Episode 96: Slice of the Paranormal returns to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to investigate three of the town's most haunted Civil War landmarks and explore the chilling ghost stories that continue to surround them.

First, we visit the Widow Thompson House, better known as Lee's Headquarters, where General Robert E. Lee established his command during the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Perched on Seminary Ridge, the home witnessed the horrors of relentless cannon fire and musket volleys as soldiers fell by the hundreds. The dead reportedly surrounded the house, while bodies were gathered and stacked in a cellar across the road to clear the way for Lee's arrival. Many believe the battle still echoes outside these historic walls, and some say the spirit of the Widow Thompson herself still lingers. The cellar across the street is also said to have been haunted by the ghost of a soldier trapped beneath a mountain of fallen comrades, whose restless spirit reportedly found peace only after a priest performed an exorcism. That historic cellar still stands today.

Next, we stop for some spirits at the legendary Dobbin House Tavern, one of Gettysburg's oldest and most haunted buildings. Visitors and staff alike have reported sightings of Alexander Dobbin's ghost, along with Civil War soldiers, enslaved individuals, and colonial-era women who are said to still walk the halls. Mr. Dobbin lost several children while living in the home, and the sounds of children laughing and playing have reportedly been heard throughout the property. One guest even captured a photograph inside the tavern that may reveal one of these mysterious spirits.

We conclude our investigation at Spangler's Spring, a peaceful location that provided much-needed fresh water to Union and Confederate soldiers during the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. While visitors can no longer drink from the historic spring as they once could, many still come hoping to encounter the famous Woman in White, whose ghostly appearances have sparked decades of debate about her true identity. Is she a Civil War nurse, a grieving widow, or something else entirely?

Join Slice of the Paranormal as we uncover the history, hauntings, and enduring mysteries of some of Gettysburg's most haunted locations, where the echoes of the Civil War may never have truly faded.

Sources:

Ghosts of Gettysburg Books by Mark Nesbitt 1995
Boos and Brews by Patty A Wilson and Scott Crownover 2002
Spooky Pennsylvania by S.E. Schlosser 2020
The Alexander Dobbin House in Gettysburg “A Short History” by Dr. Walter L. Powell 2009
The Big Book of Pennsylvania Ghost Stories by Mark Nesbitt and Patty A Wilson 2008


Sites:

Lee’s Headquarters
https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/gettysburg-battlefield-general-lees-headquarters
Dobbin House Tavern dobbinhouse.com
Spangler’s Spring https://npplan.com/parks-by-state/pennsylvania-national-parks/gettysburg-national-military-park-park-at-a-glance/gettysburg-national-military-park-touring-the-battlefield/gettysburg-national-military-park-spanglers-spring/