Skip to content
News
Link copied to clipboard

‘Ghastly Gettysburg’ again named one of America’s ‘most haunted’ towns

A member of the public holds a candle near luminaries that mark the graves of Union dead at Soldiers' National Cemetery during ongoing activities marking the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Sunday, June 30, 2013, in Gettysburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A member of the public holds a candle near luminaries that mark the graves of Union dead at Soldiers' National Cemetery during ongoing activities marking the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Sunday, June 30, 2013, in Gettysburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)Read more
    by By Peter Mucha, Philly.com
    Published 

Gettysburg has again made a list of America's most haunted towns.

Philadelphia has lots of supposedly spooky places, including Fort Mifflin with its faceless man and screaming woman, and Eastern State Penitentiary, once voted by Syfy's Ghost Hunters as the freakiest place it visited. Even the Betsy Ross House has reportedly had sightings.

See slideshow: "12 Philly-area haunted attractions"

But Gettysburg, site of historic Civil War battle 150 years ago, keeps getting the nod as the top place for paranormal activity in Pennsylvania. Last year, it was USA Today and Smarter Travel. This time, it's the October issue of Family Circle, pointing out to spirit-seeking tours like After Dark Investigations and "family-friendly walking tours near the battleground and around town ... from Gettysburg Ghost Tours and Ghosts of Gettysburg."

Ten spooky Gettysburg spots were listed in June by the PennLive.com, the website of the Harrisburg-based Patriot-News, which points out that no ghost tours are permitted on the battlefield itself (which is currently off-limits because of the government shutdown).

Among the eeriest locations: Sachs Covered Bridge ("Soldiers have been spotted there and there are numerous photos of mists and orbs taken there"), battlefield site Devil's Den ("incredibly haunted, with one particular Texas soldier ghost seen as recently as 2010"),  Servant's Olde Thyme Photos (known as "the Reynolds Death house" because Union general John Reynolds died there), Tillie Pierce House Inn ("a ghost cat as well as multiple children - all friendly"),  Children's Orphanage ("owner was keeping the orphans chained to walls in the cellar"), Iverson's Pit, near Doubleday Inn (location of the mass grave for slaughtered North Carolina soldiers), and Gettysburg College.

In addition to "Ghastly Gettysburg," Family Circle lists "Supernatural Salem," "Creepy Charleston," "Paranormal Portland," "Sinister San Francisco," "Terrifying Tombstone" and "Nail-Biting New Orleans."

Contact staff writer Peter Mucha at 2150854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com.