Tillie Pierce House

The house was originally built in the early 1800s, long before Gettysburg became a battlefield. Located on Baltimore Street, one of the main arteries through town, the house belonged to the Pierce family, local residents and respected business owners. Their daughter, Matilda "Tillie" Pierce, was only 15 years old when the Battle of Gettysburg erupted around her in July of 1863.

Tillie's father, James Pierce, ran a successful butcher shop just a few doors down. The family lived in what was then a modest but comfortable home, typical of Gettysburg's middle class. That house would go on to become the setting for one of the most detailed civilian accounts of the battle, as Tillie kept vivid notes and observations about everything she saw and experienced.

Her later memoir, "At Gettysburg, Or What A Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle", became a key historical document and remains one of the most emotionally charged firsthand accounts of the battle. And the house where she lived? It remains today, largely unchanged—and possibly still inhabited by echoes of those three brutal days.

On July 1, 1863, the first day of the battle, Tillie and her family could hear the booming of cannons from their home. As the chaos unfolded, Tillie was evacuated south of town to the Weikert Farm, where she helped care for wounded Union soldiers. Despite her young age, she provided water, comfort, and assistance to injured men—many of whom died before her eyes.

When she returned home days later, she found her street littered with the dead and dying, her house transformed into a makeshift hospital. The building was used to treat wounded soldiers, and the bloodshed left a lasting imprint—not just on the walls, but perhaps on something deeper.

It is this direct connection to suffering, death, and raw emotion that many believe fuels the ghostly activity that has been reported in the house ever since.

Today, the Tillie Pierce House operates as a beautifully restored inn, with period furnishings, original architecture, and plenty of charm. But if you ask the owners, guests, or paranormal investigators, they'll tell you—it's also one of the most haunted inns in Gettysburg.

Let's explore the spirits that may still reside in the house Tillie called home.

Several guests have reported hearing children playing in the hallways or staircases, especially late at night or in the early morning hours. Some have heard laughter, running footsteps, or the sound of toys being dropped. Yet, no children were staying in the inn at the time.

Many believe these are residual spirits, possibly tied to either the Pierce family or the neighborhood—Baltimore Street was heavily populated before the war, and children living there would have witnessed the horrors unfold just outside their doors.

Others believe the spirits are former patients who died in the house—young drummer boys or teenage soldiers who never made it home.

One of the most chilling encounters reported at the Tillie Pierce House involves a shadowy figure seen ascending or descending the staircase. Guests say the figure appears as a dark silhouette of a man, often wearing what appears to be a long coat or cape. He never speaks, never turns—he just vanishes.

Paranormal investigators have captured unexplained EMF spikes and disembodied voices near the stairs, adding to the theory that this is the ghost of a soldier who died in the house.

Another common report is of a woman crying, sometimes softly, sometimes in loud wails, usually heard in one of the upstairs bedrooms. No physical person is ever found.

Some believe this spirit is connected to Tillie herself, carrying the trauma she witnessed during the battle. Others think it could be the mother of a wounded soldier who passed in the house—a grief so strong it still echoes.

Guests have frequently reported feeling cold spots, being lightly touched or tugged, and even having their blankets moved during the night. In one account, a guest awoke to find a chair across the room had shifted several feet while they slept.

Several EVPs have been recorded at the inn, with clear phrases like "I'm here," "Help him," and "Don't leave me."

Andy, our Manager of Ghost City Tours in Gettysburg, has visited the Tillie Pierce House many times over the years. According to Andy:

"There's something incredibly raw about the energy in that house. It's not malevolent—it's sad. You can feel it in your bones. I've had EVPs from there that made me stop recording altogether for the night. One of them just said, 'Mama.' That was it. One word—but it stuck with me for years."

Andy believes the emotional residue of what Tillie witnessed—and what happened inside the house—left a lasting psychic imprint. It's one of the few locations in Gettysburg where he felt the spirits weren't just stuck—they were trying to be heard.

If you're looking for a haunted place to stay in Gettysburg, the Tillie Pierce House Inn is a must. It's not just about ghost stories—it's about being surrounded by authentic, preserved history, and sleeping in a place that played a direct role in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Guests who come for the hauntings often leave talking about the powerful emotional weight of the experience—and the feeling that they've made contact with something beyond the veil. Whether you're a paranormal investigator, a Civil War enthusiast, or just a curious traveler, this inn delivers history, hospitality, and hauntings in one unforgettable package.

Our Haunted Take

The Tillie Pierce House Inn isn't just another historic building in Gettysburg—it's a living memorial, a place where a 15-year-old girl wrote down the horrors of war, and where the echoes of that war still reverberate. The spirits here aren't malevolent—they're sad, confused, and maybe just waiting to be remembered.

Come stay the night. Listen closely. You might just hear Tillie's story being whispered back to you.