Tillie Pierce House Inn

Posted: 02.02.2020 | Updated: 07.14.2025

The Tillie Pierce House Inn. Named after a legendary woman from the Civil War, this inn is still in operation today. Even though its food and lodging are, by many accounts, excellent, it’s achieved notability for another reason entirely: its ghosts.

Yes, the Tillie Pierce House Inn is known for being a haunted part of the city of Gettysburg, and, in this blog, you’ll learn exactly why that is. Along the way, you’ll also learn about the Battle of Gettysburg and how it affected the city’s real population and its ghost population, too. 

Keep reading to learn just who the ghosts haunting the inn are and who Tillie Pierce herself was. Her tale continues to fascinate historians to this very day, so after you’re done reading, we’re sure you’ll want to learn even more about haunted Pennsylvania. The best way to do that is by booking an in-person ghost tour with Civil War Ghosts.

Is the Tillie Pierce House Inn haunted?

You’d have to ask Tillie Pierce herself that question. Some folks believe that you might be able to do just that, although she’s not the only ghost around these parts. The house has played host to a number of different phantoms and strange events over the years, including:

• A trickster poltergeist
• The biggest battle of the Civil War
• Strange, unexplainable phenomena within the walls of the inn itself 

Tillie Pierce House Inn History

The Tillie Pierce House was constructed in 1829 on Baltimore Street in Gettysburg and built to be a family home for the Pierces. However, it wasn’t the family or the house itself that made this particular building famous. Instead, it was the actions of the youngest Pierce child, a young girl named Tillie. 

Growing up, Tillie and her family lived fairly comfortable lives in Philadelphia. Her father earned a decent living as a butcher, her mother was a loving caretaker, and she had three siblings to run around and play with all day. 

But the Pierces’ idyllic life would soon be threatened after the Civil War broke out. Not only was Gettysburg itself under constant threat from Confederate raids but her two older brothers, both serving on the front lines, were in constant danger. Tillie tried to help her family as best she could, but these were difficult times.

And, in 1863, they got significantly more difficult. The Battle of Gettysburg – the bloodiest battle of the Civil War and its turning point – erupted right outside the Pierce House’s door. Tillie’s parents sent her south of town, where they thought it might be safer. However, Tillie found herself where the fighting was fiercest. 

Somehow, in all the chaos (and under the guidance of nurses and a chaplain who encouraged her to serve), Tillie became the Union Army’s newest and most unlikely field nurse. She distributed food and medical supplies, comforted the wounded, and provided first aid to injured soldiers. The experience, obviously, was formative for the young Tillie.

In fact, it was so formative for the young girl that, after returning home to a town ravaged by war, she would write a book about her experience called At Gettysburg, Or What A Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle. 

Hauntings at the Tillie Pierce House Inn

This firsthand narrative quickly sold like hot cakes and is still in print today. While she would later move away from her childhood home, the renamed Tillie Pierce House Inn is still in operation. It was named after her to honor Tillie’s courage and intrepidness in the face of a terrible ordeal, and these days, it serves as a rather charming bed and breakfast inn. 

However, underneath the charm of the accommodations lie some spooky secrets. As one might expect from the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, Gettysburg left its scars and ghosts on the city. The Inn is thought to be one of the most haunted places in the whole city. 

Despite the fact that Tillie Pierce, herself, moved away from Gettysburg and died in Philadelphia, it is widely believed that her ghost still roams around the inn named after her. Perhaps, the scars of the battle kept her tethered to the city, or maybe she just wants to watch over her old home to make sure it’s never threatened like that again. 

Her haunted energy appears to manifest most in the Blue Room. This is hardly surprising to hear, for any former guest of the Inn. The Blue Room has long been believed to be the most haunted room in the house, even before Tillie Pierce’s ghost showed up. 

Visitors report hearing footsteps march in place above them, even when no one is occupying the upstairs rooms. Sometimes, guests on their beds will feel a sudden pressure on their mattress, almost as though an unseen person just took a seat down next to them. Given the fierce battle and the high number of casualties (over 50,000 people by some estimates), it’s hardly surprising that some of these ghosts choose to take shelter here.

 Poltergeists and Old Soldiers

There are other ghosts besides those in the Blue Room and Mrs. Tillie Pierce herself (she later got married in Philadelphia, although there’s no sign of her husband’s ghost appearing here at the Inn).

One of the more notable ones is that of an unknown soldier, dressed in Union colors and gear. He’s a recurring figure and has been seen by guests and staff alike over the years. He usually carries his rifle with him and marches in perfect Army form up and down the staircase. Occasionally, he’ll veer off from his path, enter a room, and vanish completely.

Perhaps old Army habits die hard, or maybe his ghost is also a protector of the Inn. If he were one of the soldiers that Tillie treated during the battle, it’d make sense that he’d want to return the favor by watching over her old family house. 

He’s not the only soldier said to be here; many different ghost troops – Confederate and Union alike – can be seen walking up and down around the house. Perhaps they are the ones responsible for the noise above the Blue Room? 

Or, maybe, that culprit is the poltergeist that’s said to live here, too. Poltergeists are trickster spirits that haunt a building and torment its residents. The one at Tillie Pierce House Inn is known for nicking possessions, so it’s best to keep a close eye on your things!

Obviously, such a hotbed of ghost activity has attracted its share of ghost hunters. Many of them come equipped with EMF readers or thermal cameras. The inn encourages such ventures, and it’s said they have their own equipment to try and catch some of the more troublesome ghosts in the act. 

Haunted Gettysburg

Maybe you’ll also be able to get a glimpse of one of these troublesome ghosts if you spend the night here on your next trip to Gettysburg. Just be sure and keep an eye on your things, lest the poltergeist take them. And, of course, you’ll want to keep a careful eye out to see if you can spot the ghost of Tillie Pierce herself, too! 

If you liked this story and want to learn similar tales, check out our Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. They spotlight other offbeat ghost stories all over the United States. Checking our blog is another good way to stay up-to-date with all the latest ghost stories and haunted spots in PA.

If you want to explore Gettysburg ghosts up close, a ghost tour with Civil War Ghosts is the best way to do that. Our guides are knowledgeable and enthusiastic and can provide even more information on the area. 

Sources:

• https://tilliepierce.com/history/
• https://www.pahauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/tillie-pierce-house-inn.html
• https://reverendvsjohnson.medium.com/tears-and-lilacs-4748766b864a
• https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60798-d2346951-r502018602-Tillie_Pierce_House_Inn-Gettysburg_Pennsylvania.html