Haunted Gettysburg gives up its ghosts
April 29, 2009
Vince Wilson
Examiner.com
First of all, sorry about my absence. Computer technology, which I am very fond of, has not been good to me lately. Nevertheless, I am back and ready to assist Examiner readers with all their haunted traveling needs!
From July 1st - 3rd 1863, one of the bloodiest, and certainly the most infamous, battles of the War Between the States was fought in Gettysburg, PA. To this day, it is said, on very rainy days during certain times of the year, the mud will run blood red and the smell of lilacs will permeate the air. Why lilacs? That is what they used to try and hide the smell of the rotting corpses that filled the fields of Gettysburg. Pretty gruesome, huh?
Where to start?
When heading to Gettysburg for a romp into haunted history, the only suitable place to begin is the Ghosts of Gettysburg HQ, home of Mr. Ghosts of Gettysburg himself - Mark Nesbitt. Mr. Nesbitt is considered by many to be Gettysburg's foremost expert on all things paranormal in perhaps the world's most haunted town! He has written The Ghosts of Gettysburg book series (currently up to six volumes) and the Ghost Hunter's Field Guide: Gettysburg and Beyond. Mark has been on pretty much every major cable network and paranormal show since Unsolved Mysteries! Not only can you start off with some great tours right from the GOG HQ, but the headquarter itself is said to be haunted! Mark often has investigations and training sessions (for you would-be ghost hunters out there) at 217 Baltimore Street during certain weekends of the year. The HQ is also the perfect place to get souvenirs like t-shirts, mugs, books, hats, etc. Let everyone know you survived Haunted Gettysburg!
Where to stay?
I suppose if you are headed to Gettysburg, you are going to want to stay somewhere haunted! Well, if you don't mind being a little outside of town, the spooks are on the lose at the Eisenhower Hotel and Conference Center! At least, that is what I was told by some of the staff who were more than charitable with the information. According yo them, a disembodied pasty-faced Confederate Soldier's Head is supposed to float from room to room spreading terror as it goes. To add to the almost abstract horror of the apparition, the rebel has a bloody knife sticking out of his head! Ouch! For the kids (if you are simply were not planning on traumatizing them for life) they have go-karts, video games, an indoor pool, batting cages, miniature golf and more!
One of the most infamously haunted places in Gettysburg is the Farnsworth House Inn. This place is supposed to have more ghosts than it can staff and guests with a full dining room! They have a nice little bookstore, a dinner theater and restaurant. For those interested in the other kind of spirits, they have a tavern too. Book early though, the Farnsworth House has been known to be booked up to a year in advance for certain weekends!
Another famous place to reside is the Cashtown Inn. They have enough ghosts to go around! The Cashtown has even been featured on the Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters! Jason and Grant fans can try to trace the investigation of the famed celebrity paranormal researchers as they investigate
the halls of Cashtown. Misty apparitions will appear at the foot of your bed according to some accounts. They even have a Yuletide Haunted-Weekend or two in December. The Cashtown Inn also is said to have some of Gettysburg's best food in its very popular restaurant.
Where else?
A trip to Gettysburg (even when not tracking ghosts) is not complete without a visit to the battlefields! Now that you have Mark Nesbitt's Ghost Hunter's Field Guide, you can find all the best haunted places on the battlefields. Places like Devil's Den. In Devil's Den were taken some of the most infamous photos of the battle of Gettysburg. Apparitions of Union and Confederate Soldiers have been reported walking right up to tourists and, well, maybe you will find out for yourself! Nearby is Triangular Field. It is called Triangular Field since, well, you can figure that out yourself I am sure. In this field paranormal investigators have noted unusually high electromagnetic field readings. Brand new batteries will suddenly be completely drained here! Make sure you bring extras.
Be careful!
There are dozens of of places in Gettysburg to go ghost hunting. However, caution is required! Remember never go anywhere alone. Also, the park service is notoriously prejudiced against ghost hunters. The park closes between 5:00 or 6:00 PM depending on the time of year and this changes often as well. You do not want to get caught after hours.
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Graveyard Hound says: | 2011-05-20 18:43:06 |
| Having been involved in "reenacting" at various Civil War sites, I''ve been exposed to "situations" that cannot be explained except by the existance of the "paranormal" and Gettysburg tops the list of any battlefield and add the town, you have a location for "odd" things to take place and go unexplained except by the "dead", except they might not know it yet, mixing with the living. Try Mark Nesbit''s books "GHOSTS OF GETTYSBURG" for an idea of just some of what goes on and not just between any July 1,2,3 of any year. | ||
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