The Sherfy Farm
Location submitted by: sdonley on 06/11/2019
DBA Approved: Y
PANICd#: 2050
| The house was built in the 1840’s. You can still see bullet holes in its brickwork, signs of the fierce fighting that took place around it on July 2nd and 3rd. |
Emmitsburg Rd
Gettysburg , PA 17325
Open to the public: No
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Database Summary:
Demographic Rank: 0
History: 1
Stories: 1
Claims: 1
Evidence: 0
Resources: 3
Retrievals: 1717
Vistor Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0
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History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.
The Sherfy Farm at Gettysburg is on Emmitsburg Road about a mile south of town (Emmitsburg Road tour map). At the time of the battle the fifty acre farm was owned by Reverend Joseph Sherfy. It included the famous Peach Orchard to the south of Wheatfield Road along with both Big and Little Round Tops and the Devil’s Den.
The house was built in the 1840’s. You can still see bullet holes in its brickwork, signs of the fierce fighting that took place around it on July 2nd and 3rd. The current barn is a postwar replacement. The original had been used by the Confederates as a field hospital but it had burned during the battle.
Joseph (1813-1883) and Mary Sherfy (1818-1904) and their six children were pacifist members of the Church of the Brethren. A seventh child would be born to the family after the war. As the Union troops of John Reynolds’ 1st Corps made their way up Emmitsburg Road on July 1st they marched past a large water tub along the road which Joseph worked to keep filled. Mary and her mother Catherine baked bread and passed it out to the men. They were ordered away from the farm on the morning of the 2nd, driving their stock southeast of the Round Tops and to Two Taverns.
Today, the Sherfy property is still actively producing produce. The Gettysburg Foundation, with Gettysburg National Military Park and the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, harvest vegetables, fruit, and herbs in the Sherfy garden. Without digging into the battlefield landscape, volunteers gain the experience of using special techniques to grow crops from heirloom seeds. All harvested produce—2,000 pounds in 2015 alone—is donated to local food banks and community-based programs like Meals-on-Wheels and the Campus Kitchen.
Added by: sdonley on 01/04/2025 DB#:634
Source(s):
https://gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/battlefield-...
Stories are just that. Stories and personal accounts that have been reported about the location.
I remember playing, I was maybe 10, something made me look up, like a, feeling....a "distortion" in the air fluttered by and moved across the room....I watched it for several seconds, then went back to playing....my bedroom doors were full of bullet holes and I remember a blood stain on the floors....I assumed it was a soldier that had died there....
Added by: sdonley on 01/04/2025 DB#:1613
Source(s):
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/an-anecdote-from-...
Here are the paranormal claims for this location. These have been found through Internet research, reports from members, or reports from personal interviews. To add a claim, your account must have contributor access or higher.
| Claim# | Claim |
| 3433 | A distortion in the air fluttered by and moved across a room in the house. Added: 01/04/2025 By: sdonley |
Paranormal evidence is based on claims that have been reported for this location. There can be several types of evidence; however, we have grouped them based on media type for better organization. Here you will find evidence that are logs, audio, video, or photographic.
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This is a collection of Internet resources for this location. This section will house links to other websites that contain information related to history, claims, investigations, or even the location's website.
| Civil War Talk | A post talking about paranormal activity in the building. |
| Added: 01/04/2025 By: sdonley | |
| Sherfy farm on the Gettysburg battlefield | The Sherfy farm on the Gettysburg battlefield, with map location, story of the Sherfy family in the battle, and photos of house and barn. |
| Added: 01/04/2025 By: sdonley | |
| The Joseph Sherfy Property: From Fruit Farm to Firestorm | Information about the Peach Orchard and the Sherfy Farm. |
| Added: 01/04/2025 By: sdonley | |
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