I was once having dinner with a work colleague at the Dobbin House. It was a quiet late winter day, and we had been doing work on a phone app. The fine dining was slower than usual, and several tables sat empty around us. A table just across from us had two married couples—clearly tourists, probably a decade older than my colleague and I. We were tired and not talking too much, so we eavesdropped. One of the couple’s regaled the other with a tale of how they had gone to a concert at the Comcast Center but their parking tickets and admission tickets hadn’t worked. And then they had realized that they were at the wrong concert and the wrong Comcast Center. Their tickets were for a concert an entire state away. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised by the next exchange. Their meal was nearly finished, and the wrong-concert lady said, “I heard there’s a railroad that runs right under the restaurant.”

“Really?” said the other lady.

“Yeah. We should ask about it on the way out. See if they’ll let us see it.”

“That’s amazing. An underground railroad right here in Gettysburg.”

As they filed out, I looked at my colleague, and we burst out laughing. “She really didn’t hear herself say that.”

On our way out, we stopped at the host station, and I related the account to the host. He sighed heavily and said, “I wish I could tell you that was the first time I’d heard that. But it happens probably once a week. Someone comes to ask us if they can go down to see the railroad.”

Come on, America. Let’s teach better! The Dobbin House is a known stop on the Underground Railroad—it is not the site of an 1860s subway! It also has a rich history dating back to the start of the town. And like many other buildings nearby (Jennie Wade House, Farnsworth House Inn, Hotel Gettysburg, Rupp House and Tannery, Tillie Pierce House), it’s allegedly haunted. Allegedly.

Constructed in 1776 by Reverend Alexander Dobbin, the stone house at 89 Steinwehr Avenue is Gettysburg’s oldest standing building. Dobbin (born 1742 in Ireland) built it as his family home and a classical school for boys. It sat on a 300-acre farm and was “the first school west of the Susquehanna River.” (Dobbin taught Latin, Greek and Hebrew; about 25 of his students later became ministers.) Architecturally it is a sturdy two-story stone farmhouse with a springhouse; much of the original 1776 structure survives today. In fact, the house appears much as it did over 200 years ago. Its historical significance (Revolutionary-era schoolhouse, early Gettysburg landmark) led to listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The Dobbin Family and Ownership

Rev. Alexander Dobbin (1742–1809) was a Scots-Irish Presbyterian minister who emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1773. He married Isabella Gamble, and together they had a large family (sources differ on the exact count – one account says eight children, another ten). When Isabella died around 1800, Dobbin wed Mary Virginia (Irwin) Agnew, a twice-widowed mother who brought 9–10 children from her prior marriage into the household. In all, the Dobbin house sheltered well over a dozen children under its roof. (For example, Gettysburg’s first borough council in 1806 included “James Dobbin” as councilman, and an Emanuel Ziegler – likely related to the later owners – as a fellow member.)

Rev. Dobbin became a civic leader in the new town (he helped establish Adams County and served at Rock Creek Presbyterian Church). He died on June 1, 1809. His son Matthew Dobbin (b.1774) inherited the house and farm; historical accounts describe Matthew as one of the “captains” of the Underground Railroad at Gettysburg. Financial troubles later forced the Dobbin family to sell; by the mid-1800s the property was owned by the Ziegler (Zeigler) family. (Tour guides note that by 1863 the “Zeigler family” lived in the Dobbin House during the Battle of Gettysburg.) Thus the ownership timeline is: Alexander Dobbin (1776–1809) → the Dobbin heirs (early 1800s) → Zeigler family (mid-1800s onward) → eventually private operators who turned it into a tavern/inn. In the 20th century it operated as a museum and gift shop, and today it is run as a colonial-themed restaurant/inn with period rooms.

School and Underground Railroad

From the start, the Dobbin House doubled as an academy. Dobbin’s classical school educated many young men; one source notes it was the first academy of its kind in the region. Meanwhile, Dobbin’s anti-slavery convictions shaped the house’s hidden spaces. As early as 1810 he built a secret panel into a stairway wall to conceal runaway slaves. Family and later owners continued to use crawlspaces and “slave holes” well into the Civil War. Legend holds that the Dobbin House was “one of the first stops” on the Underground Railroad north of Maryland. (In fact, after the war it drew national attention: National Geographic featured its secret slave hideout.) Dobbin’s son Matthew is historically cited as an operator on this route. In summary, the building’s role in education and the anti-slavery movement is well documented: Rev. Dobbin ran the school here for 30+ years, and the house’s hidden rooms sheltered freedom-seekers.

Civil War and Later History

When the Battle of Gettysburg broke out in July 1863, the Dobbin House was near the front. Like many stone homes, it was pressed into medical service: it became a makeshift field hospital for both Union and Confederate wounded. (Eyewitness accounts and tours relate that wounded lay on every floor and amputated limbs were thrown out the windows.) The Zeigler family occupants rode out the battle in the house. In the battle’s aftermath, the house eventually returned to civilian life. In the 20th century the building was preserved as a historic landmark – it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 – and repurposed as a tavern/inn. Visitors today enjoy the “1776-era” decor: the inn features multiple dining rooms with colonial furnishings, original fireplaces and kitchen artifacts, and a “Spring House Tavern” bar. Free guided tours are offered to view the restored rooms (former library, parlor, kitchen, upstairs chambers, etc.) and to recount the building’s long history.

Ghost Stories and Legends

Over time, the Dobbin House’s dramatic past fueled ghost lore. It is widely featured on Gettysburg haunted tours and travel sites. Reported apparitions and phenomena include:

• The “Woman in Blue.” Visitors often speak of a sorrowful female figure in a blue dress gliding along upstairs halls or vanishing into walls. Some say she may have been a Civil War nurse or a mother searching for a lost child.
• Phantom Children. Many have heard or felt children’s laughter, whispers or footsteps when no one is present. These are attributed to Dobbin’s own offspring or to pupils from the old school. Witnesses report giggling, rolling marbles or shadowy youngsters appearing, especially near the attic or dining areas.
• Wounded Soldier. A ghostly Union soldier is said to haunt the lower levels. He is often seen or felt near the basement stairs (once a surgical area). Cold spots, moans and the smell of blood have been reported there. Staff say some refuse to enter the cellar alone at night.
• Poltergeist Activity. The house is notorious for “unexplained” events: lights and candles flicker, dishes fall, doors slam, and unseen hands touch guests. Lamps have blown out with no breeze, and diners have felt gentle taps or heard whispers calling their names.
• Dobbin and Spirits of the Freedom Seekers. Some accounts mention the founder himself. One blog notes “the ghost of Alexander Dobbin… is still seen… smoking his iconic cigar.” Others report a strong tobacco smell and piano music as if from another era. Crucially, many believe the freedom-seekers once hidden here also linger as spirits. Apparitions of enslaved people – clutching each other or peeking from closets – are often claimed. The “secret slave holes” are said to echo with heavy, emotional energy.

These stories gained popularity with ghost tours and online accounts in recent decades. Ghost-walking companies like Ghost City Tours and Gettysburg Ghost Tours list the Dobbin House on their routes, and blogs (2010s–2020s) retell these legends. In media the Dobbin House routinely appears among Gettysburg’s “most haunted” inns. For example, a paranormal travel article describes it as “steeped in history” and notes its reputation for slave-ghost activity, phantom smells of tobacco, and Civil War soldiers. Another guidebook highlights the “Woman in Blue” and other sightings as part of the tavern’s eerie charm. In short, the house’s role in the Underground Railroad and as a wartime hospital has given rise to Underground Railroad spirit legends that persist today (especially popular in tours and ghost-hunting narratives).

In summary, the Dobbin House spans Gettysburg’s full history – from Revolutionary beginnings to Civil War trauma to modern tourism – and its ownership and use reflect that journey. It was built and owned by Rev. Dobbin (and his heirs) before the war, occupied by the Zeigler family during the Civil War, and later preserved as a historic inn. Its storied past (schoolroom, slave hideout, battlefield hospital) has inspired numerous ghost tales. Though legends cannot be historically verified, they are part of the Dobbin House’s modern identity: visitors can tour the same rooms where Rev. Dobbin preached, taught, and possibly welcomed runaway slaves – and perhaps glimpse the lingering spirits his household (or his former charges) left behind.