Ghost Hunters season premiere: Gettysburg's Jennie Wade House and Haunted Orphanage. By Jeffrey B. Roth
Jan. 22 Ghost Hunters 10th season
premiere feature Jennie Wade House and the Haunted Orphanage
Ghost Hunters will kick off it's 10th season with an investigation of the Gettysburg locations. I will be writing a review of the show right after it airs on Wednesday evening. Thanks to Jeffrey Roth for allowing me to post his article and pictures. Enjoy!
P.J.
Article by journalist Jeffrey B. Roth, writer for Reuters, CBS, Philadelphia Examiner and others. Article and photographs are used with permission.
By Jeffrey B. Roth
“They've never been here before,” Pope said. “The production crew were there for about a week. Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango were there for two days. They investigated the Cashtown Inn a couple of years ago.”
In 1866, the National Homestead at Gettysburg, was opened as an orphanage and a home for widows. Located on Baltimore Street, adjacent to Cemetery Hill. It was founded to honor Amos Humiston, a Union sergeant with New York 154th Regiment, known as the “Hardtack” regiment, who was killed on the first day of the battle, July 1, 1863. About a week later, near York and Stratton streets, Humiston's body was discovered. Grasped in his hand was an ambrotype, an early type of photograph, depicting his three children – Frank, 8; Alice, 6; and Freddie, 4.
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| Jennie Wade House |
P.J.
Article by journalist Jeffrey B. Roth, writer for Reuters, CBS, Philadelphia Examiner and others. Article and photographs are used with permission.
By Jeffrey B. Roth
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The SyFy network
paranormal team, Ghost Hunters, spent several days investigating two
Gettysburg locations – the Jennie Wade House and the Haunted
Orphanage, (Homestead Orphanage), in late last September.
At 9 p.m., Wednesday, January
22, the premiere episode of the 10th
season of Ghost Hunters, will feature the investigation and its
results at both locations, said Dwayne Pope, a tour guide, with
Ghostly Images, who worked with the television production team.
Ghostly Images, of Gettysburg Ghost Tours, owns both historic
locations.“They've never been here before,” Pope said. “The production crew were there for about a week. Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango were there for two days. They investigated the Cashtown Inn a couple of years ago.”
Gettysburg, Pope said, is considered
to be one of the most haunted towns in the U.S. About two years ago,
Haunted History, a production of the History 2 network, (H2),
investigated both locations. That episode aired last season.
The Jennie Wade House, named after the
only civilian to die during the Battle of Gettysburg, was named by
the Travel Channel as the sixth most haunted house in America and the
most haunted building in Gettysburg,” Pope said. “The Jennie Wade
House has been featured on Ghost Adventures, Ghost Lab, Ghost
Finders, Most Haunted Live, Haunted History on the History 2 Network,
CBS Radio and a local television station, WPMT Fox 43. Visitors to
the Jennie Wade House have experienced items in the home moving
inexplicably, noises, footsteps, orbs, voices, the scent of bread
baking in the kitchen and full body apparitions. Reports of
unexplained activity are shared on a nearly daily basis.”
The orphanage was named in an article
featured in the USA Today, as one of the top ten creepiest places in
the United States to visit, Pope said. The orphanage has also played
host to Ghost Adventures, Ghost Lab, Ghost Finders, Haunted History
on the History 2 Network, CBS Radio and local television station WPMT
Fox 43.
“Visitors to the orphanage
also share their experiences, including but not limited to items
moving, noises, voices of children, toys in the cellar being moved
around, orbs, foul odors and full body apparitions of children,”
Pope said. “These unexplained phenomena are also reported on a
nearly daily basis.”In 1866, the National Homestead at Gettysburg, was opened as an orphanage and a home for widows. Located on Baltimore Street, adjacent to Cemetery Hill. It was founded to honor Amos Humiston, a Union sergeant with New York 154th Regiment, known as the “Hardtack” regiment, who was killed on the first day of the battle, July 1, 1863. About a week later, near York and Stratton streets, Humiston's body was discovered. Grasped in his hand was an ambrotype, an early type of photograph, depicting his three children – Frank, 8; Alice, 6; and Freddie, 4.
A Philadelphia physician, Dr. John
Francis Bourns, tried to identify Humiston's body. During the Civil
War, soldiers were not issued dog tags as they are today. As a result
of the publicity, some time in mid-November, Hunston was identified.
As a result of the publicity, Bourns was able to raise money to found
the orphanage for the children of Union soldiers, killed during the
war.
Within 12 years of its opening, the
orphanage closed as a result of a scandal involving allegations that
the orphanage matron, Rosa Carmichael, allegedly abused children.
According to news coverage of the day, Carmichael had created a
dungeon in the basement, where she shackled some children. Bourns,
who was responsible for founding the orphanage, was also accused of
embezzling a large amount of funds from the Homestead, according to
historical records.
In connection with the Ghost Hunters
investigation, operators of both buildings are offering combination
tours. The tours will be available, on Saturdays, beginning January
25 and running through March 1. The price is $13 per person.
For more information, visit
https://www.facebook.com/ |
| statue of Jennie Wade |
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| Jennie Wade House. Pictures taken on January 19, 2014 by Jeffrey B. Roth |
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| Homestead Orphanage |
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| Homestead Orphanage |
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| Homestead Ophanage |
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