The Top Ten Most Haunted Place in Gettysburg

Posted: 12.15.2019 | Updated: 04.07.2025

The Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle to take place during the Civil War happened in 1863, from July 1st to the 3rd. 94,000 Union troops serving General George Meade battled against 72,000 Confederate soldiers serving under General Robert E. Lee. More than 51,000 Americans were either killed, wounded or missing in action. It’s no wonder that Gettysburg is rife with hauntings! Read on to get the inside scoop at some of the most haunted places in Gettysburg. All of which were affected by or produced from the Battle of Gettysburg.

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What are the Most Haunted Places in Gettysburg?

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is a hot spot of eerie activity. The whole city is steeped in ghostly energy, due to the death and destruction caused by the Civil War. From the story of Sachs Covered Bridge to the Jennie Wade House to the Farnsworth House Inn, there is no shortage of haunted places in Gettysburg.

10. Children’s Orphanage

Now the National Homestead at Gettysburg, the facility was created in 1866 by Dr. John F. Bourns, and found great success initially. However, things went downhill after the headmistress was replaced by Rosa Carmichael, who had a cruel disposition toward the children there.

Haunted History

The Children’s Orphanage in Gettysburg has a rather dark and twisted history. The owner once kept children chained to the walls in the cellar! Tours of the facility are available, if you are brave enough to take them. It is claimed that the lost spirits of these children can still be seen, some 150 years later.

9. Gettysburg College

Gettysburg College’s location alone makes this campus an easy choice on our list of most haunted places in Gettysburg. It is situated right next to Gettysburg Battlefield, where one of the most violent battles during the Civil War took place. Over 8,000 men died here, with casualties topping over 50,000.

Why Is Gettysburg College Haunted?

Gettysburg College’s Penn Hall served as a hospital and morgue during the Civil War. A large amount of Gettysburg’s ghost sightings are reported in this eerie locatoin. One administrator claimed they have saw ghosts at Gettysburg College. They saw the doors to the Hall’s lower level open, right where the make-shift hospital once was.

Stevens Hall, as well as Huber Hall, have both had occurrences that have scared the socks off of fellow classmates. Dead soldiers regularly walk around the campus, causing many potential students to look elsewhere for their academic needs.

8. Doubleday Inn

Not your average Hotel, the Doubleday Inn of Gettysburg is near Iverson’s Pit. This is where a North Carolina brigade was slaughtered during the Civil War and used as a mass grave for the fallen soldiers.

General Lack of Sense

Many guests of the Double Day Inn report being awakened by flashes of unexplained light and seeing orbs in their rooms. Perhaps these are the lingering spirits of General Alfred Iverson’s brigade, haunted by their commander’s lack of courage.

7. Jennie Wade House

The Jennie Wade House has been featured on the television series Ghost Lab, and Ghost Adventures. This Gettysburg haunted house has the distinction of being the home of the only civilian death during the Battle of Gettysburg. Jennie Wade was sadly killed by a stray bullet at the young age of 20 on July 3, 1863.

Hauntings at The Jennie Wade House

Today the Jennie Wade House is a tourist attraction. Visitors can pay to check out each of the house’s haunted rooms. During the tour, guests are treated to actual video evidence of its hauntings, as well as EVP recordings.

6. The Farnsworth House Inn

Built around 1810, the Farnsworth House Inn serves as both an inn and tourist shop. The building sits on land once owned by Reverend Alexander Dobbins until he sold it to John F. McFarlane. Mr. McFarlane then built the home and is its first recorded resident. He lived in it until his death in 1851, at which point the Bank of Gettysburg took ownership. Then the house passed through several owners over the years. It was finally purchased in 1972 by the Shultz Family, who own it to this day.

Farnsworth House Hauntings

The Shultz’s claim that no less than 16 spirits occupy the Farnsworth House Inn. Among them are an 8-year-old boy, several soldiers, and a former midwife. The fact that the home was turned into a hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg only validates their claims. Many members of the Confederate Army also died in the historic Gettysburg house.

Guest report often hearing the sounds of heavy breathing and the strong scent of cigars. Patrons also claim to experience the sensation of being tucked into bed by unseen hands! There are several photographs that people have captured from the street of a spirit in the ominously named “Sara Black Room”.

5. Sachs Covered Bridge

Sachs Covered Bridge is a 100-foot truss-covered bridge used during the Battle of Gettysburg. Today it is on the register of National Historic Places and is one of the most haunted places in Gettysburg!

The bridge was built back in 1854 and was used by Union and Confederate Armies. Over the years, Sachs Covered Bridge suffered damage from a flash flood, knocking it off one of its supporting structures. A total of $600,000 was used to restore the bridge to its current state, and it was rededicated in 1997.

Haunted Gettysburg Bridge

Sachs Covered Bridge is said to be extremely haunted due to heavy use during the Civil War. It’s been said that three Confederate soldiers deserted their until, only to be captured and hanged from Sachs Bridge. Manypparitions have captured in photos taken on the bridge. Odd mists and other strange anomalies have also been reported. While the Sachs Covered Bridge was closed to vehicles in 1968, yet remains open to pedestrians.

4. Devil’s Den

Devil’s Den is a large formation of rocks and boulders covering the south end of the Gettysburg Battlefield at Houck’s Ridge. Sharpshooters and infantry used it as coverage during the Civil War. A bridge connects two of the larger boulders, known as Little Round Top and Big Round Top. Visitors often find memorabilla scattered about, along the walkways the line the historical Gettysburg site.

Devil’s Den Hauntings

Visitors have long reported hearing gunshots and the sound of drums from the wars of yesteryear. Others have said that their cameras often refuse to work. Some have even had belongings fly right out of their hands. Guests to Devil’s Den have also claimed to have spoken with the spirit of a dead soldier. Yet when they attempt to take a photograph, he disappears right before their eyes.

3. The Daniel Lady Farm

Robert E. Lee stopped at the Daniel Lady Farm on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. At the time, the home was used as a headquarters for Confederate General Richard Ewell. In addition, the farm’s barn was used as a field hospital to treat the wounded on both sides. The Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association eventually acquired the farm in 1999 for $400,000.

Hauntings From A Civil War Hospital

Forensic experts have tested and verified bloodstains within the barn. These tests pin point the exact location of where soldiers were treated during the war. With many soldiers passing through here to receive care – and many dying – it’s no wonder this location is one of the most haunted places in Gettysburg. Many say the ghosts of lost soldiers still roam here along with their beloved General Ewell.

2. Tillie Pierce House Inn

The Tillie Pierce House is one of Gettysburg’s most haunted inns. This haunted Inn was named after a teenager who was pressed into service as a nurse during the Civil War. Tillie Pierce helped with everything from amputations to dressing wounds.

Ghost of the Tillie Pierce House Inn

The “Blue Room” is said to be the most haunted rooms in the Tillie Pierce House. The sounds of footsteps are often heard in the attic above. However, the ghost of a patrolling soldier is the most common sighting. He has been seen going up and down the stairs in constant worry. Guests have also witnessed a ghost sitting on one of the beds! But the list goes on with multiple spirits of children, and even a cat reported in the haunted Gettysburg house.

While it sounds like there are multiple entities inhabiting this residence, none of them are said to evil.

1. Cashtown Inn

Built in 1797, this entry got its name from its innkeeper, Peter Marck, who only accepted cash from his customers. Like others listed in this series, the Cashtown Inn also became a headquarters for Confederate officers during the Battle of Gettysburg. Many amputations reportedly performed in the basement that once served as a hospital. The severed limbs piled so high that they blocked any sunlight from entering through the cellar window.

Ghosts of the Cashtown Inn

With the aforementioned gore taking place here, it’s easy to see why this tops the list of Gettysburg’s haunted places. The current owner has a collection of photographs showing strange orbs of light, and even skeletal figures appearing. Cashtown Inn hauntings revolve around loud bangs on the doors, lights shutting off without explanation, and even doors locking on their own.

Perhaps the most bizarre accounts have been from guests who have returned to their rooms to find that their luggage has been packed all on their own.

Haunted Gettysburg

If learning about Gettysburg’s haunted history sounds like your idea of a good time, be sure to book a ghost tour with Civil War Ghosts today! Step into the city’s haunted past on the best ghost tour in Gettbysburg. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Pennsylvania hauntings.

Sources:

1. https://www.hauntedrooms.com/top-10-haunted-places-gettysburg-pa
2. https://www.pennlive.com/life-and-culture/erry-2018/10/248e07876b8037/ghosts-of-gettysburg-the-10-mo.html
3. https://www.hauntedrooms.com/top-10-haunted-places-gettysburg-pa
4. https://farnsworthhouseinn.com/
5. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60798-d96421-r137487505-The_Doubleday_Inn-Gettysburg_Pennsylvania.html
6. https://www.collegeconsensus.com/rankings/most-haunted-colleges/
7. https://www.seschlosser.com/haunted-sachs-bridge/
8. https://hauntedhouses.com/pennsylvania/jennie-wade-house/