Gettysburg Battlefield - General Lee's Headquarters

A Brief History: Located at 401 Buford Avenue Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, stands the headquarters of Confederate General Robert E. Lee during the Battle of Gettysburg. The stone house was built in 1833 by a prominent Gettysburg businessman named Michael Clarkson. The house was rented out to Joshua and Mary Thompson, along with their 8 children. Joshua ran off and later died, leaving Mary and the children to fend for themselves. Clarkson sold the house to Thaddeus Stevens in 1846 and he allowed Mary and the children to stay in the house until her death in 1873. The family even remained in the house when Lee took it as his headquarters and stayed there throughout the battle even as intense fighting raged just feet from her doorstep. In fact, some of the most intense battles on the first day of the battle took place on and around the property. It was also a prime artillery position used throughout the battle.  As a result of its proximity to heavy fighting, the house also acted as a hospital for wounded soldiers on both sides and Mary herself helped care for many of the wounded. Clothing and bedding were used as dressing and carpets were used to wrap the dead. One account stated that when the Battle of Gettysburg was over, “an empty house and fenceless yard were all that was left to the widow of seventy years.” After the battle, the house gained notoriety due to being General Lee’s headquarters. After Mary’s death in 1873 it had several other tenants. In 1896, a fire gutted the inside of the house, but the outside remained unscathed. It was converted to a museum in 1921 and was privately owned until 2015 when it was acquired by the Civil War Trust. It was restored to its original 1863 appearance and remains open to the public today. 

Haunted History: Given it’s long, war torn history, it should come as no surprise that there have been multiple claims of paranormal activity at the site over the years. One claim from a man and woman who were sleeping there one night was that a large explosion woke them from their sleep and shook the walls. When they ran outside to investigate, they found nothing. Another claim is that the spirit of a soldier that was left for dead in the barn across the street from the house is said to roam the area and the house that was built over the site of the old barn. No one knows for sure how many other soldiers were killed on or around the site of Lee’s Headquarters, but it was enough to also make you wonder how many of those restless spirits still walk the grounds today.