Unexplained Cases | Lights Out In the Basement of the Gettysburg Hotel

Written by: Darren Dedo
Case Filed: 07/28/19 - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Executive Producer: Rick Garner

Take a spin through Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and you'll find many historic spots where some of the bloodiest fighting took place during the Civil War in July 1863. In the center of town, you will also see something else: The Historic Gettysburg Hotel at One Lincoln Square.

Originally built in 1787, it was then named Scott's Tavern and built by James Scott. Over the years, the hotel changed ownership and names until finally becoming the Gettysburg Hotel. Originally, the hotel's ballroom served as Gettysburg Bank in 1814 and was in business until 2000. The vault is still in the ballroom now used for events like weddings.

Supposedly, this area is haunted by a spirit named Rachel. We hoped to grab a dance later with her...maybe running into one of her ghostly friends in the hotel, too! While recording b-roll of the vault, our camera captured a male disembodied voice. After careful review, it's clear the voice is asking, "What should I tell him is mine?" To whom the voice was asking this question and if he was referring to the former contents of the vault is unexplained.

Dennis Smith, a maintenance worker, explains that people have shared with him that "they've seen this and that." They want to know from him which room is haunted and if he's seen anything in the hallways. He has not. "Some people have a terror look on their face like they’d seen something.” 

Many historical figures have stayed in the Gettysburg Hotel, including Frederick Douglas, Ulysses S. Grant, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He and his wife were frequent guests of the hotel.

Deidra Bryant, the hotel's Concierge, shared about an alarming incident with the former President. "He had a heart attack and basically the Gettysburg Hotel was used as a second White House. So, he stayed here and manned it from the hotel as well as on the farm."

The President and First Lady were the last guests to stay at the Gettysburg Hotel before it closed down in 1964. A fire in 1983 badly damaged the hotel but thanks to funds raised by Gettysburg College, the hotel reopened in 1991.

The Gettysburg Hotel certainly is majestic...and apparently haunted. The Unexplained Cases team brought out cameras, EMF meters, SB7 Spirit Box, and other high-tech equipment to search for spirits in the hotel's basement - a supposed hot spot for paranormal activity. Wow, it was dark! With no lights, you can't see your hand in front of your face!

While part of the basement was used as a bank vault decades ago, today it is a spot for storage. Maintenance worker, Dennis Smith, says it's one spooky place. "One of the contractors was working on the boiler (here behind me) and he said somebody had grabbed him. He was the only one in there and he took off out of here. He said he wasn't going to go back in there at all! I think the ghost saw he was slacking and they told him to go!"

So, Rick and I focus much of our investigation on the basement. With a SB7 spirit box, cameras, and digital recorder we attempt to capture paranormal evidence.

I ask, "Are you from Gettysburg?" Clearly, a voice over the spirit box says, "Sure." Not the response you'd expect but it was clearly a response to my question.

I also ask, "Did you work in the bank?" There's a response but it's too difficult to determine what it says.

This is the case with the spirit box, lots of static and only a few moments of evidence.

When I ask if Rachel is in the ballroom, there's a human vocal response but there's also a change in the room. Rick spins around from filming me to look behind him. The feeling is that we're not alone. "Starting to feel a little heavy in here. Kinda has that...I’m not sure how to describe it...a heavy feeling, like someone else is here with us."

And just as quickly as it came, the feeling was gone.

Part of the basement includes the old bank vault, used for storage of boxes and boxes of files. Rick went roaming around in the tight quarters with only a night shot camera and an EMF meter.

He got a quick ht - a possible change in th electronic magnetic field - may even a sport. But it didn't last long...going silent for the rest of in the investigation. So, I pulled out my digital audio recorder in secluded spots in the basement in hopes of capturing a disembodied voice from the dead.

After several minutes, I reviewed the tape on scene and later to conclude: no one responded to my questions. Not even a peep!

So, while we had some hits on the spirit box, heard a few weird sounds, captured a coupled disembodied voices, and got that heavy feeling in the basement, I believe we can't 100%say for sure that the hotel is haunted. We can, however, attest that this grand hotel is beautiful...an iconic piece of Gettysburg! To e enjoyed by historians and visitors. alike!