The Hauntings of The Hotel Gettysburg

Posted: 11.22.2024 | Updated: 11.22.2024

The name Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, has become synonymous with the Civil War, the most blood-soaked battle in American history. Countless bodies littered the ground as far as the eye could see, with many nearby buildings being used as makeshift hospitals to care for the wounded. Sadly, many soldiers would meet the same grisly fate. This is the site where The Hotel Gettysburg now stands.

A local tavern at the time, The Hotel Gettysburg, served as a temporary hospital for the wounded. Agony filled its walls while countless horrors took place right outside its doors. Over 100 years later, the hotel has undergone several massive renovations and is known for providing one of the coziest stays in Downtown Gettysburg. But many still believe that its new appearance only serves as a mask for the death-ridden history it hides underneath. 

Why is The Hotel Gettysburg Haunted?

The Hotel Gettysburg offers its guests a cozy stay while experiencing the beauty of historic Downtown Gettysburg in its simplicity. It was anything but that when it served as a makeshift hospital during the Civil War. Its floors lay jam-packed with wounded soldiers, and its walls contained their screams and groans as Gettysburg lay strewn with 50,000 bodies. Many of the hotel’s patients spent their last agonizing moments here, which is why it’s believed that The Hotel Gettysburg is the most haunted hotel in the United States.

Learn more about The Hotel Gettysburg and more of Gettysburg’s haunted locations. Visit our website and book a ghost tour with Civil War Ghosts today for a haunting experience you won’t forget!

History of the Hotel Gettysburg

The Hotel Gettysburg, established in 1797, is almost as old as the city’s history itself. It was originally named Scott’s Tavern after its original owner, James Scott, but underwent a few name changes in the coming years. The properyt was then acquired by the former York County Sheriff, William McClellan, in 1809, who changed the tavern’s name to The Little Indian Queen. It then operated under the name the McClellan House in 1846, named after the two brothers who owned it.

Its name stayed until 1863, when Gettysburg found itself at the center of the bloodiest skirmish in American history. Deafening gunfire roared over the sounds of agonizing screams just outside. Streets along with nearby fields were littered with bodies, and several of Gettysburg’s buildings became makeshift hospitals for wounded soldiers, including the McClellan House. 

The property was purchased by a new owner in the 1890s and given a complete renovation, operating under the name it’s known today. It was ahead of its time as the light of the 20th century was growing brighter, with countless amenities that many hotels never had before. It even became a temporary White House for President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he was recuperating at his nearby farmhouse from a heart attack he suffered in 1955. He and his wife were The Hotel Gettysburg’s last guests before it closed its doors in 1964. 

Abandoned and antiquated, the building suffered heavy damage from a fire in 1983 but was rebuilt as The Hotel Gettysburg in 1991, undergoing a vigorous restoration process. It now stands today under the ownership of Gettysburg College and as a member of the Historic Hotels of America Association, towering over Lincoln Square in the heart of historic Downtown Gettysburg. 

Hauntings Overview

It’s easy to forget that death may have left its mark when looking at the contemporary Hotel Gettysburg overlooking Lincoln Square. The inside of its walls holds another story, however. The haunted hotel is drenched with ghost stories from guests and staff who have encountered spirits connected to the hotel’s Civil War past. 

One of them is the ghost of James Culbertson, a well-respected Union soldier from Company K of the Pennsylvania Reserves. The story goes that he was brought to the hotel, then serving as a makeshift medical tavern, after he was critically wounded from a gunshot. He fervently insisted on returning to duty but succumbed to his wound hours later. 

Guests over the years have reported seeing James’ faint, pale apparition, dressed in Union soldier attire, suffering from what seems to be a bloody hole in his torso. Lingering cold spots often accompany his presence. Some have even heard James speak, insisting he’s ready to join the battle. 

The hotel’s ballroom is known to be the favorite site of one of its other ghosts. Witnesses claimed to see a young woman in a Civil War-era dress swaying from side to side as if dancing to unheard music. On some occasions, the ghosts of Civil War soldiers have been seen standing next to her as she dances. 

Another story has to do with a former hotel employee who was working in the basement late one evening. He heard footsteps behind him, and, as if on cue, a simple dining cart used for hauling dinnerware glasses started rolling on the flat ground. It traveled an estimated twelve feet before turning around…and coming to a dead stop. 

The Nurse

There is something to be said for nurses who can’t stop caring for their patients, with one in particular at The Gettysburg Hotel who won’t stop even after death. Her name is Rachel. The origin of her name or what keeps her spirit tied to the hotel remains an enigmatic blunder, but a common theory is that she was a nurse who was killed during the Battle of Gettysburg.

However, she’s been seen as clear as day, fully dressed in Civil War nursing attire, walking through the hallways and even on the sidewalks before disappearing entirely. Rachel has also been seen doing ghostly wellness checks on guests in their rooms: opening their dresser drawers, rearranging items, opening and closing closets, and turning the lights on and off. 

Haunted Gettysburg

The peaceful site of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, starkly contrasts the three blood-soaked days it endured at the center of the Civil War. It was the sight of the hells of war as deafening gunshots roared through the air, and painful wails could be heard in the distance. In the battle’s wake, 50,000 soldiers lay dead, turning Gettysburg into a mass graveyard. 

Those waiting to die found themselves taken to a nearby tavern serving as a makeshift hospital. It was within its walls that the last sounds of their pain could be heard in an era devoid of anesthetics, sterility, and care. Today, The Hotel Gettysburg stands in its wake with the echoes of the dead passing through its halls. Ready to take a walk through history and perhaps bump into some ghosts along the way? Book a ghost tour with Civil War Ghosts today! Be sure to stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and follow our blog for more chilling stories. 

Sources:

https://blog.aboveproperty.com/2022/10/american-historic-hotels-gettysburg.html