Ghosts and Gettysburg December 28th, 2009
Many people come to Pennsylvania to tour the battlefields of the Civil War, to explore the old buildings and soak up the history, but how many come for the ghosts? Ghost tours, over the years, seem to have become increasingly popular and popping up everywhere. It seems like most places have a ghost tour, from London to New Orleans to Albuquerque and Hollywood. The desire is strong to see the spot where other people claim to see ghosts and to hear the stories about what deeds transpired in these spots. And, believe it or not, the ghost tour that appears to be considered the best of the top ten scariest tours in America is the the Ghosts of Gettysburg tour run by a former National Park Service Ranger and Historian, Mark Nesbitt.
The list of the top ten suggest that these tours are the best place to hear about ghosts and to experience a ghost. While I’m skeptical about the latter claim, the first one has my attention. Gettysburg is as good a place as any for ghosts to be seen, with its battlefields serving as a turning point in the American Civil War in mid-1800s. Since then, people have reported seeing soldiers in the fields, apparitions appearing and vanishing.
Nesbitt began his ghost tour in 1994, giving out facts from his own books about the ghosts in town. The guides for the tour dress in period costume and walk visitors through parts of town that were once the battlefields in which Union and Southern armies clashed. Nesbitt has appeared on cable and television networks such as the History Channel, Unsolved Mysteries, A&E, and the radio program, Coast to Coast AM, which delves into supernatural mysteries. Just six years ago, in 2004, his books received the National Paranormal Award. His titles include, “Best True Hauntings Collection” as well as “Best Local Haunt Guidebook.”
The very building in which his tour is headquartered is supposedly haunted, over on 271 Baltimore Street. Whether or not you believe in paranormal activity, ghost tours in general keep our interest in the past active, reviewing the human story of what once happened. If you find yourself in one of the hotels Gettysburg has ready for you, as you review your itinerary for the day (seeing the Gettysburg National Military Park or the spot on which Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg address), you might consider the events that have happened in Gettysburg over the years and how these events resonate today, whether or not they’re supernatural.
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- Posted by Cliff
- Tagged Travel
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