade House

The Jennie Wade House is another location I’ve investigated numerous times over the years. It has always given me something a little different. In July 1863, Jennie Wade and her mother were visiting her sister at their house (who just had a baby). Jennie was kneading dough and making bread for the soldiers when a rogue bullet hit her from behind, killing her instantly. Because the Battle of Gettysburg was still going on, Jennie’s body had to be taken to the basement.

A few Union soldiers assisted the family in transport, to the point where they had to cut a hole through the wall (the house was basically a duplex) and down into the basement. There, Jennie’s family had to wait out the battle with her corpse laying next to them. Jennie was only 19 years old when she died, and she was the only civilian to lose their life during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Today, Jennie’s ghost is said to be the “town gossip” of Gettysburg. My friend Michelle Hamilton and I concluded that Jennie is living her best “afterlife” since her life was cut so short. When I investigate the Jennie Wade House, I often hear the sound of children playing on the second floor. There’s a chain on the second floor that often moves without anyone touching it, and the K2 meter goes nuts. The basement is also active, but I think that’s the spirit of Jennie’s father.

Farnsworth House Inn

The Farnsworth House Inn was an unexpected surprise for me. I’ll be upfront and say that the majority of the activity we got was inside the house and in the basement. The house is named after Brigadier General Elon John Farnsworth, who lost his life after leading the charge after the failed Pickett’s Charge. Farnsworth lost 65 of his men. During the Battle, the house was used by Confederate sharpshooters, and one of those bullets is believed to have taken the life of Jennie Wade. If you look on the walls, you’ll see over 100 bullet holes, and they still remain today.

The house served as a hospital, and the owner, Harvey Sweney, had to take shelter in the basement during the Battle. At this time, the basement was a little crawl space, and the hospital was above him. You may know that the floors of Civil War hospitals had holes in them so the blood could drain through. It’s safe to assume Sweney was living in a literal bloodbath during the Battle.

Today, there is constant paranormal activity occurring in the house and in the campground behind it. There is a ghost cat that roams the inside, nearly tripping the living. The basement is haunted by several entities that are eager to talk. If you would like to go on a ghost hunt at the Farnsworth House Inn, you can go on one of their many amazing tours, and tell them Alex sent you.