Gettysburg Ghost Tour: The Haunted Rupp House and Tannery

Explore the haunted sites of America’s Civil War history on a Gettysburg ghost tour with US Ghost Adventures. The ghosts of the civil war await you on the grounds around the former Rupp House and Tannery!

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was home to one of the most decisive battles in the whole Civil War and the site of America’s favorite President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. With that address, President Lincoln signaled the coming end of the war and a new era of American prosperity. While its Civil War history has made the town famous, few know Gettysburg is also one of the most active haunted cities in the country, thanks to the Rupp House and Tannery.

Gettysburg has always been home to bounty and grace. Surrounded by lush, green hills, it’s perfect for farming and agricultural work. The tributaries of the proud Monocacy and Potomac Rivers feed into it, and now it is home to vibrant culinary and hospitality industries. Under the surface of all that beauty is a tragic history of battles and bloodshed that gave birth to some of the most haunted locations in Pennsylvania. Dig deep to find buried stories of families, civilians, and soldiers who underwent terrifying trauma, forever tying their souls to the historic locations where they experienced so much pain and suffering.

Suffer Little Children

One of the most haunted sites in this city of ghosts, ghouls, and the wayward spirits of lost soldiers now ironically operates as a children’s museum. Children of Gettysburg 1863 is an interactive museum on Baltimore Way, right in the heart of historic downtown Gettysburg.

The museum tells the stories of children, teens, and young adults who lived in Gettysburg in revolutionary wartimes. It’s designed for families and classrooms to “train junior historians.”

The museum is in the Rupp House and Tannery. John and Caroline Rupp owned the house back in the 1860s, during the Civil War. They had six children between them, which explains the reason for the children’s museum.

The house was always giggles and smiles, loud with children’s laughter—until the war came. Then history took a dark turn.

BOOK NOW

A House Divided

The Rupps owned and operated a tannery on their property, and the house wasn’t far from the base of Cemetery Hill. Much of the action of the Battle of Gettysburg occurred on Cemetery Hill, leading to what many ghost experts consider a mass disturbance of the spirits.

The Rupp House became a battleground during the Battle of Gettysburg. One night, Union armies advanced from one direction, and the Confederacy advanced from the other. John Rupp sent his children and wife away and hid in the basement.

For days on end, he operated a house divided, Union men shooting at Confederates from the porch, and the Confederates returning fire from the rear of the house. All the while, John Rupp hid for his life.

Ghosts of Battle

Though none of the Rupp family died during the Battle of Gettysburg, many men died upon its grounds. Many visitors who have stayed at the bed-and-breakfast next door claim to hear artillery fire, knocking, and even wailing coming from outside. Some have taken photos of ghostly faces of male soldiers peering out from the windows.

Museum staff frequently hear steps creaking and shuffling along the floorboards in the middle of the day. The spirits trapped in the Rupp House are so active, they don’t even wait for night to fall to come out and haunt.

Haunted Gettysburg, PA

To get a history lesson alongside your dose of haunted frights, take US Ghost Adventures’ tour of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Only in a city as historic as Gettysburg can you commune with ghosts from four different historical eras.

About US Ghost Adventures

Since 2013, US Ghost Adventures has offered entertaining, historic, and authentic ghost tours of America’s most haunted cities. We deliver fun yet honest accounts of hauntings across the nation for curious people of all ages. Our ghost stories are based on historical research, but that doesn’t mean they won’t send a chill down your spine.

This video gives you a small taste of what you might experience on your ghost tour — subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more.

US Ghost Adventures also offers virtual tours, a self-guided mobile app, and an Alexa voice app.