Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 1:48 a.m.
Courtney stopped by the hotel for a visit. (When you work the crazy hours we do, our sleeping patterns are generally way out of whack.) We were both in the lobby at the front counter, sitting at different computer terminals.
Earlier in the evening, I had closed the french doors that lead into the breakfast room because it keeps the lobby cooler. When the doors are closed, they are secured from the bottom in a small niche in the floor. In order to open the doors, you have to turn the handle on the door itself.
Courtney and I were chatting when we both heard a noise coming from the direction of the french doors. We both looked over at the doors, and they were open.
I walked a few feet over, checked the doors, and then closed them again. Three minutes later, we heard the same noise coming from the same direction and, once again, saw that the french doors were open. Once again, I checked the doors and then secured them.
At 1:57 a.m., Courtney and I were still sitting in the lobby behind the front counter. I heard a click to my right and watched the private, locked door from lobby to the breezeway open. No one was there and the lock was still in the "lock" position. Since this happens all the time, Courtney and I just looked at each other and smiled.
At 2:07 a.m., Courtney and I decided to try an experiment. We sat in our respective positions behind the front desk, still sitting at different computer terminals, several feet away from the french doors. I asked the civil war soldier spirits to open the french doors again.
As we both watched, we saw the door handle turn down, heard the same noise we heard before, and watched as the french doors opened.
After we composed ourselves (we were laughing), I checked the french doors once more and then secured them once again.
They did not open up again the rest of the night.
Quality Inn at General Lee's Headquarters
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Phantom Campfires
Monday, April 27, 2009, 12:30 a.m.
This was relayed to me by my co-worker and fellow night auditor, Courtney.
Courtney stepped out the side, private lobby door for a moment. As soon as she opened the door, she was enveloped in what she has frequently described to me as "campfire" smoke. (Courtney is a former camp counselor.)
Courtney said it lasted several minutes, but then slowly dispersed.
The hotel sits on Day One battlefield, in an area where there are no camps or any camping allowed for miles in all directions.
This was relayed to me by my co-worker and fellow night auditor, Courtney.
Courtney stepped out the side, private lobby door for a moment. As soon as she opened the door, she was enveloped in what she has frequently described to me as "campfire" smoke. (Courtney is a former camp counselor.)
Courtney said it lasted several minutes, but then slowly dispersed.
The hotel sits on Day One battlefield, in an area where there are no camps or any camping allowed for miles in all directions.
Ghosts Move Chairs In The Middle of the Night
Sunday, April 26, 2009, 1:30 a.m.
I was on my way into the breakfast room for yet another cup of coffee, and as I stepped into the room, I saw that two chairs were positioned approximately three feet away from the tables.
I always personally push in all the chairs flush up against the tables when I arrive at 4:00 p.m.
Okay, boys! I guess I forgot to say hello to you when I arrived. I won't forget again!
I was on my way into the breakfast room for yet another cup of coffee, and as I stepped into the room, I saw that two chairs were positioned approximately three feet away from the tables.
I always personally push in all the chairs flush up against the tables when I arrive at 4:00 p.m.
Okay, boys! I guess I forgot to say hello to you when I arrived. I won't forget again!
Confederate Ghosts Turn on Music!
Saturday, April 25, 2009, 5:30 p.m.
Carrie and I were behind the counter in the lobby chatting and waiting for guests to check in. I mentioned to Carrie that the Civil War music CD had ceased playing. I told her that I hadn't heard it for at least the last hour. She said she had set it to repeat when she arrived earlier in the day, and it had been playing the entire time she was here.
Carrie agreed that it had been off for at least an hour also. (Although I love Civil War music, it gets to be a bit much when the same CD is playing over and over, day in and day out.)
I tentatively asked Carrie: "Do you want me to turn it back on?"
Carrie replied: "No way!"
We both laughed. Not 10 seconds later, the music came back on. Carrie asked me if I wanted to turn it back off and I said: "No, obviously the boys want to hear it."
One song played: "Bonnie Blue Flag." As soon as the song ended, the music stopped. The CD player never came back on again.
The chorus to the song "Bonnie Blue Flag" is:
"Hurrah, Hurrah, For Southern Rights, Hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star!"
General Lee's Headquarters sits on our property.
Carrie and I were behind the counter in the lobby chatting and waiting for guests to check in. I mentioned to Carrie that the Civil War music CD had ceased playing. I told her that I hadn't heard it for at least the last hour. She said she had set it to repeat when she arrived earlier in the day, and it had been playing the entire time she was here.
Carrie agreed that it had been off for at least an hour also. (Although I love Civil War music, it gets to be a bit much when the same CD is playing over and over, day in and day out.)
I tentatively asked Carrie: "Do you want me to turn it back on?"
Carrie replied: "No way!"
We both laughed. Not 10 seconds later, the music came back on. Carrie asked me if I wanted to turn it back off and I said: "No, obviously the boys want to hear it."
One song played: "Bonnie Blue Flag." As soon as the song ended, the music stopped. The CD player never came back on again.
The chorus to the song "Bonnie Blue Flag" is:
"Hurrah, Hurrah, For Southern Rights, Hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star!"
General Lee's Headquarters sits on our property.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Guests Hear Phantom Cannon Fire!
Monday, April 20, 2009, 11:00 p.m. to 3:35 a.m.
Beginning at 11:00 p.m. and continuing until 3:35 a.m., I heard intermittent, loud, cannon fire sounds. It varied between every 15 minutes to every 1/2 hour.
Each and every time, the loud booms were followed by vibrations in the floor beneath my feet and rattling of the windows in the building.
At one point, I was standing behind the front desk counter in the lobby facing the front door when I heard a very loud boom. I watched the front door rattle and then the percussion hit my body. It was amazing!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. (The following morning)
At 7:00 a.m., a gentleman and his son approached me at the front desk. The gentleman asked me if we had any fireworks during the night. I explained to him that Gettysburg only has fireworks on July 4th, New Year's Eve and Gettysburg College Reunion Weekend, which takes place in May. I asked him why he was inquiring about fireworks.
He explained to me that he and his son awoke to what sounded like fireworks in the middle of the night. I asked him if he could recall what the time was and what room they were staying in. He stated that it happened several times between midnight and 3:00 a.m. I explained to him that it was phantom cannon fire and that I had heard it as well. They were both very excited and went into the breakfast room,.
At 7:11 a.m., another gentleman approached me at the front desk. He stated that he heard small arms fire in the middle of the night, along with some very loud booms. I asked him if he could recall what time he heard those sounds and what room he was staying in. He related to me that he heard the small arms fire around 1:00 a.m. and the loud booms started at around 11:30 p.m. and continued throughout the night.
The gentleman explained to me that he was a hunter and he was very familiar with the sounds of small arms fire, but he had never heard anything like those loud booms. Once again, I explained about the phantom cannon fire and suggested that perhaps he was hearing the sounds of battle as well.
I explained to him that we receive a lot of reports from our guests of battle sounds and that I, too, had heard the cannon fire the previous night. I also told him that I frequently hear the sounds of battle at the hotel, sometimes right in the lobby and breakfast area,. The gentleman was very excited and went into breakfast.
A total of six guests came to the front desk that morning. Each guest had heard the same loud booms from approximately 11:00 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. When I asked them which rooms they were staying in, I discovered that they were all staying in the same wing of the hotel.
On the afternoon of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, six artillery pieces from Battery "B" of the 4th U.S. Artillery (cannon), commanded by Lieut. James Stewart, were heavily engaged against Confederate infantry in the defense of their position on Seminary Ridge. The hotel sits on Seminary Ridge and three of those artillery pieces sat where the west wing of our hotel sits today. It was in this same wing of the hotel that all six of the guests who had heard the loud booms were staying.
Just across the road (Rt. 30) from the hotel, also sat Lieut. Benjamin W. Wilber's section of Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery (cannon). Just south of these guns were the six Napoleons (cannon) of Captain Greenlief T. Stevens' Fifth Maine Battery B, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery. Also, interspersed were four other cannon of Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery, under the command of George Breck.
All in all, there were 21 cannon pieces lined up across the road from the hotel and on the hotel grounds itself. Is it any wonder the guests and I heard the phantom cannon fire?
This is the first time I can document so many guests hearing the same phantom cannon fire at the very same time I was hearing it. Also, this is the very first time that so many guests experiencing the same event were also staying in the same proximity of each other - the same wing of the hotel where artillery pieces were placed and firing at the time of the battle.
How cool is that?
Beginning at 11:00 p.m. and continuing until 3:35 a.m., I heard intermittent, loud, cannon fire sounds. It varied between every 15 minutes to every 1/2 hour.
Each and every time, the loud booms were followed by vibrations in the floor beneath my feet and rattling of the windows in the building.
At one point, I was standing behind the front desk counter in the lobby facing the front door when I heard a very loud boom. I watched the front door rattle and then the percussion hit my body. It was amazing!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. (The following morning)
At 7:00 a.m., a gentleman and his son approached me at the front desk. The gentleman asked me if we had any fireworks during the night. I explained to him that Gettysburg only has fireworks on July 4th, New Year's Eve and Gettysburg College Reunion Weekend, which takes place in May. I asked him why he was inquiring about fireworks.
He explained to me that he and his son awoke to what sounded like fireworks in the middle of the night. I asked him if he could recall what the time was and what room they were staying in. He stated that it happened several times between midnight and 3:00 a.m. I explained to him that it was phantom cannon fire and that I had heard it as well. They were both very excited and went into the breakfast room,.
At 7:11 a.m., another gentleman approached me at the front desk. He stated that he heard small arms fire in the middle of the night, along with some very loud booms. I asked him if he could recall what time he heard those sounds and what room he was staying in. He related to me that he heard the small arms fire around 1:00 a.m. and the loud booms started at around 11:30 p.m. and continued throughout the night.
The gentleman explained to me that he was a hunter and he was very familiar with the sounds of small arms fire, but he had never heard anything like those loud booms. Once again, I explained about the phantom cannon fire and suggested that perhaps he was hearing the sounds of battle as well.
I explained to him that we receive a lot of reports from our guests of battle sounds and that I, too, had heard the cannon fire the previous night. I also told him that I frequently hear the sounds of battle at the hotel, sometimes right in the lobby and breakfast area,. The gentleman was very excited and went into breakfast.
A total of six guests came to the front desk that morning. Each guest had heard the same loud booms from approximately 11:00 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. When I asked them which rooms they were staying in, I discovered that they were all staying in the same wing of the hotel.
On the afternoon of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, six artillery pieces from Battery "B" of the 4th U.S. Artillery (cannon), commanded by Lieut. James Stewart, were heavily engaged against Confederate infantry in the defense of their position on Seminary Ridge. The hotel sits on Seminary Ridge and three of those artillery pieces sat where the west wing of our hotel sits today. It was in this same wing of the hotel that all six of the guests who had heard the loud booms were staying.
Just across the road (Rt. 30) from the hotel, also sat Lieut. Benjamin W. Wilber's section of Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery (cannon). Just south of these guns were the six Napoleons (cannon) of Captain Greenlief T. Stevens' Fifth Maine Battery B, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery. Also, interspersed were four other cannon of Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery, under the command of George Breck.
All in all, there were 21 cannon pieces lined up across the road from the hotel and on the hotel grounds itself. Is it any wonder the guests and I heard the phantom cannon fire?
This is the first time I can document so many guests hearing the same phantom cannon fire at the very same time I was hearing it. Also, this is the very first time that so many guests experiencing the same event were also staying in the same proximity of each other - the same wing of the hotel where artillery pieces were placed and firing at the time of the battle.
How cool is that?
Phantom Cannon Fire Heard Two Miles Away!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 1:00 p.m.
I was telling the owner of the hotel about the "cannon" fire sounds I heard on Monday night. He asked me if it happened at around 11:00 p.m. I verified that it had and asked him why.
He told me that he heard several loud booms at that hour at his home. The owner lives approximately 2 miles from the hotel on Day One battlefield.
Well, that was interesting. None of the guests seem to hear the booms, but the owner, who lives off site, and I both heard it.
Are the civil war soldier spirits still fighting? Or, was it just residual? In two different locations at the same time?
Fascinating.
I was telling the owner of the hotel about the "cannon" fire sounds I heard on Monday night. He asked me if it happened at around 11:00 p.m. I verified that it had and asked him why.
He told me that he heard several loud booms at that hour at his home. The owner lives approximately 2 miles from the hotel on Day One battlefield.
Well, that was interesting. None of the guests seem to hear the booms, but the owner, who lives off site, and I both heard it.
Are the civil war soldier spirits still fighting? Or, was it just residual? In two different locations at the same time?
Fascinating.
Phantom Cannon Fire!
Monday, March 20, 2009, 11:09 p.m.
I was in the lobby sitting behind the front counter playing on the computer. Suddenly, I heard a series of very loud booms. As soon as I heard those loud booms, I felt the floor beneath my chair shaking and noticed the windows rattling.
I ran to the front door of the lobby, opened it and stepped outside. I thought that certainly one of the guests must have heard them. However, there was no sound and no curious guests outside to investigate those tremendous booms.
Having attended many artillery displays in Gettysburg, I can adamantly say that they were clearly the sounds of cannon firing. There are no artillery demonstrations in Gettysburg at 11:00 p.m. Never any demonstrations of any kind at all at that hour.
The battlefield was still in winter hours and it closed at 7:00 p.m. Hmmmm.
On the afternoon of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, six artillery pieces from Battery "B" of the 4th U.S. Artillery (cannon), commanded by Lieut. James Stewart, were heavily engaged against Confederate infantry in the defense of their position on Seminary Ridge. The hotel sits on Seminary Ridge and three of those artillery pieces sat where the west wing of our hotel sits today.
Just across the road (Rt. 30) from the hotel, also sat Lieut. Benjamin W. Wilber's section of Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery (cannon). Just south of these guns were the six Napoleons (cannon) of Captain Greenlief T. Stevens' Fifth Maine Battery B, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery. Also, interspersed were four other cannon of Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery, under the command of George Breck.
All in all, there were 21 cannon pieces lined up across the road from the hotel and on the hotel grounds. Is it any wonder we hear phantom cannon fire?
I was in the lobby sitting behind the front counter playing on the computer. Suddenly, I heard a series of very loud booms. As soon as I heard those loud booms, I felt the floor beneath my chair shaking and noticed the windows rattling.
I ran to the front door of the lobby, opened it and stepped outside. I thought that certainly one of the guests must have heard them. However, there was no sound and no curious guests outside to investigate those tremendous booms.
Having attended many artillery displays in Gettysburg, I can adamantly say that they were clearly the sounds of cannon firing. There are no artillery demonstrations in Gettysburg at 11:00 p.m. Never any demonstrations of any kind at all at that hour.
The battlefield was still in winter hours and it closed at 7:00 p.m. Hmmmm.
On the afternoon of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, six artillery pieces from Battery "B" of the 4th U.S. Artillery (cannon), commanded by Lieut. James Stewart, were heavily engaged against Confederate infantry in the defense of their position on Seminary Ridge. The hotel sits on Seminary Ridge and three of those artillery pieces sat where the west wing of our hotel sits today.
Just across the road (Rt. 30) from the hotel, also sat Lieut. Benjamin W. Wilber's section of Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery (cannon). Just south of these guns were the six Napoleons (cannon) of Captain Greenlief T. Stevens' Fifth Maine Battery B, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery. Also, interspersed were four other cannon of Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery, under the command of George Breck.
All in all, there were 21 cannon pieces lined up across the road from the hotel and on the hotel grounds. Is it any wonder we hear phantom cannon fire?
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