The Farnsworth House Inn

The Farnsworth House Inn is a bed and breakfast and tourist attraction located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The building is purported to be haunted, which the business uses in its promotional literature.^[1] Apart from being an inn, the building has also served as a tourist home and shop.^[2]

History

The land the inn was built on was previously owned by Reverend Alexander Dobbins, who subdivided a larger estate for the purpose of selling it. John F. McFarlane purchased the land and is stated to be the first recorded owner of the home. Portions of the house are said to be dated to the early 1800s, but the exact date is unclear. McFarlane owned the home until his death in 1851, at which point it became the property of the Bank of Gettysburg. The house passed through the hands of several owners and one of the owners, the Black family, called it the “Sleepy Hollow Inn” with the hook that there were “135” bullet holes in the side of the home.^[3] The house was purchased by Loring and Jean Shultz in 1972 and after claiming to have experienced paranormal activity, the family utilized this in the promotion for the inn and conducts tours of the premise.

Civil War

“There are 100 bullet holes in the houses south-facing wall from the three-day Battle of Gettysburg, which raged around the once quiet country town July 1-3, 1863.” Karen Gardner – The Frederick News-Post. ^[4]

During the bloody 3-day battle, Many solider from the Confederate army took refuge in the home, even using the basement to story wounded and killed soldiers, and the first floor as a pseudo hospital. While the “make-shift” hospital as expected was not capable of treating battle wounds that were too severe, the bodies of these injured soldiers were moved to the basement along with the dead. Some soldiers were alive for days while surrounded by the corpus of their comrades. The attic became a vantage point for snipers, protecting the lower portion of East Cemetery Hill. This is where it is said that the gun shot that killed young Jenny Wade originated, the only civilian killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. As the battle concluded, the town had been covered in the bodies of soliders and many of which found thier final resting place in the homes of Gettysburg. There are still to this day, artifacts and even remains found in dirt basements of some homes.

Ghostly Residents

While many residents of the Farnsworth House Inn had passed in the home and the exact numbers of paranormal presence are not known. There was at one point 16 resident spirits within the home that were the better documented spirits are the liveliest and thus take fame as the “Ghosts of the Farnsworth House”. After a “ghost release” ceremony was performed, it is speculated that “2” of the ghosts accepted the offer to find “peace” and “left” the home. For business purpose, the details of each ghost will not be discussed as to compromise the retail value of the tour experience. ^[5]

• Jeremy – One of the most popular spirits, which guests and some tours have experienced. The spirit of the 8 year old boy came to the home due to the tragically horse drawn carriage in 1800s. He is known to play harmless tricks on guests and is known to be very friendly and active.

• Mary – A matronly women that keeps the other ghost in line and visits sick visitors. Again, a fairly helpful and non-confrontational ghost.

• Walter – One of the most active but aggressive spirits. He is a Curmudgeonly red-bearded Confederate Civil War solider. He moves aggressively around the inn but finds pleasure in interacting violently with visitors in the attic. He has been known to pinch, poke, trip, grab, shove and even “taunt” tours whom he feels are intruding.

• Nan – A former mid-wife nurse, who is friendly and is known to be followed by the scent of lavender. It is said that if you are a women and smell the scent of lavender during your stay, there may be a chance that you are expecting or pregnant.

• Billy – A solider that lives in the attic that was a little boy in the 1850s and grew up to be a man, but never had a childhood.

• Cissy – A little girl from the 1900s that had long curly blond hair who died of respiratory failure. She is known to hide items from Inn visitors in drawers and will return them for toys or candy.

• Florence – A 19 year old woman who gave birth to a still born baby. Her weeps can be heard throughout the inn.

• Elizabeth (Lizzie) – The ghost of a little girl that actually moved in to the inn when her family came to stay. She died in 1883. The allure of the home and the other “ghostly” resident took in Lizzie.

• Lt. Jackson – Cared for mortally wounded comrades in the cellar. He was one of the few that would attempt to keep the wounded alive when most had given up.

• Dying Comrade – This unknown solider is found in the cellar of the home. He has no recorded name and is assumed to be one of the many mortally wounded left in the cellar to die that held on to life as long as they could. His painful cries are heard in the cellar and throughout the Inn. There is a special room that is now blocked off that allegedly confines this violent soul.

• William – The spirit of Jeremy’s father who wonders the halls and awakens visitors of the inn.

• Jenny Wade - While the “Jenny Wade House” down the street is the official home to the only civilian killed in Gettysburg, The shot that took her life originated from a sharpshooter positioned in the Farnsworth House Garret.

• Mr. Sweney – This is a very violent and hateful spirit that is encouraged to not speak about. He is one of the former owners of the Inn. It is said that he has secrets that if shared, angers the spirit and can set off negative activity in the Inn.

• Mrs. Catherine Sweney- The wife of Mr. Sweeny and a relatively calm spirit that is known to enter rooms and wander about. Not much is known and there is some overlap in behavior with Mary and Nan creating doubt in her presence.

Rooms of the Inn

Along with the active residents in the home, the Inn is broken up in to multiple rooms that can be rented for visitors to stay. All rooms have attempted to keep the authentic style of the room while maintaining some common upgrades with toilets and televisions. While some ghosts have a firm holding in the Cellar or Attic, others move freely throughout and some favor certain rooms over others.

• The Sara Black Room – Named in honor of one of the former owners of the Farnsworth House Inn. It is a very popular room for tourist and ghost hunters alike. Once considered the “Master” bedroom, it is highly active with spirits from Jeremy to Ms. Sweeny. It can be photographed from the street and has allegedly produced “orbs” and “shadows” in the windows.

• The Catherine Sweney Room – Next to the Sara Black room, it is named after the owner of the home during the Battle of Gettysburg. Nan, Mary, and Lizzle are found here. Mrs. Sweney has been known to also appear. The sounds of pacing and sadness are the common experiences reported by visitors.

• Cellar – The home to many spirits and where many tours began or end. The room is displayed as if there is a funeral in session and visitors sit among artifacts and vintage memorabilia. This is another spot of heavy activity where tours have claimed to have encountered physical touching, sounds, visions, orbs and discomfort.

• The Garret Room – Also known as the attic, this is where a lot of battle field artifacts are kept. The room is narrow and cramped, with crawling room to the window that faces East Cemetery Hill. This is the window from which the sharpshooter fired the shot that killed Mary Virginia “Jennie” Wade.

• The Sun Room – The cheery, white wickered sun room that is now a sitting room for guest that overlooks the garden area of the grounds. The room has become a site of communication with spirits like Billy and Jeremy as well being known for its overwhelming sent of blood.

• The McFarlane Room – Named after the original owners of the home, the room has become a popular sight for Jeremy and his father.

• The Eisenhower Room – The room named in honor of Mamie Eisenhower, former first lady. The “kids” of the home frequent this room as their “play” room. A lot of noises can be heard at night including the flushing of the toilet and “missing” keys.

• The Lincoln room – named after President Lincoln, his wife, first lady Mary Todd was a common visitor of the room as she believed that she could communicate with her deceased son, Willie. She would hold séances and spiritual consultations.

• Other rooms that have been known to be active with paranormal activity included
  • The Chamberlain room
  • The Longstreet room
  • The Belle Boyd room
  • The Shultz room
  • The Custer room
  • The Jennie Wade room

While technically not a room, the shop across the street allegedly found that the trinkets and toys would move around throughout the night. They believed that it is the spirits of Jeremy, and the other kids. While nothing has been proven and recorded, the shop owners insisted on the activity until the death of the original owner. According to his spouse, the “kids” moved their favorite dog statue in to the center of the room in tribute.

In Popular Culture

The Farnsworth House Inn has been featured in multiple tour media including The Travel Channel, Tripadvisor, and Ghost Hunters on Syfy. Most recently, The Season 10 episode of Ghost Hunters will feature the Farnsworth House in great detail. Unlike prior visit to the Inn, This episode will feature in-depth walks in the home as well as details on some of the “Ghostly” Residents. There are constantly new documentaries feature the Farnsworth House on the rise and it has quickly become a featured attraction within Gettysburg. The house itself has many new features including a full-functional tavern for visitors and tourist and even a modern "Beer Garden".