More Ghosts of Gettysburg

More Ghosts of Gettysburg — Spirits, Apparitions and Haunted Places of the Battlefield was written by Mark Nesbitt and published in1992 by Thomas Publications.

I will have to read Nesbitt’s other books about Gettysburg ghosts because he doesn’t just tell the story, he fills you in on the historical background. Never having been interested in battle stories, I knew only when Gettysburg was fought and by whom and the general outcome. In the previous book I read about Gettysburg ghosts, I had to get out the National Park Service’s informational booklet to help me understand the areas and settings of the ghost stories. Not so with Nesbitt’s book and for that, I highly recommend it.

Nesbitt also explores the bigger questions concerning ghosts and where they might come from.  “Parallel universes — both invisible to one another and yet existing side by side and simultaneously — may help us understand how, while changing form, energy can continue to exist irrespective of time constraints.” This is a thinking person’s book of paranormal experiences.

I also found out through this book, that Eisenhower bought a farm in Gettysburg and retired there with Maymie. They bought the farm in 1950, but because Eisenhower went on to serve our country in different capacities, including as our President, he really only spent about 7 years on the farm. He died in 1969 and Maymie died ten years later. We will have to add the Eisenhower Farm on our vacation itinerary and see if we can smell Maymie’s perfume wafting about or hear Eisenhower descending the stairs to the kitchen.

It is Nesbitt’s tour of ghosts in Gettysburg that we have booked for our vacation.

Why am I so fascinated with ghosts? Because I lived in a haunted house. Both of my young sons felt the presence and one of them saw faces in the bathroom mirror. They could not sleep well at night and never alone. For me, the shadowy malevolent presence stood by my bed every night at about 3 in the morning, causing my heart to race out of control after I bolted straight up in bed. After months of this terrifying experience, I eventually pretended to not respond to his presence at all. I would pretend to stay asleep — not even opening my eyes. I also walked around the house and read specific prayers to quiet the spirit. This worked very little. I am convinced that the spirit is the father of the people we rented from. He had built the house and died there and he was mad that strangers were living in his family’s home.

What is your ghost story?