The Farnsworth House Inn

Last updated
The Farnsworth House Inn
Welcome sign for Farnsworth House Inn.jpg
Signage for The Farnsworth House Inn
Former namesSleepy Hollow Inn
General information
StatusStill standing
TypeInn
LocationPennsylvania
Address401 Baltimore Street
Town or cityGettysburg
Opened1810
LandlordLoring and Jean Shultz
Website
www.farnsworthhouseinn.com

The Farnsworth House Inn is a bed and breakfast and tourist attraction located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The building is purported to be haunted, which the business uses in its promotional literature. [1] [2] Apart from being an inn, the building has also served as a tourist home and shop.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Ownership

Another view of the inn The Farnsworth House Inn.jpg
Another view of the inn

The land the inn was built on was previously owned by Reverend Alexander Dobbins, who subdivided a larger estate for the purpose of selling it. John F. McFarlane purchased the land and is stated to be the first recorded owner of the home. Portions of the house are said to be dated to the early 1800s and is claimed to have been built in 1810, [3] but the exact date is unclear. McFarlane owned the home until his death in 1851, at which point it became the property of the Bank of Gettysburg.

From 1918 to 1958, the property was owned by George Black and was known as the Sleepy Hollow Lodge. During the Civil War, the property was owned by Harvy D. Sweney and his family. In 1972, the house was renamed in honor of Brigadier General Elon J. Farnsworth by current owner, Mr. Loring Shultz, and remains a bed & breakfast. [4]

Historical aspects

The Gettysburg Address procession passed in front of the Sweney House. "…But the greatest of the great men that honored this occasion was President Lincoln mounted on a beautiful bay charger…Like Saul of old he towered a head taller than any man. He sat gracefully bowing with a modest smile and uncovered head to the throng of women, men and children that greeted him from the doors and windows. His modest appearance and dignified manners, to say nothing of the noble speeches he made here, has endeared him to the hearts of the people and added thousands of friends to him on that day." Mr. Sweney and the house was, utilized during the Battle of Gettysburg. [5] [6]

Paranormal

A stone describing tour options at the inn Tour Sign.jpg
A stone describing tour options at the inn

The Shultz family claims that the inn has been haunted by as many as 16 spirits at one point in time and that each spirit has its own distinct personality and name. [7] The inn has several rooms that are supposed to be "hot spots" for specific spiritual activity for particular ghosts such as the "Sara Black Room", which is supposed to be one of the most active rooms and will have spirits that can be photographed from the street. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gettysburg, Pennsylvania</span> Borough in Pennsylvania, USA

Gettysburg is a borough in Pennsylvania and the county seat of Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the borough had a population of 7,106 people.

A haunted house, spook house or ghost house in ghostlore is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were otherwise connected with the property. Parapsychologists often attribute haunting to the spirits of the dead who have suffered from violent or tragic events in the building's past such as murder, accidental death, or suicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrtles Plantation</span> Historic house in Louisiana, United States

The Myrtles Plantation is a historic home and former antebellum plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana, United States built in 1796 by General David Bradford. In the early history of the property, it was worked by enslaved people. It is reportedly a haunted place, and has been featured in television. The Myrtles Plantation has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bretforton</span> Human settlement in England

Bretforton is a rural village in Worcestershire, England, 4.4 miles (7.1 km) east of Evesham, in the Vale of Evesham. It is the largest farming village near Evesham. At the 2001 census, Bretforton had a population of 1,023 in 428 households. The area of the parish is 2.83 square miles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poquetanuck, Connecticut</span> United States historic place

Poquetanuck is a village in the town of Preston, Connecticut, located near the banks of a bay known as Poquetanuck Cove that opens to the Thames River. The village includes the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)-listed Poquetanuck Village Historic District.

Tales of ghosts from the American Civil War have been popularly shared since its end. Among the locales that have become known for Civil War ghost stories are the Sharpsburg battlefield near Sharpsburg, Maryland; the Chickamauga battlefield in Georgia; Harper's Ferry, West Virginia; Buras, Louisiana; and Warren, Arkansas.

<i>Ghost Adventures</i> American paranormal reality television show

Ghost Adventures is an American paranormal and reality television series that premiered on October 17, 2008, on the Travel Channel before moving to Discovery+ in 2021. An independent film of the same name originally aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on July 25, 2007. The program follows ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley as they investigate locations that are reported to be haunted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson County Jail</span> United States historic place

The historic Nelson County Jail in the Bardstown Historic District in Bardstown, Kentucky is a property on the National Register of Historic Places. It is next door to the Old Talbott Tavern.The property served as Nelson County, Kentucky's jail from 1797 to 1987. The old jail was originally built in 1819.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cashtown Inn</span> Bed and breakfast in Cashtown, Pennsylvania

Cashtown Inn is a bed and breakfast in Cashtown, Pennsylvania, about eight miles from Gettysburg.

The following are reportedly haunted locations in California, in the United States. This list is sorted by county.

The following are reportedly haunted locations in Pennsylvania:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legends of Myrtles Plantation</span> Associated with a former plantation in Louisiana, U.S.

Myrtles Plantation is a historic home and former antebellum plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana, United States, built in 1796. It is often reported that 10 murders occurred in the house, but historical records only indicate the murder of William Winter. In 2001, Unsolved Mysteries filmed a segment about the alleged hauntings at the plantation. The Myrtles was also featured on a 2005 episode of Ghost Hunters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Homestead at Gettysburg</span> Former Orphanage at Gettysburg

The National Homestead at Gettysburg was the Gettysburg Orphanage, and a widows home, which opened in October 1866 on the Gettysburg Battlefield along Baltimore Street on the north foot of Cemetery Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Ridge Seminary</span> School in Pennsylvania, United States

The Oak Ridge Seminary was an antebellum school for "young ladies" west of the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. One of 2 girls schools used as an American Civil War hospital for Battle of Gettysburg casualties, the female seminary had also been used as a prison, and General Lee's "Headquarters and tents [were] pitched in the space adjoining Oak Ridge Seminary"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colony House (Keene, New Hampshire)</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Colony House is a historic house at 104 West Street in Keene, New Hampshire. Built in 1819 and enlarged about 1900, it is a good example of Federal period architecture, and is notable for its association with Horatio Colony, a prominent local businessman and the city's first mayor. The house, now operated as a bed and breakfast inn, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fensalden Inn</span> Building in California, United States

The Fensalden Inn is a bed and breakfast located in Albion, California in the United States. The name, Fensalden, means "land of the sea and the mist."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghostlore</span> Genre of folklore concerning ghosts

Ghostlore is an intricate web of traditional beliefs and folklore surrounding ghosts and hauntings. Ghostlore has ingrained itself in the cultural fabric of societies worldwide. Defined by narratives often featuring apparitions of the deceased, ghostlore stands as a universal phenomenon, with roots extending deeply into human history.

References

  1. Plum Auvil, Jennifer. "Haunted Bed and Breakfasts: Slumber With Ghosts at a Spirited Inn". The Travel Channel Romance and Honeymoons. The Travel Channel. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  2. Mckay, Gretchen (April 27, 2008). "Historic haunt". Post-Tribune (subscription required). Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  3. Gorlewski, Sara (October 26, 1999). "A VISIT WITH GHOSTS OF GETTYSBURG". The Buffalo News (subscription required). Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  4. Smith, Tim (2008). "'In The Eye Of The Storm' - The Farnsworth House and the Battle of Gettysburg". Internet Archive. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  5. Gardner, Karen (28 October 2010). "The Farnsworth House Inn". The Frederick News Post. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  6. "Gettysburg's Sweney House (Farnsworth House) Battle Damage". Gettysburg Daily. February 5, 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  7. Loeffel-Atkins, Bernadette (2008). Gettysburg's Haunted Address. USA: Farnsworth Military Impressions. ISBN   9781577471400.
  8. McKay, Gretchen. "Gettysburg's haunted address". Post Gazette. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

39°49′32″N77°13′53″W / 39.82565°N 77.23127°W / 39.82565; -77.23127