Skip to main content

America's Most Haunted -- Gettysburg, PA "Devil's Den"

Gettysburg Battlefield, PA -- Devil's Den

There is a direct connection between a tragic, violent or untimely death and a haunting. If a young man passes suddenly and instantaneously in a terrible car crash, the energy emitted at the time of the accident is so strong it tends to leave an imprint on the environment. This event will continue to playback year after year like a segment on a video recorder, leaving behind voices, noises and images, until the energy dissolves and the tape wears out. If the death of just one young man is extreme enough to permanently impact the area for years to come, then what about the death of 51,000 men?

On July 1, 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee led his troops from Northern Virginia up to south central Pennsylvania, to a small, rural town called Gettysburg. He was confronted there by Union General George G. Meade, and although a scrimage had not been planned, a three-day battle suddenly ensued that was extremely violent and ultimately very bloody. The Confederates were defeated and pushed back to Virginia, but the battle resulted in 51,000 American casualties, including one civilian casualty, a woman by the name of Jennie Wade who died when a stray bullet entered her window at the very beginning of the battle. It was a morbid massacre, and is considered to be the turning point of the Civil War even though the fighting would continue unabated for another two years. Because of the instances of brutal hand-to-hand combat and high number of deaths, it is believed that nearly all 40 miles of the Gettysburg battlefields are ripe with paranormal activity. The most active location, however, is the area known as "Devil's Den".

The rocky area full of massive boulders really does look like a lion's den. Due to it's unique layout, a sharpshooter was able to hide behind the rocks in "blind spots", and systematically take out hundreds of soldiers as they passed through unknowingly without being seen. Eventually, Union forces were able to use mirrors and field glass to determine the sharpshooters location and kill the man. Photography was in it's infancy during the Civil War, and it is said that photographer/war correspondent Alexander Gardner was at Devil's Den snapping pictures right after the battle ended. In order to get a better shot, he instructed his assistants to move the bodies of dead soldiers to different locations so he could get a better picture. Supposedly, he even went so far as to drag one particular fallen soldier to the pile of rocks behind the blind spot so he could snap a picture and fabricate a story about the unrelated man being the infamous sharpshooter.

americas_most_haunted_gettysburg_devils_den
Famous Devil's Den photographs

Famous Devil's Den photographs

It is believed that since these men were not left in their final resting places, their souls have never found peace. From that infamous day on, photographers have had inordinate amounts of difficulty taking pictures in Devil's Den as well as in several other areas of notorious fighting.

My mother and I visited Gettysburg a few years back, and we experienced this for ourselves firsthand. Before heading out to Devil's Den, we both put new batteries in each of our digital cameras, brought along extras just in case, and fully charged the battery on the camcorder. Regardless, within minutes after entering the den, both our camera batteries went from full to empty in a matter of moments. We replaced them with new ones only to have it happen again. At this point, I brought out the camcorder, which held a better charge. I captured about five minutes worth of footage before the battery went completely dead. There are also reports of malfunctioning cameras developing images that weren't actually there, such as apparitions of soldiers or weapons. Triangular Field, in particular, is one place where tourists will take pictures of the grassy field but will see only black when the film is developed.

OTHER ANOMALIES

Jennie Wade, the one civilian casualty I mentioned, is said to wander the house where she died along with the ghost of her father, who was institutionalized after her death and ended up passing away in the "poorhouse." Several people have reported seeing a rugged man, barefoot, with a floppy hat and sloppy, ragged clothes on the rocks at Devil's Den. According to Civil War buffs, this perfectly matches the description of the unkempt, poorly dressed Texans who were at Gettysburg fighting for the Confederate Army in 1863. Gettysburg Battlegrounds frequently has volunteers scheduled to reenact the prominent battles for the enjoyment of passing tourists. However, there have been countless reports of visitors witnessing a "reenactment" on a day when there was not one scheduled, and no actors were even in the area.

Devil's Den hasn't changed much in the 144 years since the battle was fought, which could account partially for the high level of paranormal activity that takes place there. For the spirits that exist in this location, the surroundings look exactly as they did the day they died, a factor which could lead the restless ghosts to believe that the war has never ended, as they continue to fight the same battle day after day after day.

Gettysburg Ghost Pics

Ghost soldier

Ghost soldier

Ecto captured in Triangular Field

Ecto captured in Triangular Field

Vapor or ectoplasm

Vapor or ectoplasm

Vapor in a picture taken during the lunar eclipse

Vapor in a picture taken during the lunar eclipse

GETTYSBURG EVP -- At 00:12 a little girl speaks in a sing-song voice

SOURCES

Comments

J Zod from Nairobi on October 19, 2018:

Interesting article.I believe ghosts exist, especially if the person died a violent death.Their ghosts never find peace.Thanks for sharing.

john on February 03, 2013:

I have visited Gettysburg often in my lifetime, but only sensed

something once. There were no tourists, just my old friend and myself, and all was still and quiet. I could sense something of the fright and pain and panic of long age.

Scroll to Continue

It was scary and I felt the same thing more than once at

the Bloody Angle at the Spottstlvania battlefield in Va.

Debapriyo on January 18, 2013:

I am from India(kolkata).I have a great interrest in spiritual science. this page will help me a lot.thank u very much.

kcaz on September 19, 2012:

i just hope u people relize that when u make fun of and taunt the soldiors who fought on little and big round with your stupid 6pack that they gave their lives for your freedome just thinking about how much pain they went through.i hope u will grow up and relize what the men and boys went through.kids became orfins women became widows.it makes me sick that u would do that.i dont know about u all but the bloodest war was what made all of amirica have no slaves and that is one of the best things that u are free men and women. ....

please dont forget about the soldiors who gave their lives for freedome :)

kcaz on September 19, 2012:

i have a house in gettysburg and i do very well belive in ghosts i whent to devils den a few days ago and we diddent have any problems but we did an auto tour and at one of the stops my friend took a picture of one of part of a battlefield and got something in the pic that looked like a red uniform hat the second time my friends mom tried to take a pic of friends and when she looked at the pic their was just a blank wall the third time my mom took a picture at the top of a monument and it was a very bright day and the picture came out all black....

ps:frank u eat crap respect the people who gave their lives on that battlefield :)

Paul on September 05, 2012:

Went to Gettysburg last weekend. My little digital camera, which has been fine for years, started giving me an error message every times turned it on...."memory card malfunction"... I had to pop the card in and out and it would clear up sometimes and others no...must have done it 100 times.... Came home and was able to download pix ... No error any more... I am getting chills now .... Not sure if I want to look at the pix !

K on July 16, 2012:

I had a similar experience with the battery of my cam when I went into Devil's Den. It was charged and was taking pics of other sites but as soon as I got to that spot, battery fully died. Once we left the spot, the cam started working again

d on June 04, 2012:

i see ghosts everyday they are very real my home is severely haunted i have a lady and a child and the father here the father shot the mother and the child back in 1888 stop dissing the after life what have they done to you NOTHING

BBB on May 25, 2012:

shut the f*** up.....ok..so I might of put really instead of real......so p*** off.......ghosts are not real...its all stupid....TV shows do it them selves to make it seam like there are ghosts.....have u ever met a ghost.......I don't think so......

Demon on May 25, 2012:

Did u really say Ghosts are not really???? did u mean real??? well stupid ghosts are really!!! ops i mean real!!! BBB u stupid ghosts are real

BBB on May 11, 2012:

Ghosts are not really

Freddy cougar on May 11, 2012:

WOOOW THIS CAN'T BE REAL AT ALL!!!!

Demon on May 10, 2012:

I don't belive in ghost I won't till I really see or hear one with my own eyes.Although I do now after hearing something down at Gettysburg it was just my friends and I we all splited up so I was on my own and I heard something that sounded like screams and it kept getting closer to me. The pictures on here are all fake though I can tell.

Dan on March 07, 2012:

It's amazing what comes up in film when your camera is wet, or the lighting is dim on a cloudy day, or what will come out in a picture on a sunny day. There are also batterys that fail. I bought some on sale once, and the whole bunch of batteries didn't work. I took pictures in Japan on a damp day with a 35 mil camera of an old house and it had the appearance of orbs that I see in many of the "ghost" websites. There were also what could appear to be orbs to ghost enthusiasts hovering above a tori. Toris in Japan are a large wooden structure along a path that are supposed to keep out the bad spirits. A ghost enthusiast would look at the picture and say, wow, that orb is trapped and can't move down the path. I rational person would say, wow, that moisture in your camera really screwed up that picture. Try not to do that again, let's be more careful with the camera." A rational person would not put the picture on websites and pass it off as paranormal activity. I believe in ghosts, but 99.999 percent of the crap on these sites are just crap. I also took a picture from a moving car of some scenery one day. It was a bright sunny day.. The guard rail, which like many, was made of metal must have reflected the sun. I had a 35 mil camera at the time so I didn't realize until it was developed that the picture didn't come out. Instead there was a streaming of light in long curvy lines that intertwined. It looked like the 4th of July. I guess I could have passed that on as a spirit beaming himself up or something, but I didn't. I said, wow, that picture in a moving car on a sunny day next to a metal guard rail was a waste of film.

Michael on February 15, 2012:

I have been going to Gettysburg for 13 years sometimes a few times a week when I lived in DC.This past summer I spent 2 months there,every night was at Sachs bridge and met a few and talked to a few.

They don't always show up at night you will see them during the day and some will be dressed normally was in the Orphanage and heard some giggling and saw a boy running and stopped right by me and cocked his head and gave me a big smile and I smiled back and waved and he waved back and giggled and ran to the wall behind an aisle and didn't see him again.

Some walk up from behind and you hear a rustling type sound and they will talk to you.The spirits do not harm you Hollywood harms you.

They just want to communicate so if you have dosing rods or a ghost box you can talk and they will talk back

Gettysburg has a way of drawing people to it and will keep you coming back,it is a wonderful place nd Last year after spending alot of time on the battlefield over te years I spent most of my time walking the streets for the battle didn't just happen on the fields it happened in town and the town didn't get back to normal until after November for the real heroes were the people who loked after the wounded.

There are spirits all over Gettysburg and they are friendly.

Sara Eizbeth on February 02, 2012:

Did You Relly see something there and was it scary

bobbyjoe49 on January 21, 2012:

hi again i did a comment just a little earlier and didn't have signed up yet my name is bobby harris so when they see it they'll know it was my post first one i did to reply to bigT and kristen to frank when said in my other post to frank i should have said first i was a reenactor for the civil war and that this year we are going to gettysburg in august 2012 for a living history there. and will be my first trip there. i want frank to know that bigT and kristen is right please never bring any modern thing in there even ipods phone leave it these soldiers who died there in a horrible bloddy battle didn't have these things neither a six pack either. if you taunt them they will never let you see them, they will go away and hide from you. they wont even come out. if i were there in my uniform as a Rebel for the confederate i know i will feel pain as they felt it and i know i would feel the hurting they went through i would go through it with them to respect them and love them as like a brother. who cares who understands. what they faced on these battlefields frank next time leave your six pack at home dont bring nothing out there and just maybe if you are respectful to them they will come out and you will see them and hear them and i know many people have had face to face encounters with them out there and have spoken to them too these things do and can happen to people no matter what time it is. just have to be ready for it i am ready i know this much. i am ready to encounter whatever comes and i will leave them with my respect for them. and will always rememeber them for it with a special honor to be for those who were alone without families so far away from home that is a good respect not like you did frank it was awful sorry to say so i hope bigT and kristen agree with me if i left out anything go ahead and add to it,take care

Plyminaster on December 29, 2011:

"Several people have reported seeing a rugged man, barefoot, with a floppy hat and sloppy, ragged clothes on the rocks at Devil's Den. According to Civil War buffs, this perfectly matches the description of the unkempt, poorly dressed Texans who were at Gettysburg fighting for the Confederate Army in 1863. Gettysburg Battlegrounds"

According to Texas Brigade clothing return forms(found in the National Archives),the troops had been supplied with fresh clothing and shoes only days before the battle.

historygirl on November 04, 2011:

Went to Gettysburg back in July (right around the time of the battle) for about 2 days. I didn't see a ghost there, and I have yet to find one in a picture taken with my family. However, those were some interesting pictures and a rather entertaining article- the comments were pretty fun to read, as well. :)

Jim on October 20, 2011:

Went to Gettysburg with my family on a road trip when I was around 11. My dad passed away when I was 13. Now I am in my 20's I can visit it again on my own and appreciate it more as an adult.

Lone Ranger on September 24, 2011:

If I am not mistaken, Gardner's pictures of those fallen soldiers at Devil's Den was staged. Apparently he hired some men to dress up in appropriate Civil War apparel and had them lie down as if they were dead (as seen on the History Channel in 2010).

What you need to understand is that dead bodies in that kind of heat would turn almost black and bloat up to such an extent as to pop buttons from their jackets within 2-3 days after death, as was seen in various locations time and again.

By the way, dead men don't neatly position their guns as they did, butts to the ground leaning up against rocks. When soldiers are shot, it is typical that they drop or throw their weapons and the way those weapons land is completely random and without uniformity. Beyond that, it was a very entertaining and enjoyable article, thank you! :0)

William Benner from Savannah GA. on September 23, 2011:

I was doing research for a hub on a related subject (but not exactly the same) and yours was one of the first sites I Goggled! You must of done a lot of back linking! Great job!

LC on August 27, 2011:

My daughter and I and 2 girlfriends went in April/11 to Gettysburg for a history/ghost hunting weekend. We all love history and found Gettysburg to be amazing and humbling, just the thought of all the death and suffering that went on there really touches you as you stand on Little Round Top and look out over the valley and Devils Den. Never had anything happen there, but were out on the battlefield where Jeb Stewarts calvary and Geo. Custers calvary fought. We were with a tour towards evening and one couple in our tour had a voice recorder. The husband spoke out and said "Hi my names Dereck", and a womans voice answered him, saying "Hi Dereck". He turned to his wife and asked her if she had said anything to him? To which she said "NO! but I heard that!!" It was and audible voice and all caught on the recorder! We were out in the country with no one around us, and they were over just alittle from us. I know this sounds crazy to some, but I was there and had doubts to begin with, but there was no explaination where that voice came from!!! Very Interesting....

richard on August 23, 2011:

I forgot add last comment, oops. I am deaf. I will jump if ghosts touch my back. Lol.

richard on August 23, 2011:

Wow, scary.

I watched movie called gods and generals movie. It is so sad movie.

Hey, frank, you are dumbass. Why taunted them? That is not respect to soilders.

ed jenkins on August 19, 2011:

me and some friends are planing to check out devils den in october hope to see things i never saw befor has anybody see things or hear things we are hopeing to find something this will be my frist ghost hunt should be fun can anyone tell me what they saw or heard

Tbam on July 30, 2011:

I love Gettysburg. It's one of my FAVORITE places. It has a weird eerie feeling...Ya know??

Dave on July 29, 2011:

I toured the Gettysburg site last week (although only in the day time). I did take several pictures at Devils Den as well as everywhere else and had no problems with the cameras. The site is amazing and thinking about the battles that took place here and how it must have been to be in the very places we stood was incredible. The only place I have ever been where I felt something unusual was Andersonville Prison in Georgia. That place was truly haunting.

Jaclyn Popola (author) from Florida on July 29, 2011:

Thank you to everyone sharing their experiences and opinions! @montgomery burns - I would argue that people who don't think outside the box, and only believe in what they can see, lead sad lives ;)

montgomery burns on July 27, 2011:

people who need to believe in ghost hunters lead sad lives

Jeff on July 16, 2011:

Jim...and you never will!!

Jim on April 21, 2011:

I've been to G'burg several times a year for many, many years in all seasons. I've walked most of the battlefield at different times, day and night even with dogs sometimes without. I have never had the honor or misfortune of meeting up with a spook or had a paranormal experience.

Marci on April 08, 2011:

I've been to Gettysburg and there is definitely a feeling of sadness, it's heartbreaking to look at the massive amount of land where the battles took place and imagine how it must have been. Men laying dead, dying and wounded next to each other, such a tradgedy. As I stood there looking at the now beautiful field the only thing that haunted me was the thought that while the men who died at Gettysburg did so for reasons they understood and cared deeply about, whether Conferdate, Union, North or South they had a cause, do the folks that stand there today respect and undedrstand why those brave men fought and died or has Gettysburg just become a "neat" attraction, a place to Ghost hunt ... perhaps for those folks the Haunted Mansion at Disneyworld would be a better and more productive stop. But for those who shed their blood in the name of freedom ... whether they were wrong or right in their reason or cause, I think we should respect them and not ask for the departed to entertain us.

BUDDY on April 04, 2011:

AS THE SCRIPTURE TEACHES,"THE DEAD KNOW NOT OF THIS WORLD". THIS MEANS THAT A DEPARTED SOUL INSTANTLY FINDS ITSELF EITHER IN HEAVEN OR HELL, WITH NO CONNECTION WITH IT'S MORTAL PAST. HOWEVER, A DEMONIC SPIRIT CAN TAKE THE IMAGE OF ANYTHING, FOR EXAMPLE, {UFO'S, ALIENS, DEAD SOLDIERS, DEAD RELATIVES AND THE LIKE}. THEIR MAIN OBJECTIVE BEING THAT OF DECEPTION. THESE SPIRITS ARE VERY DANGEROUS AND BETTER OFF LEFT ALONE. PEOPLE ARE HAVING EXPERIENCES, BUT THEY ARE NOT AS THEY SEEM.

wow on March 21, 2011:

wow. how amazing

satvinder on March 19, 2011:

i m from india i sensed wen i touched the pic...........

Judy on March 18, 2011:

We're planning on going to Gettysburg today, mostly just to see it not so much to find ghosts, but I do love a good ghost story. Who doesn't? My cousins had problems with their cell phone and camera in the devil's den area too when they visited last year. It was more of a battery drain than a malfunction. They had read about devil's den online & when they got to the site their was this cool looking mist rolling over the area and one got out their camera to take pictures of it and the battery was completely drained. The other took out her cell phone to try to take a photo with that instead and its battery too was completely drained. Both thought it was odd because they had both charged their batteries before leaving their hotel, and when they left the area the batteries went back to being completely charged. They actually didn't realize they were in devil's den until they went back to the hotel and seen pictures of what it looked like online. I actually have an area in my back yard (in upstate ny) where a similar thing occurs (battery drains). I noticed that most people use devices with re-chargable batteries when these sort of things happen. There is definitely a lot of truth to it, but I wonder if it is something paranormal or something more scientific. Anyone ever research this?

Another thing, I was watching something on the travel channel that had a ghost story about some politicians (can't remember their names exactly) but they were well known who visited Gettysburg on a tour and while they were there saw a brilliant reenactment of the battle of Gettysburg. Upon leaving they commented to a ranger about how great performance was only to find out that their was no reenactment scheduled for that day. Apparently it was pretty well documented, I wish I could remember more of the specifics because it was a pretty well known politician it happened to, but it was a few years ago when I watched it. I figured I'd mention it because I haven't seen anyone say anything about it on any of these forums I've looked at about Gettysburg & I thought it was a pretty neat story

cbones1979 on March 08, 2011:

Went to this location with disposable camera with my Dad. took pics of the place. Camera film came back blank when developed

No lie, No reason to lie about it.

mazzastick on January 31, 2011:

You have some awesome ghost pictures on here. I did a haunted ghost tour of Gettysburg in October of 2010. It was cool but I wished we could have seen more. Next time I want to go along on one of the ghost hunting expeditions.

Great Article on Gettysburg ghosts.

Rob Berryhill on January 10, 2011:

When I went to Gettysburg as a kid in 1959. While

riding in the car towards Gettsyburg, I saw a group of

Confederate soldiers marching along the side of the road.

The images are as real as they were 50 years

ago. My parents saw nothing along the road.

ghosts are cool!!:D on December 27, 2010:

im going to gettysburg in 2011 springbreak because on ghost adventures lots of ghost were captured and i like ghosts.:O

CookieP on October 31, 2010:

I have been to Gettysburg at least a half dozen times and am preparing to go back this weekend. I have had two digital cameras malfunction at Devil's Den, one I had to physically remove the batteries to get it to turn off. I also lost three hours of battery time with the same camera. Every photo I try to take on the back side of Cemetery Hill comes out with the monument blackened. I have walked around Cemetery Hill and found definite cold spots, even on warm nights. I also have a picture of two whisps of mist going across the top of a re-enactor's tent where Gen Reynolds was killed. Finally, I stepped in a deep hole near where Dan Sickles lost his leg, only yards from the monument for it. I figured out later that it was the same leg that he lost and I sprained mine. I get spooked every time I think about it. Gettysburg is definitely haunted and don't let anyone tell you it's not.

MDog on October 26, 2010:

I stayed in gettysburg and a ghost so called 'Bob" Haunted us it was freeky man !!!!!!! I'm only nine years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

petie on October 25, 2010:

This one time at devil’s den I felt a cool hand on my shoulder. It wasn’t kreepy. It was yo mama. Then there was this time I saw 3 bears and this blonde hottie grabbed my pourage. Again yo mama. Then this one time at band camp

RabidB on October 22, 2010:

Re tar ded. Why the hell would you put a screamer and a faked photo of a 'ghost' in an article that tries SO HARD to be believable?

Anna on October 13, 2010:

My sons and I have been to Gettysburg many times. 2 years ago we went and climbed Big Round Top, we had a digital voice recorder with us. The DVR picked up many unusual things. These included the sound of cannon fire in the distance and voices saying "I want down" and something that is not quite as clear but you can make out "sulfur fog". We also have some picture evidence, an apparition of a soldier on a trail on big round top as well faces that have no body or explaination on where they came from. I am a beleiver and these experiences only strengthened them. I am willing to up load this evidence if someone will instruct me on how to go about it.

Janet on October 12, 2010:

My sister-in-law and I just stayed in gettysbury this past weekend 10/10/10. We walked around for hours and around 9:30 pm we walked into the graveyard and deceided not to walk to far because we were by ourselves and didn't trust the living that could be hiding up there. We joked all day about ghost but didn't see anything but the next morning around 5:15 am my sister-in-law said that I was screaming, she jumped out of bed and ask me what was wrong. All night something kept getting in my face, right before she ask me was I ok, I felted a hand grab my leg and pull the covers down off of me. It was so real that I was crying my hair on my arms was standing up and I was scared. I can still feel that hand when it touch my leg. I was dreaming but it was so real.

woody on October 09, 2010:

i think thelittle girl is saying i see people on lots of people

lonelyorc live com on October 06, 2010:

i should point some things out on gettysburg. devils den, where the camera stops working on the rocks. the story goes the cameras don't stop working at that spot, it is in the devil's triangle. so everyone who is comping this story over and over so they can explain their faulty cameras or just want to be part of things should recheck that one.

second if you lay down where the soldier rests in the rocks you feel a cold draft, supposedly he is laying there after being moved. the draft is from the rocks, after feeling the cold i investigated and found seeral spots where tehd raft drifts through the rocks.

thrid, here is the fun of gettysburg and a trade secret. many of the ghost seen are not ghosts(don't think of me as a disbeliever), they are actually people pretending to be ghosts to help the tour guides to get tips becuase tourists want to see ghosts(and don't say you don't want to). Others do this just for fun.

you see what you want to, and at night if you want to see a ghost you will. wonder why, i did. it deals with the brain and how it channels the negative light or lack of it it the fields of black. that is all i will say about it, you will have to do the research to gain the rest of that tidbit.

lights and other electronics not working right. ghosts operate what they know how to when they were alive so unless there are light switches and digital cameras back during the civil war times then i am sure these stories sounds more like when a group of people all sleep in the same room at night. if one says i could not sleep at all last night, see how many others say the same thing.

tom on September 19, 2010:

I recently visited Antietam and I took over 100 digital pics .Always taking two of each .I was alone in most areas . I found in one case I took 2 pictures and one was light then the second was darker but there was an orb perfectly round about 5 1/2 foot high in the doorway . I was alone in the house ,it was daytime and sunny. Now my interest is peaked , what's a good place at Gburg .And is there places you can walk through after dark without being arrested ?

hulu converter on September 10, 2010:

Glad to see you get this up and running. I remember the early concept phase and thought it was great. I really like the site design! I bookmarked it under inspiration.!!

ronnie on September 09, 2010:

my family and i have been to gettysburg lots of times and even stayed alot at different places. and every time something different and strange has happened, like the fisrt tome we stayed at the battlefield bed and breakfast and about 3 in the morning the light in our room started flashing on and off. at first i thought some one was messing with the breaker but i notice that the light switch was moving also. ive also got some great pictures all over town. i was a non-believer till then

David on September 06, 2010:

I just went to the Jenny Wade house ghost tour last night. The Tour was fun and exucational, I took 2 disposable cameras each with 27 pictures. I took pictures in the house and at East Hill Cemetary. Got them developed and found one picture from the cemetary with a few orbs, but nothing inside the house. I did get a picture of a woman in a window that was from an old school building a few months ago but other than that everything was normal.

cheryl on August 15, 2010:

Just returned from Gettysburg this weekend. Had the same problem in some spots. My digital camera shut off by itself and I couldn't take pictures. Everytime I tried it would shut off.I'd move to another location and the camera would be o.k. Never encountered this problem with this camera before.Just wouldn't allow me to take pictures at certain places.

Nico on July 29, 2010:

I was there today and tried to take a pic of my friend in that spot at Devil's Den. I am not a skeptic but my camera turned off just as I was about to press the shutter!

ghost on July 27, 2010:

i went there two years ago and im going again in a couple days

ghost on July 27, 2010:

my mom got a picture of the lady on the bell tower

sydney on July 23, 2010:

devil den is a great place to play and learn about history. I think devils den is a very good place to vist if you vist Gettysburg. i think devils den is a very good place!!

pendras on July 13, 2010:

I was wondering if i could use ur devils den pics for a school design project of mine. please let me know soon. you can contact me at neko-maru@myway.com

thankee

Chels on June 30, 2010:

UGH. Why cant people just upload what they filmed instead putting those stupid screaming faces in there?

JJD on June 27, 2010:

I was raised in the gettysburg area (born 1950). In the 1950s and 1960s nobody ever mentioned ghosts. The reality and second hand memories of the battle then still lingered just slightly without any of the ghost nonsense. As far as I can see, ghosts started to be associated with Gettysburg in the 1980s with the tourist industry and it has just gotten out of hand. This is nonsense, folks. The reality of the battle is interesting and tragic enough without throwing in this supernatural hyperbole.

Rich on June 06, 2010:

The first picture is not a ghost. When you travel past the Wheatfield and around a turn heading to the loop, that is a statue of a soldier right next to the road.

nikki on June 05, 2010:

my dad went to gettysburg and saw a ghost

titostacos144 on May 17, 2010:

this is so stupid there is no such thing as ghost u people are just to stupid to figure this out. shut up and get somethin else to gosipe about.

meagan on April 28, 2010:

i just went to devils den today cause it is about twenty minutes from my house. I have never experienced any paramornal things there but i don't doubt it's haunted. i am writing a book in fact that takes place in gettysburg. it is by far one of the most interesting little towns in the whole country.

Kate on April 24, 2010:

these are pretty cool. i'd like to go to this spot for real and see if i can see the ghost. i don't believe in ghosts but if i do see this one then i'll know that ghosts are real. (^_^) i doubt that i'll see him or some paranormal activity. lmfaos (^_^)

arthurc on April 20, 2010:

I was at gettesgurg last 234 july09 got delayed on the woods of the confederate side it got dark and we had to walk back across the battlefield the path of pickets charge moon came up but we got no feeling of anything good or bad just another field

Jeff on April 16, 2010:

THE GHOST SOLDIER PHOTO IS JUST A MONUMENT ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I HAVE 2 PHOTOS TO BACK THIS UP IF I COULD UP-

LOAD THEM ON HERE.

DMAN on April 12, 2010:

Your stupid. You can't get your facts strait, the bullet that killed Jennie Wade went through her door, not her window.

MHarper on April 06, 2010:

My family and I were in Gettysburg yesterday (April 5th ).The visitors center is really educational,the movie and mural are awsome.We did the driving tour,and I welcomed any spirit to show themselve to me.I would have enjoyed it more had there not been so many people around.I just finished uploading my digital pictures for a closer look,and there is an image near one of the statues.Thank you to all who lost their lives in this battle!

Wood on April 04, 2010:

Just went there today....nothing!

kalicoau on April 04, 2010:

THAT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GHETTO!!!!!!!!! u guys dont no what scary is u morons

Haunted Gettysburg girl on March 27, 2010:

I live in Gettysburg and have several ghost recordings and all of them were near devils den. My most chilling recording was made on July 2nd 2007(144th anniversary of the battle for little round top) rite in front of devils den in a place called the valley of death.

morgan on March 21, 2010:

i went to philadelphia for a school trip and we went to the battle fields in gettysberg it was awesome! we went on little round top and you could see devils den perfectly

Sammii on March 19, 2010:

I just want to say that your "ectoplasmic mist" or however you described it is your BODY heat leaving your body in the cool of the night. It is NOT a ghost mist. or a VAPOR of any sort. REALLY. stop trying to fool people. you are pathetic

prough on February 01, 2010:

wtf that was some freaky stuff that scared the hell out of me

jj on January 11, 2010:

i have gone to gettysburg twice and stayed at farnsworth and been everywhere... there is no such thing as ghosts... And it is not disgraceful to drink out there, it is fun and makes you more on edge... All i can say is if you believe in ghosts, your an idiot... HORSEMONKEYS

tracy on January 05, 2010:

oh god, why did you have to put that Exorcist image on there??? ....i freakin hate that, sheesh. i just turned 40, i could've had a heart attack! :P

Jax on January 03, 2010:

I just want to say to that frank person....you're pathetic. I'm guessing you've never had a relative in any war?? How would you feel is some drunken baboon went where your Grandfather died and taunted it...they died a terrible death & those who fight in wars deserve medals & our support not some idiotic poor excuse for a human degrading them...I mean really...do you realize what scum you are!!! Did you wanna go over to Iraq and sit in the middle of a field over there with your six pack?? Pathetic!!

Rick on January 01, 2010:

I have visited the battlefield on six trips to the National Fire academy for two-week classes there. On each trip I have never seen anything that remotely resembled paranormal visions, however, I have had a number of experiences that certainly would have to be classified as paranormal. I will attempt to explain what I mean in the following account.

In August of 1993 I was touring the battlefield with six classmates from the fire academy. We began our tour at the National Museum's "Electric Map" and walked the entire battlefield that afternoon. Throughout the entire day, it drizzled rain a rate that barely wet your skin. There was a gentle breeze and birds singing in the trees. We walked the entire time and looked at all the monuments and buildings along the route. We walked through the wooded roadways up to Big Round Top, and then proceeded to Little Round Top. As we broke the tree line from Little Round Top heading down into the Valley of Death, the breeze stopped completely and the birds became silent. We looked at each other and one of my classmates asked me if "I felt that", to which I replied, "you mean the hair standing up on the back of your neck" and goose bumps on my arms. For the record, I get those same goose bumps every time I relate this story to friends in discussions of things I can't explain. As we approached the creek bed, "Bloody Run" the silence was still very evident. We crossed the bridge and began to walk into the Devil's Den before the breeze returned and the birds singing resumed. I am not one, who has had many experiences like this, and I am normally skeptical of these types of stories, but I won't go as far as saying I am a non-believer in the paranormal phenomenon.

I have had several experiences that I can't explain, and seen some things that defy belief, but this single experience forever changed my opinion, and the sheer number of souls lost during the three days of battle in Gettysburg certainly may have left behind some spirit or entity that continues to roam the battlefields to this day.

I have had similar feelings and experiences on subsequent trips, but none as strong or vivid as the one in August of 1993.

tdc582 on December 31, 2009:

my dad had a seen a gosht, it was a lady in a robe pointing at him.

JBoss on November 23, 2009:

Devil's Den is an amazing place..you can feel the history. That whole camera thing is crazy, it didn't to happen to me but it's more than coincidence if it's happened to a number of people.

All of Gettysburg is an unbelievable place to visit and should be respected.

eineschuelerin on November 21, 2009:

I've lived in Gettysburg my entire life and not once have I or any of the people I know who have also lived here for all of their lives seen anything out of the usual. Unless you count tourists who decide to stand out in the middle of the road looking for "ghost spirits" with candles at night. I'm not saying people can't believe what they want to believe or that ghosts don't exist, I'm just saying if you visit Gettysburg, or a place like Gettysburg, please have some common sense. Sometimes I think people want so badly to see things they think they actually see them. Devil's Den and Sach's Bridge are beautiful places and should definitely be visited and respected. However, isn't it possible that the ghosts in pictures and the fact that your phones turned off are technical malfunctions? I'm not trying to be mean, I think it's cool that people can believe in these things, I'm just wondering if that possibility crossed anybody's mind. I've been to Cashtown, Orrtanna, Chambersburg, Hunterstown, Hanover and all the surrounding areas that were affected by the Civil War along with Gettysburg... I've been to them during the day and at night, for long periods of time and nothing has ever occurred.

lineman613 on November 06, 2009:

i am goibg to gettysburg soon i hope i see something that shouldn't be there

B.C. on October 27, 2009:

i believe it. i saw something like this at the little big horn and freiked. they were US like calvary in a strait line

Rick on October 26, 2009:

I live 45 minutes from G-burg, and go there fairly often. The official war records call the troop(s) casualties "losses". So while 50k plus sounds horrific, it was closer to 20k dead or missing. Still horrible! I went to the Farnsworth house just two days ago. Interesting and worth the 9 bucks. Not a big ghost believer, but saw pictures being taken digitally of the Inn etc... that included bright orbs! Pretty creepy. The stories and history are worth the trip. But don't go just for ghosts, the history there is amazing!

Daniel on October 12, 2009:

nice story, but you got a-lot of the facts wrong. Roughly 8,500 men from both sides where killed outright across the entire battlefield..not 51,000(good god)! That figure represents the overall count of casualties (dead,wounded&missing). Also Jennie Wade is really Ginnie Wade...That name Jennie is a mispronounced name by people now days. And finally, on the contrary, Devils Den and the surrounding area has changed a lot since the battle...the area around DD (especially the summit of Little Round Top) was sparsely wooded, DD also had a few more trees growing out of the rocks in their time.. and that first picture of that "Ghost" is a photograph of a statue between DD and the Wheat Field taken at night and on the edge of the photographers flash... I have seen it there... All the rest of your article holds truth though...

Mark on August 28, 2009:

Was just there early August, and while I didn't see anything , there definitely is a somber feeling. You can't help but be awestruck by everything that went on there.

Tara on August 16, 2009:

Can anybody recommend any hotels or B&Bs with the most paranormal activity? If you can, please include any personal experiences. Thanks!

kevin on August 09, 2009:

My Great Great Grandfather fought at devil's den on jul 2 1863

Betty on August 07, 2009:

Re: Linda.....My family went to Gettysburg a few years ago. My mother mentioned 2 times she smelt lilacs to the point it was stifling. I have never been but we have a trip planned for next weekend. I am excited.

JO on August 02, 2009:

Maybe Frank needed courage to face the ghost and figured he would find it in a six pack. What a jerk. All that matters is that it was a place of immense tragedy and you really don't need to experience any "paranormal" activity just knowing the history of that whole area is "haunting" enough.

Linda on July 31, 2009:

When we were at the Sach's Bridge my young son said he smelled flowers at a certain point on the bridge. I did as well--but we could not see any growing flowers on the banks of the creek or nearby. It was weird but no ghosts, or orbs or anything. We are going again and staying at Farnsworth Inn. Should be interesting.

idonthaveaname on July 30, 2009:

I was just there the other day with my cousin and uncle, we went really far in, and both of their (freshly charged) camera/iPhone died! I'm not lying. I swear on everything that can be sweared(I know it's not a word)upon. We also saw weird yellow light things (one per pic in most pics, don't tell me it's pollen or something like that). Not to mention the creepy paranormal/demonic feeling I got... why do you think it's called DEVIL'S den? I swear all I'm saying is true. This is coming from a practicing Christian.

Wendy on July 05, 2009:

The evp of a little girl sounds a lot like a piano, not a little girl.

Kristen on July 01, 2009:

I agree 100% with what Big T said. Frank, you don't need to be sensitive to ghosts to see or experience something paranormal for that fact. First of all, you need to respect the dead's spirits. Taunting them only makes you look like a fool. They gave their lives in a war, probably one of the most traumatic and heart-wrenching ways to have your life ended, and you antangonize them..? And to bring a 6 pack nonetheless?! Sheesh. The one thing Gettysburg doesn't need is nonsensical characters, so in the words of Big T "Take a hint, stay at home." You're disgraceful.

BigT on June 03, 2009:

Yo Frank, been there, done that. If you haven't witnessed anything, then maybe you should leave the 6 pack home. And why taunt them? Didn't they die a horrible death as it is? And by you going out into the battle fileds is what makes it difficult for people of sound mind to be there, without the park rangers lurking around. Take a hint, stay at home. And NO, you don't have to have a special "gift", but you do have to have a brain. Next time you feel like going somewhere, keep your 6 pack at the pub!

Frank on May 31, 2009:

I have been there a gazillion times- even with a six pack in the midle of the battlefield- looking for ghosts or paranormal activity. All I received was a 'talking to' by park rangers. I have even taunted them (ghosts) while there. Nope-notta-zilch. I did have a deer come close to me though. Remember that paranormal science is a psychological study. Guess that I'm just psychologically sound and not worthy of contact. Imagine that... Just to be sure- now that I am older- I am going to do a research paper on ghosts for a college class and go there next weekend. I bet I can reaffirm that no such ghosts exist there. Next I suppose one would say that I have to possess a special sensitivity to experience them. As my Scotish friends would say, "It's crap."

THOMAS J MILLER on May 26, 2009:

When i went 2 devils den for a school field trip, we ate at the d.d. and i exculy seen a ghost seating on the rock i told the teacher but he did not believe me ... I WAS SCARED!!!!!!

Sabrina L. on May 10, 2009:

Omg! This is so scary why do they show the excorist? God I hate it when peoples like that SCARE THE HELL OUT OF ME!!!

Related Articles