Gettysburg Guest Post from Ghost Eyes Steve

My friend Steve Vaughan of Ghost Eyes Paranormal and Most Haunted Places in America noticed I’ve not been able to tend to Haunt Jaunts like I usually do. He sent me the most wonderful surprise gift, an out-of-the-blue guest post asking, “Helpful?”

I was floored. No joke, I cried about it.

Once again a simple act of kindness from a friend I met via the Internet reminds me of the humanity and goodness that exists in this world. And in the paranormal community. I hear about an awful lot of posturing and bickering that goes on between groups and what have you, but I rarely see that end of things. The people I know are like Steve. The best, most generous, kind, caring, intelligent people you could hope to know. They’re often the first to ask if they could lend a hand when they see you struggling. But not only that, they’ll just go on ahead and reach out to you with some kind of well-thought out aid. It’s remarkable.

Okay, enough with me being sappy. (His gesture just really touched me. Thanks for allowing me to comment on it.) 

Without further ado, please enjoy this special treat of a guest post by Steve about Gettysburg and its ghosts.

“In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls. And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field to ponder and dream; And lo! The shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, and the power of the vision pass into their souls.”

General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain – Speaking at the dedication of the Monument to the 20th Maine
October 3, 1889, Gettysburg, PA.

I am sure Chamberlain didn’t realize his words would be just as true almost 125 years later. Gettysburg is one of our favorite haunt jaunts and we come to this “deathless field to ponder and dream” at least once a year. We visit the places where men by the thousands would lay down their lives for what they believed most in.

There is something about being in the Gettysburg National Park and standing on the ground where so many died that can be overwhelming.  Today you see great monuments that you can read long forgotten names, regiment numbers and states but it really doesn’t take a lot of imagination to realize what happened here. To feel the impact it had on not only the lives of those who fought here and their families but also the lives of a nation.

Some of our favorite sites to visit are Devil’s Den, Triangle Field, Sach’s Bridge and Spangler’s Springs. Not coincidentally they all come with their respected ghost stories.

Devil’s Den was fought over vigorously. The Confederates finally take over and place sharpshooters in the cracks of the rock. The sharpshooters then pick off Union soldiers stationed on top of Little Round Top.

After the battle, Union reporters wanting pictures of the sharpshooters, drag fallen confederate soldiers lying in Triangle Field right behind Devil’s Den and put them in the positions of the sharpshooters. They get their pictures and that is the story behind the paranormal claims that remain to this day. Many people who have taken cameras into triangle field have reported malfunctions. When they come out of the field, cameras seem to work fine again.

Spangler’s Spring has the story of a woman waiting on her true love that never returns. It is claims she committed suicide and each evening right at dusk, she returns and has been given the name of the “woman in white”.

Sach’s Bridge is not technically on the battlefield and is the bridge that the South crossed to retreat from the battle. The bridge, though not in its original site, still is known as a paranormal hotspot. Sach’s Bridge is stunning to see in the day time but at night it takes on a different almost foreboding feel.

I believe battlefields as a whole, due to the carnage they have seen, can hold a lot of energy. Maybe a reason so many paranormal claims come from them. Gettysburg National Battlefield is one of these parks. Residents treat the paranormal activity there as “normal”. The town actually thrives on its ghost tours, investigations and ghostly tourism. Could this be a factor in the paranormal activity still being there nearly 150 years later? No matter the reason, Gettysburg is a must visit if you ever get the chance.

Steve Vaughan

Ghost Eyes

Most Haunted Places in America