Wednesday, May 25th, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

Today is my Birthday! What a great day to spend with family and friends! My day started out like it has for the last 3 weeks, with an early morning walk! It am working hard to make it a habit!

We had a leisurely morning and at 2pm, we headed to Shutter Homestead Winery for some wine slushies and maybe a tasting or two!

Every time we come to Ives Run, we have to visit Rhonda at Shutter Homestead, Charlie & I have even Harvest Hosted here for a night. It is a small family owned business and their hours are subject to change. So, she hangs an open flag on their big sign on Route 287. No flag? She is not open! She is open today, just for us! Not really, it is a normal day she is open!

Although the wine is not made here, you can enjoy wine tasting sales and events in their 200 year old barn, walk a trail on their 100 acre property or sit by the water and just relax with a glass of wine. Rhonda is an outlet for Bellview Wine. 

Bellview Winery is a winery in Buena, New Jersey. It was a family produce farm since 1914. The vineyard was first planted in 2000, and opened to the public in 2001. Bellview has 40 acres of grapes under cultivation, and produces 8,000 cases of wine per year. We help purchase at least a case between us all each year!

Sheryl, Sheila, Ellen and I enjoyed tastings, while Charlie and Bob had slushies. After our generous tasting of eight wines, some of us enjoyed a slushie too!

After all that wine, we needed a nap before we went to dinner at Timeless Destination in Wellsboro. Timeless Destination serves the finest Italian Cuisine. They offer everything from gourmet pizzas to filet mignon to their special desserts.

Bob ordered the pork chops, Charlie had Spaghetti and Sausage, several of us ordered the Chicken Parmesan. Gary had a salad and Sheryl had the Salmon. Everyone had a great meal, and they even surprised me with a birthday piece of cheesecake!

We came back to the campground for more dessert, birthday cake!

I got a bunch of birthday wishes and each one helped make my day a bit brighter! In honor of my 57 years, my brother gave me ketchup .... Heinz 57 .... and $57 had cold cash!

We capped off a great day with a nice sunset and a campfire! Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!

Tuesday, May 24th, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

Gary & Sheryl, Bob (my brother) & Ellen, Shelia and Charlie & I took a trip to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. It is also referred to as the Pine Creek Gorge, stretches for over 45 miles with depths of nearly 1500 feet. The dynamic topography of the PA Grand Canyon creates many scenic wonders, including steep canyon walls and waterfalls.

The PA Grand Canyon State Park areas display spectacular views. Colton Point on the west rim and Leonard Harrison on the east rim of the canyon. We headed to Leonard Harrison to view it from their overlooks.

George Washington Sears, an early conservationist who wrote under the pen name "Nessmuk", was one of the first to criticize Pennsylvania lumbering and its destruction of forests and creeks. Sears lived in Wellsboro from 1844 until his death in 1890, and was the first to describe the Pine Creek Gorge. He also described a trip to what became Leonard Harrison State Park: after a 6-mile buggy ride, he then had to hike 7 miles through tangles of fallen trees and branches, down ravines, and over banks for five hours. At least he reached "The Point", which he wrote was "the jutting terminus of a high ridge which not only commands a capital view of the opposite mountain, but also of the Pine Creek Valley, up and down for miles".

The creation of the park was the work of Leonard Harrison, a former lumberman and businessman from Wellsboro who owned a substantial amount of land in the Pine Creek Gorge. In the 1890s Harrison operated a sawmill at Tiadaghton in the middle of the gorge, which was supplied with logs, not by train as was most common in that era, but by a log slide built into the side of the gorge. The log slide was used on a year-round basis: during the winter the logs slid down on ice; following the snowmelt the slide was greased to ease the descent of the logs. After the village and the mill were destroyed by a fire, Harrison turned his attention to tourism. He purchased 121 acres of land at the site of the current park in 1906, then developed this land, known as "The Lookout", and invited the public to enjoy the beauty of Pine Creek Gorge. Harrison donated the picnic grounds to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1922.

Beautiful flowers throughout the park!

Although the park was donated to the state, the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce made initial improvements there and operated it for the first two decades. Elsewhere in the gorge the state bought land abandoned by lumber companies, sometimes for less than $2 per acre. Except for the adjoining Colton Point State Park, this land became the Tioga State Forest, which was officially established in 1925 and lies just north and south of the park. As of 2008 the state forest encompasses 160,000 acres, mostly in Tioga County.

After our tour of the park, Charlie, Sheila, Gary & Sheryl did some errand running in Wellsboro. My brother, Ellen and I had to get a nail out of his tire. The shop was closed, so we had a light lunch at the Wellsboro diner.

We enjoyed the rest of the day at the campground relaxing and talking. We had a chili dinner, a campfire and a great sunset!

Stay tuned for more of our Two Lane Adventures!

I forgot to share the one piece of private property with a house on it at the base of the gorge! No electric ....

 

 

Monday, May 23rd, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

Today, Rob & Sheila, Gary & Sheryl and Charlie & I traveled from Gettysburg to Tioga PA. The rest of the gang, headed out earlier as they had to go all the way home!

We kind of back tracked a bit to head north, but it was better than taking the rigs through downtown Gettysburg.

On PA 116 we found a family egg farm. Since 1958 the Weikert Family has been producing farm fresh eggs for Gettysburg and surrounding areas including Emmitsburg, Thurmont, and Fredrick, Maryland. The farm provides eggs to numerous restaurants and markets in the region. But customers can visit the store located on the farm to purchase eggs. Their chickens don't live in cages!  Instead they roam free in the oversized rooms of the hen house. They enjoy natural sunlight and a diet of corn, soybeans, alfalfa meal, vitamins and minerals. Additionally, beef has been raised on the farm since 1834, and is available for sale exclusively at the farm store.

We crossed back into Maryland on MD-140 and toured part of Emmitsburg MD as we made our way to US 15 N. We found this doughboy statue. The Emmit House is located behind the Doughboy, once a hotel, is now an apartment.  The area where the Doughboy stands was once a watering hole for cattle and horses, and later a public fountain. The land was donated at the time of the Doughboy's dedication and became known as the Legion Memorial Plot. The Doughboy was paid for by public subscription and its dedication at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, 1927, was attended by a crowd that included many local dignitariesThe 135 names on the plaque include only those from Emmitsburg. Many others served during the war from nearby locales. The American Legion and its Auxiliary place floral tributes at the base of the monument on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. The Town of Emmitsburg maintains the ground and the Emmitsburg Historical Society is responsible for the American Flag at the monument. The Doughboy suffered major damage when an earlier base was completely destroyed by an automobile in 1970. The American Legion led a community project to restore and clean the Doughboy and build a new base. The bayonet was finally replaced in about 1990.

We found a Race Car along the side of US 15. The Eastern Museum of Motor Racing (EMMR) houses an outstanding collection of vintage racecars and artifacts, as well as a research library of rare books, documents and photos pertaining to the sport of auto racing. I wonder if Anne & Kenny Yuker or Paul & Sandy Jeannin have ever been there?

You must admit Dillsburg is a unique name for a town. At one time the settlement was known as Monaghan Settlement, at other times it was Dill's or Dills, Dillstown and even Dillston. Then, at its incorporation on April 9, 1833, it officially, and probably finally, became known as Dillsburg. It was named in honor of the chief of the earliest settlers, Matthew Dill, who located here about 1740. He came from the county of Monagahan, Ireland. In 1749 Matthew Dill became one of the court justices of York County and before this he had commanded a company against native Indian opposition. He died October 13, 1750 at the age of 52.

In 1794, John Dill, grandson of Matthew, built the stone structure that still stands today as the core of Dill’s Tavern. Additions were added by subsequent owners to make the building pictured here, the largest of which was made in 1800 when Maryland farmer and tavern owner Leonard Eichelberger bought the property from Dill. The Eichelberger family doubled the size of the structure, making the tavern double as their residence.  

Under Leonard Eichelberger’s direction, the distillery, wagon-making, and wheelwright businesses flourished.  In 2001, NYCHAPS acquired the 200-year-old Dill’s Tavern through the generosity of Charles and Lucille Vogelsong. The restoration of this historical treasure has been a challenge and a labor of love. Today, Dill’s Tavern and its surrounding outbuildings have come to tell not only the history of Dillsburg but also the story of life on Pennsylvania’s frontier. Through our continuing archeological investigations and restoration projects, Dill’s Tavern continues to grow both in size and as a resource for the history of Dillsburg and the study of 18th and 19th century American life.

In Harrisburg, we crossed over to Route 322, to avoid some of the longer pulls of Route 15.

If you have ever traveled Route 322 east or west through the town of Dauphin, you surely have seen Lady Liberty on the Susquehanna. In 1986, Gene Stilp decided that in celebration of the real Statue of Liberty’s 100th anniversary, he would build a replica and erect it on an old railroad bridge pier in the middle of the Susquehanna River. Gene and friends made a plan to sneak the statue onto the pier in the middle of the night. Lady Liberty attracted plenty of attention, and caused traffic jams on route 322 both east- and westbound. She seemed to just pop up out of nowhere overnight!  She was a popular lady and became, to the people of Central Pennsylvania, a beloved symbol of our freedom. She lasted six years, until 1992 when a storm blew in and badly damaged her, causing her to be removed from the pier. The first Lady Liberty had become such a landmark to folks throughout the region that Gene was convinced to build another sturdier replica of the statue. T-shirts, hats, mugs and paintings by local artist David Lenker were sold to raise funds. A total of $25,000 was raised, and the replica was built. She stands 25 feet tall and weighed 4 tons. The statue was transported by a low boy from Advanced Composites to Fort Hunter. After many permits were secured, on July 3, 1997 (almost 11 years to the day the first statue was erected), Lady Liberty was flown from Fort Hunter to her home on the Susquehanna. She was placed on the pier, which stands 33.5 feet tall, 8.5 feet wide and 30 feet long. The top of the pier had been prepared and built up to hold the statue firmly in place. Lady Liberty still stands today, after almost 25 years, and can be seen from both sides of the river.  Hopefully, Lady Liberty remains steady on that old railroad pier that has lovingly supported her for so many years.

Crossing back over the Susquehanna, we are back on 11/15 in Duncannon. The Susquehanna River flows from upstate New York State to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The North Branch begins as the outlet of Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York. At approximately 444 mi long, it is the longest river on the American east coast and the 16th longest in the United States. The broad, shallow waters also make the Susquehanna the longest, non-commercially navigable river in the country. 

The river has played an enormous role throughout the history of the US. Before European conquest, the Susquhannock, an Iroquoian tribe lived along the river and gave the Susquehanna its name. In the 17th century, it was inhabited largely by the Lenape. In the 18th century, William Penn, the founder of the Pennsylvania Colony, negotiated with the Lenape to allow white settlement in the colony between the Delaware River and the Susquehanna. Local legend claims that the name of the river comes from an Indian phrase meaning "mile wide, foot deep," referring to the Susquehanna's unusual dimensions, but while the word is Algonquian, it simply means "muddy current" or "winding current".

We passed through Williamsport and the Little League Hall of Fame and Museum. I know I have blogged about this neat place before, so look it up in my blogs if you want to learn more!

I do love the countryside pictures you can capture on Route 15!

We followed US 15 north all the way to Ives Run Campground in Tioga PA. This will be our home for the next week!

Sunday, May 22nd, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

I started the day with a walk around the campground. I have been trying to stay focused on my activity. We got up on Sunday morning and some of us had booked a double decker Battlefield bus tour. Two of the couples have done this tour before, so they opted out of this excursion. So, ten of us are venturing out. Naturally, it is the hottest day of the season thus far!

Farnsworth House shows visible Civil War wounds on the side of the building. Being present during the Battle of Gettysburg, the Farnsworth House Inn was occupied by Confederate forces who utilized the structure as a make-shift hospital and headquarters, a practice that was common during the war; many of the surrounding homes and buildings would often become centers for planning attacks and treating the wounded. The historical fact is that the home has 135 bullet holes riddled in one of its sides, a direct result of the Battle of Gettysburg.

The Adams County Courthouse was built in 1859 to replace the original 1804 courthouse located in the town square. The new brick Italianate style building was designed to be large enough to house both the court system and county offices. The bell in the bell tower was cast in Philadelphia in 1804. The Adams County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Opened as Scott’s Tavern in 1797, this iconic Gettysburg Hotel weathered the Battle of Gettysburg and is steps away from the Wills House, where President Lincoln penned the Gettysburg Address. In 1991, the hotel restored its rooms and later acquired the majestic Gettysburg National Bank (1814), which is now a magnificent ballroom for weddings. In 2013, the hotel was transformed into an upscale, boutique-like property while still maintaining its historic integrity.

According to the urban legend, if the statue shows the horse posed with both front hooves up in the air, the rider died in battle.  If the horse is posed with one front leg up, it means the rider was wounded in battle or died of battle wounds. And if all four hooves are on the ground, the rider died from causes outside of battle. So is there any truth to the myth? While there are plenty of statues that follow the “rule” of the hoof positions, particularly with statues commemorating Gettysburg soldiers, there are at least nine instances where the rule does not hold for Gettysburg statues.

This monument is where General Reynolds fell. Major General John F. Reynolds was the highest ranking officer killed at the Battle of Gettysburg and one of the most senior officers to die in the Civil War. His decision to commit his infantry west of Gettysburg set the course of the fighting, but his death early in the battle was a serious blow to the Union Army.

The memorial was dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt on July 3rd, 1938, the 75th anniversary of the battle. One Union and one Confederate veteran unveiled the 47 1/2 foot tall shaft. Roosevelt compared the task of the men of the 1860’s with the men of his day: “All of them we honor, not asking under which Flag they fought then – thankful that they stand together under one Flag now.” In less than five years the grandsons of these veterans would be standing together in unimaginably terrible battles against enemies around the world. Over 250,000 people attended the dedication, with an estimated 100,000 more unable to make it due to overcrowded highways. Over 1,800 Civil War veterans attended what was to be the last reunion, all of them at least in their nineties. They lived in a luxurious tent camp complete with electricity and boardwalks set up in the fields north of Gettysburg College, attended by a host of Boy Scouts. The memorial’s $60,000 cost was provided by donations from state both north and south. Its base is made of Maine granite, while the shaft is of a lighter colored Alabama limestone. The gas-lit eternal flame burned until 1979 when it was replaced by electricity, but it was restored in 1988. The monument was the inspiration for the eternal flame on President Kennedy’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery.

Being a Theater major in college, theaters always intrigue me. The Majestic Theater in Gettysburg is no exception. On November 14th, 1925, the doors of the Majestic Theater opened for the first time, welcoming audiences to the largest vaudeville and silent movie theater in south-central Pennsylvania. Built by Henry Scharf as an annex to the historic Gettysburg Hotel, the theater seated 1,200 patrons and proudly served as the cultural crossroads of commerce, college, and community. In the 1950’s, the Majestic Theater stepped onto the world stage when President Dwight D. Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower regularly attended performances, often in the company of world leaders. The theater's ballroom/gymnasium, always a popular spot for young people, was often used by the White House press corps for news conferences whenever President Eisenhower was in residence at his Gettysburg farm. For a small-town theater, the Majestic has had more than its share of movie premieres, including the world premiere of Ted Turner's Civil War epic, Gettysburg, in 1993. In November 2005, the Majestic now beautifully restored to its original grandeur once again welcomed audiences with an extraordinary showcase of the performing arts and cinema.

Before President Lincoln delivered his immortal Gettysburg Address, Gettysburg's oldest and most historic building, the Dobbin House, was built. Reverend Alexander Dobbin, who built the Dobbin House, was an early frontier pioneer who helped settle and civilize the area. Shortly after his arrival in America, from Ireland, he became pastor of the Rock Creek Presbyterian Church, located one mile north of what is now Gettysburg. In 1774, the Dobbin purchased 300 acres of land in and around what is now the town of Gettysburg and commenced construction of a farm and the Dobbin House, for use as their dwelling and as a theological seminary and liberal arts college. Dobbin's school was the first of its kind in America west of the Susquehanna River, an academy which enjoyed an excellent reputation for educating many professional men of renown. In the mid-1800's, a secret crawl space, featured in "National Geographic", served as a "station" for hiding runaway slaves on their perilous journey to freedom on the "Underground Railroad." After the battle of Gettysburg ceased, and the armies had departed, it served as a hospital for wounded soldiers of both the North and the South. Today the historic house appears virtually the same as it did over 200 years ago. Its native stone walls, seven fireplaces, and hand carved woodwork have been painstakingly restored to their original beauty and character, with interior decor in the traditional eighteenth century manner. Many of the home's antique furnishings are identical to those listed in the inventory of Rev. Dobbin's estate. The china and flatware exactly match fragments which were unearthed during the re-excavation of the cellar.

We saw this log cabin on Baltimore Ave among average homes and it just makes you wonder why it is there. It is historic, because it has one of the brass plaques on it. I learned it used to belong to Thaddeus Stevens. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He was one of the leaders of the Radical Republican faction of the Republican Party during the 1860s. Thaddeus Stevens' Gettysburg Log Home is now an Air BNB. Built in 1790, this log home exemplifies a page from the history books with original wood floors, walls and beams. You can stay in it, if you dare … since many homes are haunted in Gettysburg.

This house is for sale again, even though it was just sold about 6-months ago. Anyone interested? Asking price is $825,000. The Shultz House, so-called for the family who lived there during the Battle of Gettysburg, was built in 1837 by Herman Haupt, a renowned civil engineer. Perhaps the most significant piece of history is in the exterior of the house. Haupt, the home’s original owner, served as a Union general in the Civil War but did not fight at Gettysburg. The home was witness to major fighting during the battle, and several remnants of cannon fire are preserved in the home’s brick façade.

            

Incidentally, the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory has a unique association with at least one aspect of Gettysburg battlefield history, the housing of World War II POWs. In 1944, 50 prisoners were housed temporarily in the armory while they constructed the POW compound along Emmitsburg Road on the fields of Pickett’s Charge. The POWs eventually housed on the battlefield provided labor in the apple orchards and the fruit processing plants in Adams County. The 1938 Armory along West Confederate Avenue within Gettysburg National Military Park was declared excess property by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its significance as an early armory of the Pennsylvania National Guard.  In January 2014, the Commonwealth donated the 3.67 acre property to the park’s non-profit partner, the Gettysburg Foundation.   It includes the historic art deco armory building plus a three bay garage and a storage shed. If the armory had been sold to a private-sector owner or developer, its new uses would have been unlikely to achieve the park’s preservation goals. The property’s mixed use/residential zoning allows for uses that had the potential to significantly detract from the park’s efforts to maintain the historic character of the site and its context in the nationally significant battlefield landscape.

The State of Virginia monument was the first of the Confederate State monuments at Gettysburg. It was dedicated on June 8, 1917 and unveiled by Miss Virginia Carter, a niece of Robert E Lee. Virginia contributed over 19,000 men to the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg, the largest contingent from the twelve Confederate states. Almost 4,500 of these – almost 1 out of 4 – became casualties, the second highest state total. The monument stands 41 feet high, with the statue of Lee and Traveler standing 14 feet high. It is the largest of the Confederate monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield, a fitting tribute to the state that provided the largest contingent to the Army of Northern Virginia, its commander, and its name. Lee’s figure, stands atop the monument astride his favorite horse, Traveler.

The statue was created by sculptor Frederick Sievers from photographs and life masks of the general. Sievers even went to Lexington, Virginia to study Traveler’s skeleton, preserved at Washington and Lee University. The total cost of the monument was $50,000. To me, the most interesting part of the statue stands below Lee as he studies the distant Union lines are seven Confederate soldiers. The group represents various types who left civil occupations to join the Confederate Army. From left to right; a professional man, a mechanic, an artist, a boy, a business man, a farmer, a youth.

At Little Round Top there is a massive NY Militia Monument. It is a monument to the 12th and 44th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiments. Dedicated in 1893, this ‘castle’ on Little Round Top is the largest regimental monument on the Gettysburg battlefield. It was designed by Daniel Butterfield, the original Colonel of the 12th New York and Meade’s Chief of Staff at Gettysburg. It stands 44 feet high and 12 feet wide, dimensions that represent the two regiments, and has a spiral staircase to a second floor observation deck. The tower, which is not open to the public, is topped by the Maltese Cross symbol of the Fifth Army Corps. Five bronze tablets outside the monument display information about the regiments. Inside, more tablets display the muster rolls of each company and reliefs of Generals Butterfield and Francis Barlow. The 44th New York was commanded at the Battle of Gettysburg by Colonel James C. Rice, who took over the brigade during the battle, leaving command of the regiment to Lieutenant Colonel Freeman Conner. It brought 460 men to the field, losing 26 killed, 82 wounded and 3 missing. The 12th New York consisted of two companies, D and E, and brought 117 men to the field, suffering no casualties. It was commanded at Gettysburg by Captain Henry W. Ryder.

The tour guide pointed out a Peach Orchard. What happened at the Peach Orchard in the Battle of Gettysburg? An advance forced the 3rd Corps to cover far too much ground, and it had barely taken its new position when Longstreet's attack struck. The Confederates overran the Peach Orchard and threatened the entire Union flank in the heaviest fighting of the battle.

The Pennsylvania State Memorial is a monument in Gettysburg National Military Park that commemorates the 34,530 Pennsylvania soldiers who fought in the July 1 to 3, 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. The memorial stands along Cemetery Ridge, the Union battle line on July 2, 1863. It is the largest monument on the Gettysburg battlefield. From the base to the tip of the sword of the statue of Winged Victory is 110 feet high.

The base of the statue is a pedestal, accessible by stairs, from which four grand supporting towers rise to support the dome and arches. The Northeast column houses a spiral staircase that leads to an observation deck with a breathtaking view of the battlefield. Eight portrait statues, two facing in each direction, depict the heroic leaders who took part in the battle. Seven are Pennsylvanians, including General George Meade, who commanded the Army of the Potomac, and Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin, who delayed Lee’s troops in Virginia and put together a state militia. The eighth statue is of President Abraham Lincoln, whose Gettysburg Address is among the nation’s most famous speeches.

Gettysburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 3,500 Union soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg, a Union victory often cited as a turning point in the Civil War. Numerous monuments stand in both the cemetery and battlefield to commemorate the Union and Confederate troops who fought there. At the cemetery’s dedication on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln rose to deliver “a few appropriate remarks,” now known as the Gettysburg Address.  His two-minute speech served as a reminder of the sacrifices of war and the necessity of holding the Union together.  Today, the battlefield and national cemetery form the Gettysburg National Military Park, a National Park Service unit dedicated to preserving and interpreting the battle, its aftermath, and the repercussions of Lincoln’s famous words.

If you were asked to name a cemetery in Gettysburg, you, along with most people, would likely say the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. However, Gettysburg has another cemetery with its own powerful story and unique history to tell—the Evergreen Cemetery. The name Evergreen was created during the Victorian rural cemetery movement where large, beautifully landscaped properties were developed to provide inspirational “green space” in cities. Town cemeteries were more than just burial grounds—they were a place to talk to the deceased, honor them with flowers, and even have a family picnic. Elizabeth Thorn found herself with the daunting task of burying Gettysburg’s dead while six months pregnant. With her husband off to war, she took on the role of superintendent and mother and buried nearly 100 Union soldiers’ remains in Evergreen. When the Soldiers’ National Cemetery was ready, 50 bodies buried by Elizabeth were exhumed and reinterred into their new plots. The families of the remaining buried in Evergreen did not wish for their soldiers to be moved.

After we returned home from double decker bus tour. We had a brief shower and near the end of it, we had a great view of this rainbow, it was actually a double rainbow, but the second rainbow is tough to see. We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and enjoyed dinner with our gang. Before some of us headed off for a ghost tour.

Gettysburg, PA, is one of the most active paranormal hot spots in the world. This is the place where 94,000 Union troops under General George Meade clashed with 72,000 Confederate soldiers under General Robert E. Lee in what became the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. From July 1 to 3, 1863, more than 51,000 Americans were killed, wounded or went missing. We met our ghost tour guides at The Brickhouse Inn. I wonder if we meet here, because the place is haunted. What we learned is, if you will have to spend the night at the one of the Brickhouse Inn's 1898 Victorian houses, and you'll probably have to share your room with some of the ghosts rumored to haunt the historic inn.

During the battle of Gettysburg, this building was the headquarters of Union General Howard. In 1866, following the Civil War, the National Soldier's Orphan Homestead held as many as 130 children.  The head mistress was Rosa Carmichael, who was infamous for her cruelty and was eventually convicted of child abuse. The orphanage closed in 1877, but Rosa's dark spirit is said to be lurking in the basement, trapped and angry. There is a cellar dungeon, where orphans were once chained to the wall. Hollywood Square regular Charley Weaver narrated the story of Johnny's punishment. This is a popular destination for paranormal investigators. In 2011, cable's Ghost Adventures gang spent the night in the basement taunting cruel matron Rosa Carmichael, evil torturer of orphans, to get angry with them.

East Cemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform used for the battle of East Cemetery Hill during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Second Day. Located on the east of Gettysburg's Baltimore Street and the Baltimore Pike which meet on the hill, the hill is a northeast spur, and the east slope, of Cemetery Hill.

The Jennie Wade House holds a very strange distinction when it comes to history. Thanks to a freak accident, the small home became the site of the Civil War's only direct death of a civilian. Today, ghost hunters say that her bizarre death has kept her from ever leaving her little home, and if you're lucky, you might just get to meet her. On July 3, 1863, 20-year-old Jennie Wade (Virginia) was in her sister's kitchen, hard at work making bread for hungry Union soldiers, when an errant bullet from a Confederate sniper pierced her heart. Jennie died instantly. The bullet had managed to make its way through two wooden doors before hitting Jennie and coming to rest in her corset. With a story that bizarre in a city known for its phantoms, it's not hard to see why ghost hunters flock to the building. I have to admit, I did not see Jennie Wade, but I did smell burnt bread.

We ended our ghost tour in an alley way that was supposed to haunted. Karen held the meter that was supposed to detect their presence. We did get some hits, but saw or felt nothing.

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