the paranormal investigative group TAPS had previously
stayed while in Gettysburg. He had convinced the woman
he spoke with to give us a tour of the hotel's "hot spots"
when we checked in.
We showed up at our scheduled check in time of 3pm.
Our guide apologized that she did not know very many
details, but did give us a rather interesting tour. We were
told of the apparition of a man dressed in Civil War period
clothing running through the hall in the basement. Heavy
doors to the laundry room, mechanical room, and catering
room in the basement close and seem to be held closed
from the outside so that if someone is inside they cannot
get out.
On the third floor, there are two rooms which have a lot of
activity. Guests tend to check out in the middle of the
night from room 311, where they feel cold spots that make
their hair stand on end. The maid claims the man who
haunts this room moves things around in the room. When
we asked her about the haunted room, she said "311" and
pointed in the direction of the room, but she spoke very
little English, so we could not get more information from
her. Room 309, right around the corner, has had
numerous accounts of a crying woman rocking a baby in
front of the window, although the room contains no rocking
chair. When we walked into the room, several of us felt
dizzy, and were intrigued. There are also reports of
people being pushed in room 514.
Tom arranged to speak with the general manager, and the
night manager, to get clearance to take some pictures and
recordings throughout the hotel during the weekend. We
were quickly granted access. The entire staff was very
friendly and helpful.
During the first night, after a failed attempt to capture
EVP's on the battlefield, Jodie, Kendra, and Heidi
proceeded to haunted room 309. The strange dizzy
feeling they had encountered earlier seemed to be gone.
Kendra and Heidi both came to the conclusion that the
baby had died, and neither knew why they had speculated
that. It felt very sad in the room, but the feeling did not last
long.
Twice during the first night, Heidi had thought she had
seen a little girl dressed in white in the hallway on the third
floor out of the corner of her eye. Thinking she was very
tired, she only briefly mentioned it to the other members.
Tom, who knows Heidi isn't one to "see" things, spoke to
the staff about it. They were familiar with the sighting.
They informed him she has been seen many times, all over
the third floor. They don't know her story, but they've
called her "Rachel". We didn't see her again after that,
even though we deliberately walked the hallways of the
third floor hoping to catch a glimpse. We did find
information on another website referring to an apparition of
a nurse that seems to enter different guest rooms,
apparently looking to attend to her patients. The site
referred to the Civil War nurse as Rachel, but we were
unable to confirm any of this information.
After investigations concluded for the night, Kendra,
Tonya, Pete, and Heidi slept in the haunted room. Tonya
and Heidi kept getting woke up. Tonya felt as though
someone was grabbing her feet and poking her, and Heidi
felt someone playing with her hair. A video camera ran for
90 minutes as this was happening, but was pointed at the
window, and it did not capture any images. The room was
only rented for the first night.
The second night's investigation centered around the
guesthouse, and in the basement, on the third floor, and
around a few other places inside the hotel. The
guesthouse had a camera set up, and Bryan, Paula, Tom,
and Kendra did EVP and EMF work. At the same time,
Heidi and Pete went to the basement of the hotel where we
set up three cameras and did EVP work. EMF work in the
basement was impossible, due to the food warmers,
coolers, and machinery. Jodie and Tonya had the task of
visiting the third floor, the ballroom, and the atrium.
Although Heidi thought she had seen a light colored
shadow whiz by in the basement, chasing it into the
mechanical room, and Tonya became so ill she had to
retire for the night, we picked up no activity in any of the
locations.
Based on various members' feelings and experiences, we
can only conclude there is paranormal activity within the
hotel. Unfortunately, we were not able to collect data to
support any of the claims. We feel this site warrants a
return visit. Please check out this magnificent hotel for
yourself when staying in or near Gettysburg. The staff is
courteous and knowledgable, and the rooms are clean and
well furnished. You can visit their website at
www.gettysburg-hotel.com/.
become much larger as time has
passed.
is seen running
girl they call "Rachel".
the elevator on the third floor.
staff reports they hear
voices, but when they
go to check, nobody is
ever there.
the original store front of the tavern. It
is now enclosed in the atrium of the
Gettysburg Hotel.
purportedly haunted
floor of the guesthouse