Experiencing Ghosts in Gettysburg

We believe ghosts exist on the Gettysburg battlefields. We have experienced many strange and unexplainable activities over the years. Several of our locations are hot spots of ghostly activity and attract not only visitors, but TV Network programs as well! We’ve had many people ask us “how exactly does one feel a ghost?” So, we would like to share both our experiences and those reported to us by our visitors.

The first way to experience a ghost is through sound. Hearing ghosts is very common and has been reported all over the world. There are some consistent themes too. You may hear unexplained footsteps, horses galloping in the distance, the rattling of a carriage in transit or possibly gunshots. Have you heard some of these sounds on previous visits?

The second way to experience them is smell. Like us, ghosts also have smells to accompany them. Some of the most commonly reported are perfume, flowers, gunpowder, Cigar smoke and pipe tobacco. Have any of you ever smelled something while visiting our battlefield that wasn’t easily explained? It might just have been a ghost touring with you!

The third way to sense the presence of a ghost is through touch. Feeling a ghost is the most exciting phenomena of all the sensory experiences! It is distinctly felt as there is usually a temperature drop of 10, 20, 30 or more degrees as you pass through the ghost or he/she passes through you. In very rare (and intriguing) cases, the temperature rises! Our visitors have reported this type of experience in our Jennie Wade House. Were you one of them?

The very last way to undergo a ghostly experience, the most rare of all experiences, is by sight. While they may be all around us, they rarely materialize. Why they materialize isn’t really known? If we did know why they sometimes appear to people, perhaps we could encourage them to do so more often? However, for now that remains a mystery. We have several pictures on our Facebook Page that convince us ghosts joined some of our tours!

There is a large following of ghost believers and certainly enough cynics to match. We recommend that you keep an open mind as they are everywhere! Want to experience the possibilities yourself? Check out our Ghostly Images of Gettysburg page to learn about our ghostly tours. Have a story of your own to share? Leave a comment and send us a note. You might just be featured on our blog or social media!