Gettysburg ranks high on the list of America’s most haunted cities, having been witness to the deadliest battle on U.S. soil. During that three-day conflict in 1863, more than 50,000 casualties occurred on these war-scarred grounds, blackening the city with a bloody stain that would last for more than 160 years.
Visitors to this shadowy city will find themselves met with a barrage of haunted tours from which to choose. Below you’ll find some of the most chilling ghost tours in Gettysburg, each with a personality and perspective all its own.
#1 – US Ghost Adventures
A ghost tour – Copyright US Ghost Adventures
US Ghost Adventures might have the widest variety of ghost tours available in Gettysburg, allowing visitors to tailor their Gettysburg experience specifically to their interests. This company offers everything from private tours with expert licensed battlefield guides to haunted pub crawls that wind through Gettysburg’s most haunted taverns.
Yet, the most popular of all its adventures seems to be its ghost tours. Here, guests can walk the hallowed grounds where Civil War soldiers fell during some of America’s darkest days, and sense the otherworldly echoes from that continue to bubble up from below. Aspiring ghost chasers can even rent an EMF detector for the night, to see if they can catch any electromagnetic disturbances at some of Gettysburg’s most haunted locations.
Best of all, you can bring the whole family on many of US Ghost Adventures’ phantom-filled excursions. Tours are free for children under six, with discounted ticket prices for children over six. Even Fido can tag along, and you can see if your pooch senses the presence of any Civil War soldiers along the way.
#2 – Historic Welty House Ghost Hunt
The Brickhouse Inn and Welty House – Copyright US Ghost Adventures
One of Gettysburg’s most haunted properties, the Welty House, withstood the crossfire between Union and Confederate forces throughout the bloody fray, while the basement was used as a shelter. Not only this, but dozens of soldiers were buried in the yard before being relocated to the Gettysburg National Cemetery — although it seems not all of their spirits made the journey.
Now, after more than 160 years, the Welty House basement is open for examination. Along the Historic Welty House Ghost Hunt, brave ghost enthusiasts can conduct their own investigation into this haunted Gettysburg home, attempting to make contact with the other side with the help of an expert tour guide.
Tour-goers can equip themselves with the provided paranormal tools and attempt to communicate with the Confederate sharpshooters who once occupied this building or one of the many dead who were once buried here. But guests aren’t confined to this single space. With ghost hunting gear in tow, they can examine the surrounding area, seeing the pockmarks that still riddle the walls from the gruesome onslaught.
#3 – Jennie Wade Birthplace House Ghost Hunt
The Jennie Wade Birthplace House – Copyright US Ghost Adventures
One can’t walk far in this hallowed town without hearing the name Jennie Wade, the only civilian to die in the battle of Gettysburg. Hit by a stray bullet while making bread at her sister’s home, it seems she returned to her birthplace to live out her afterlife.
Spirit seekers can join the ghosts of Jennie Wade and her family on a Historic Jennie Wade Birthplace Ghost Hunt, journeying through the home’s many mysterious rooms as they comb for ghostly energies. Overseen by an experienced investigator, guidance will be provided on how to operate the arsenal of ghost hunting gear, as tour-takers endeavor to pierce the veil and communicate with Gettysburg’s restless souls.
Just one of many spirits who now infest this home, Jennie Wade died at just 20 years old. Her birthplace remains primarily unchanged from the era when she died, filled with period-accurate furnishings and artifacts from the mid-1800s. It’s an incredibly eerie place to tour, but the perfect setting to conjure up the spirits of Gettysburg’s past.
#4 – Farnsworth House Tours
Today, a historic bed and breakfast, the Farnsworth House Tour delivers a behind-the-scenes peek into Gettysburg’s unearthly past. Tour this modern-day bed and breakfast as you hear the history of this rustic home, from its attic to its cellar.
Wander amongst the detailed displays of Civil War relics and feel the heavy energy that rises from the artifacts tainted with the terror of America’s bloodiest battle. As you descend into the basement, you’ll be regaled with tales of the mourning process of a forgotten era in the recreated Victorian Viewing Parlor.
Those who’d prefer to sit back and relax can opt for a one-hour seated excursion instead. Here, you may kick up your heels in the Farnworth House’s charming bookstore theatre as a ghostly narrator brings the spooky tales of Gettysburg to life through the magic of storytelling.
#5 – Ghostly Images of Gettysburg
Ghostly Images of Gettysburg offers both walking tours and bus tours of this timeless city, exploring its brick-lined streets by whichever mode of transit you most prefer. Select a tour for a single destination like the Gettysburg Orphanage, or opt for one with multiple stops.
The 90-minute Haunted Bus Tour will take you through the Gettysburg countryside as you ride to some of Gettysburg’s eeriest locales while soaking in tales of bone-chilling horror. Visit sights like Sach’s Covered Bridge, where deserters were said to be hanged, all the way to Gettysburg College, in which blood drenched the floors and severed limbs piled up during its use as a field hospital.
#6 – Ghosts of Gettysburg
Ghosts of Gettysburg presents several Gettysburg tour options, from self-guided tours of Gettysburg’s battlefield to private tours for groups. All outings draw from the Ghosts of Gettysburg book series by Mark Nesbitt, a paranormal investigator well-known in the Gettysburg community.
Fans of dark history can tour downtown Gettysburg along the Ghosts of Gettysburg Civil War Spirits tour, seeing such hair-raising haunts as Gettysburg’s old jail, which stood startlingly close to the deadly three-day fray. Along the way, guests will be entertained by tales of phantom hitchhikers and battlefield legends as they shudder at stories of spooks and spirits.
You can also tour Gettysburg’s most spine-chilling school on the Haunted Campus at Gettysburg College tour to hear the tale of the phantom Blue Boy, who lingers outside the third-story window of this college dormitory.
#7 – Gettysburg Ghost Tours
With Gettysburg Ghost Tours, you can visit some of Gettysburg’s most solemn and spooky burial grounds. Both the East Cemetery Hill tour and Haunted Cemetery tour will shepherd you to the final resting places of many a Gettysburg resident, while a guide recounts stories of death and doom. For those with a fondness for immersive experiences, they also offer a haunted tour with a twist.
During the aptly named Live or Die Tour, guests can participate in a special experience where they take part as Civil War Soldiers. The tour begins by handing each visitor a card with the name of a man who fought in this deadly battle. After the costumed guide finishes this tour filled with hauntings, history, and horror, you’ll discover whether you lived or died in the fray.