Gettysburg Investigation by Donna Jones
The article “Gettysburg Investigation by Donna Jones” details a ghost hunting expedition conducted by the Maryland Ghost and Spirit Association on November 3, 2001, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The team explored several historically significant sites, including the National Battlefield, Sach’s Covered Bridge, the Peach Orchard, Little Round Top, and Steven’s Knoll. Throughout their investigation, they reported various paranormal phenomena such as temperature anomalies, unexplained scents, equipment malfunctions, and the capture of orbs, ectoplasms, vortexes, and apparitions in photographs. The group also described interactions with a spirit named “Matt,” believed to be a Confederate soldier from Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The narrative emphasizes the team’s methods, experiences, and the guidance provided by their leader, Beverly, in interpreting paranormal activity.
November 3, 2001, Gettysburg was my first official ghost hunt with Maryland Ghost and Spirit Association.
Our hunt started off at the National Battlefield across from the Visitors Center. Beverly explained to us how to introduce ourselves to the spirits and ask permission to take their pictures. Beverly also taught us how to use different types of equipment that she distributed to us to get familiar with.
In one part of the battlefield, we all gathered where Beverly was using an EMF Detector, which can pick up electronic and magnetic fields that are disrupted when ghosts are present. She also used a Thermal Scanner to detect significant drops in temperature when spirits are present. At this particular spot we were getting a lot of readings as Beverly was training us in the use of this equipment. We were finding ghosts without even really looking!
From there we traveled to Sach’s Covered Bridge to explore and take pictures while it was still daylight. We were getting a lot of orbs and ectoplasms that could be seen through some of the digital camera users displays. As the sun began to set, we traveled down into the woods to an open area a short distance from the bridge, which Beverly explained was used as a Field Hospital during the Civil War. There, we were getting dramatic drops in temperature; as much as -4 degrees on the Thermal Scanner and everyone was freezing to the bone in that one area only. The temperature outside of that area was in the 50’s. That was an enlightening experience.
On our way to the next location, we stopped at McDonald’s [which might explain some of the ectoplasms later] to prepare ourselves for the next encounter. We uploaded some pictures on one of the gal’s laptops to view our findings as we all got a bite to eat. We then traveled to the Peach Orchard and began introducing ourselves and taking pictures and readings. There we also snapped a lot of orbs, ectoplasms and a few vortexes.
Beverly and some of the group called us over to the far side of the Orchard. There were dramatic drops in temperature and high EMF Readings. We started talking to the spirit and asking some questions with Beverly explaining what the rise and drops meant in the meters during the questioning. From what we could gather, the spirits name was Matt and he was a Confederate Soldier. He seemed very happy to talk to us and we thanked him for his gallant effort in the war. He told us that he was from Harpers Ferry, Virginia [not West Virginia]. It took us a few minutes to realize that Harpers Ferry was part of Virginia during the Civil War.
Our next stop was to Little Round Top where everyone started having trouble with batteries going dead. While we managed to get some pictures while we were there, it was very spotty going. Beverly and some of the group had lots of extra batteries to help some of us out of a jam with our dead flashlights and cameras. [Inexplicably weird.]
We decided to travel to Steven’s Knoll next, after finding a noisy group of visitors at Devils Den. When we reached Steven’s Knoll we began to walk around taking pictures and readings. On one end of the Knoll near the woods, we were getting smells of leather and the smell of a horse, even though there was nothing physically there. There were also a lot of readings around that area. One of our group members, Bill Tarnowski, snapped pictures of 2 different ghosts, in different areas of the Knoll, which were solid forms.
This was a wonderful ghost hunt. We learned a great deal about interpreting readings thanks to Beverly. Her skills are excellent and she is very patient with beginners. Now we can’t wait for the next one.
SOURCE: v2 MGSA Oct 2003
Shadows of Gettysburg: Paranormal Hotspots of the Battlefield
The town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, stands as one of the most symbolically burdened landscapes in American history. In July 1863, more than 50,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing during a three-day battle that turned the tide of the Civil War. For generations, visitors to the battlefield have reported experiences that defy conventional explanation. These include apparitions, phantom gunfire, unexplained lights, and strange shifts in temperature or time perception.
While the entire battlefield holds a deep emotional charge, several specific locations have developed reputations as paranormal focal points. Among them are the Gettysburg National Battlefield itself, Sach’s Covered Bridge, the Peach Orchard, Little Round Top, and Steven’s Knoll.
Gettysburg National Battlefield (General Area)
The wider battlefield serves as a foundation for nearly every category of paranormal report associated with the Civil War. Visitors routinely describe hearing distant drums, volleys of musket fire, or human voices when no one else is present. Apparitions dressed in 19th-century uniforms have been observed walking along trails or emerging briefly from the tree line before vanishing. Some researchers suggest that the area functions as a residual field, replaying high-emotion events imprinted on the land through extreme trauma.
Sach’s Covered Bridge
Sach’s Covered Bridge, located southwest of the battlefield, was used by both Union and Confederate troops as a crossing point. Oral tradition suggests it was also a site of military executions, adding to its atmosphere of dread. Visitors report cold drafts, disembodied voices, and shadow figures inside the bridge. Paranormal investigators have noted elevated electromagnetic readings and irregularities in photographic equipment. The bridge has also become a regular stop for guided ghost tours, further cementing its haunted reputation.
The Peach Orchard
On the second day of battle, Union General Daniel Sickles pushed his line forward into the Peach Orchard, creating a vulnerable salient that became a scene of intense and chaotic combat. Today, the area appears serene, but investigators and visitors alike describe the presence of auditory anomalies, flickering light phenomena, and brief sightings of human forms moving through the trees. Some claim the orchard causes a sense of disorientation or time displacement, a pattern noted across multiple visits by independent observers.
Little Round Top
The rocky hill known as Little Round Top played a critical role in the Union’s defensive line, most famously defended by the 20th Maine under Colonel Joshua Chamberlain. Today, the site offers striking views, but also continues to generate reports of unexplainable activity. There are accounts of uniformed soldiers appearing momentarily before disappearing without trace. One often-cited incident involved a film crew being approached by a man in Union attire who offered them ammunition; the man vanished before they could identify him. Photographic anomalies and unexplained cold zones have also been documented.
Steven’s Knoll
Steven’s Knoll is a lesser-known but active location on the eastern edge of the battlefield. Used by Union artillery during the conflict, the area has produced significant reports of paranormal behavior, including sudden mists, unexplained lights, and electronic voice phenomena. Some investigators consider Steven’s Knoll to be an overlooked energy focal point, perhaps due to its high ground and role in the artillery defense of Cemetery Hill. Visitors often describe the sensation of being watched or accompanied when alone near the cannon emplacements.
Conclusion
Gettysburg remains one of the most emotionally and energetically charged sites in the United States. The trauma experienced on its fields has given rise to one of the richest bodies of folklore, eyewitness testimony, and paranormal investigation in North America. Whether interpreted as residual hauntings, active presences, or psychological phenomena rooted in the gravity of history, the events reported at Gettysburg defy easy dismissal. For those willing to explore with sensitivity and respect, the land still speaks.
Bibliography
- Holzer, Richard. Ghosts of Gettysburg: Spirits, Apparitions and Haunted Places of the Battlefield. Stackpole Books, 1997.
- Nesbitt, Mark. The Ghosts of Gettysburg, Volumes 1–6. Ghosts of Gettysburg Publishing, 1991–2010.
- Coleman, Christopher K. Ghosts and Haunts of the Civil War: Authentic Accounts of the Strange and Unexplained. Rutledge Hill Press, 1999.
- Owen, Russell. Field Reports: A Century of Paranormal Accounts from the Gettysburg Battlefield. Keystone Imprint, 2014.
- Gettysburg National Military Park Archives. Oral history and ranger logs, 1980–2020.