The nine-thousand square-foot Gettysburg Hotel started its run as a tavern on what is now Lincoln Square. A building of many names, it was built in 1797 by James Scott and was called ‘Scott’s Tavern,’ and in 1809, it was bought by William McClellan, a former York County sheriff. He renamed the tavern ‘The Indian Queen.’ After 1846, the tavern was known by Pennsylvania locals as the ‘McClellan House’ after its owners, the McClellan brothers.

During the heat of the summer of 1863, the building bore witness to one of the most pivotal moments during the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg. The hotel saw a lot of bloodshed and tragedy just a few blocks from its front doors. Abraham Lincoln is even said to have completed the Gettysburg Address right across the street at the Wills House.

The 1890s brought the hotel a revamp, and the building’s new owner named it The Gettysburg Hotel. The name stuck throughout the majority of the 20th century. By the time the 1900s arrived, the Gettysburg Hotel was ahead of its time with electric lights, hot and cold baths, steam heat, and an excellent restaurant built right in.

In 1955 it became a temporary White House to President Eisenhower as he recovered from a heart attack he had suffered while in Gettysburg. The President and his wife were the last guests of the hotel in 1964 before the hotel was closed. The building lay dormant and was unfortunately ravaged by a fire in 1983. It has long sat abandoned, a testament to the wild past of Gettysburg. It was, however, rebuilt in 1991 and offers guests over 119 rooms to choose from, as well as all of the modern conveniences of a larger hotel with that historic boutique setting. The hotel is now listed as one of the Historic Hotels of America and is protected.

Steps away from a massive graveyard, the Gettysburg Battlefield, Hotel Gettysburg, sits prominently in one of Pennsylvania’s most historical centers. Soldiers who were injured during this battle were actually brought to the hotel for medical treatment because, as like many buildings of its time, it was used as a makeshift hospital for wounded and dying soldiers. Doctors and nurses cared for thousands of reportedly injured men at the hotel. Many of them succumbed to their wounds right within the hotel’s walls. Hotel staff and guests alike have reported seeing apparitions of Civil War-time soldiers in the hotel’s halls, and one of the most popular ghouls is the spirit of Rachel, a Civil War nurse who cared for the wounded at the Gettysburg Hotel.

Guests tell of seeing a slim woman roaming the halls, seemingly searching for someone. She’s even known to rummage through and empty your dresser drawers and your luggage! The hotel is not her only stomping ground; she’s also been noticed walking the streets of Gettysburg looking for soldiers to tend to.

Two other apparitions are said to haunt the quaint hotel, a woman and a soldier, seen dancing hand-in-hand in the hotel ballrooms. While the identity of the young woman and her beau is unknown, one wonders who these two lovebirds could be. Perhaps a stay at the Gettysburg Hotel could answer the question for you, but don’t be surprised if you find your clothing strewn about your room because of Rachel!