My Haunted Honeymoon

From: Mel (Meldog1973@aol.com)
Story type: Ghost
Location: Gettysburg PA
Source: Form Submission

I was married in October 2002, and my husband and I went to Gettysburg PA for a few days while on our honeymoon. We stayed at an inn called the Farnsworth Inn in downtown Gettysburg. It is reputed to be haunted and has been shown on the Discovery and Learning channels. I was a bit cautious because from the minute you step foot in Gettys., all you hear is "this place is haunted." Well, if you know anything about the Battle of Gettysburg, it's no wonder they have so many ghosts hanging around! It disappointed me a little bit because I wanted to go in without any prior suggestions or hype. But, all's fair in love and tourism, I guess!

Anyway, we checked into the Jennie Wade room (named for the only civilian killed during the Battle), which is in the original house (not the annex). The story is that there are at least 14 spirits in that house, not all of them are nice. Two snipers were killed in the attic, a young boy died in the front room after being struck by a wagon, and a midwife named Mary who died of natural causes but was very attached to the house and the family who lived there. One could encounter any one of these spirits at any time. The young boy likes to play with electronics (cameras, phones, etc...) and Mary likes to visit the Jennie Wade room, and anyone who is not feeling well (she was a midewife, after all!).

After checking in, I immediately put my cell phone and any medication I had with me on the dresser, hoping to call them out. I thought I'd either really enjoy the experience if it worked, or be scared out of my mind and running out the door - haha!! Then, we walked around the house snapping pictures on our digital camera (brand new). We used the flash on some, and did not use it on others to see the differences in the pictures. I made sure to make a note of what was on the walls, any glass that could cause a reflection, etc... my husband remained skeptical, but was a trooper about helping me out with all this. From the moment he walked in, the spirits crowded around him, I think. Almost every picture of him has an orb, or a funny red line (almost like film damage, but there was no film!).

There was one picture in particular I'd like to tell you about. I have posted it on my website, so if you would like to see it, email me and I can give you the link. First, I took a picture of my husband, standing just below a lamp on the landing below the attic where the snipers were killed (after days of Union soldiers shooting at them!). What I saw on the camera was a picture with one huge orb to his left. It's really bright! Then, I stood in the same place and he took the same picture of me from a few stairs higher than I had been when I took his picture. It was too dark to see what the picture looked like. I had to download it to my computer and lighten it. When I lightened it, I could see me standing in that same place. There is a picture on the wall behind me and the light above me and that's it, except... covering half of my face is a black shadow of some kind. I had nothing in my hair, but I could see the specific outline right above my hairline on my left. It has three bumps and they look like the knuckles of a fist to me, but what it really is, I just don't know. It scared me so badly that I had to shut off the computer for awhile. I did not open that picture again until my husband got home.

We saved another copy and began editing it and trying to several tricks to see if we could get rid of it, or if it was a shadow. Without being experts, we determined that it was an object/something IN FRONT of me. It covers the left side of my face and head and down my left side covering some of my long hair (my hair is waist length and has NO body to it whatsoever. It's straight as an arrow!) The picture of my husband shows the light reflecting off his head and it should have reflected similarly on my head. The light hits my head around the same spot, but then cannot be seen behind whatever is covering me. It's SO strange!

Well, after that, we decided to go to the tavern downstairs (we'd already been there a few nights in a row), and I was drinking Nutty Irishmen (a coffee drink). I only drink decaf because cafeine makes me sick, BUT I forgot to order decaf coffee in the drinks and wound up having about 8 cups of coffee, the last one at about 11:30pm! By the time we got back to our room, I had an upset stomach, a migraine and the shakes. My husband fell to sleep, but I stayed up nursing my head and stomach. I also had to work up some nerve to shut out the light! Now that my husband was asleep, I was "alone!" I wrote in my journal for a bit and then decided I would at least TRY to sleep. I was still shaking and feeling sick when I clicked off the light (can you tell what's going to happen next?). I laid awake for about 15 minutes knowing it was a futile effort, but feeling obligated to try to sleep anyway. I rolled over and shut my eyes as best I could. Suddenly, I thought I felt someone touching my head, stoking my hair from my forehead to the back of my head - five or six times. I was considering rolling over to determine if what I felt were real, but somewhere between the feeling on my head and rolling over, I was asleep. Asleep, two hours after basically drinking a pot of coffee (I hadn't had cafinated drinks for about two years before that night). I did not wake up until the next morning and I felt very refreshed. I was told that if Mary comes to visit, one is likely to have the best night's sleep they've had in awhile. I wouldn't exactly say that, but I would say that she had the right effect on my cafeine high and I did sleep after deciding I would not sleep all night.

It was by far the best and strangest ghost experience I have ever had. Gettysburg is a beautiful bourough and Penn. in general is an awesome state. I hope you enjoyed reading my story as much as I enjoyed living it.

Until next time.
Meldog