Tag: Gettysburg farms
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Truth or Legend? Feral Hogs at Gettysburg
On the night of July 2, 1863, the battlefield around Gettysburg fell into an eerie darkness punctuated by the groans of thousands of wounded men. Earlier that day, vicious fighting had swept through farmer George Rose’s wheatfield – a 20-acre expanse that changed hands multiple times in a bloody back-and-forth. More 6,000 soldiers were killed…
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Truth and Legend on the John Forney Farm
The Legend of John Forney, his wanderings, his farm, and the role of his property in the Battle of Gettysburg was forged during his own lifetime. Forney’s property today is home to the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, and tales of the disaster of Iverson’s Brigade on his land are told on most tours. Further, ghost…
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Thirsty Soldiers and the Mysterious Woman in White at Spangler’s Spring
In the years shortly before the war and shortly after, Spangler’s Spring was a gathering spot for the town. Newspaper notices often carried announcements of Fourth of July celebrations or political gatherings at the site. Likewise, it was a center point for visitors at Culp’s Hill. In the first several decades after the war, Culp’s…
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The Daniel Lady Farm: Bloody Floors, Carvings, and Ghosts
The Daniel Lady Farm near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is known both for its pivotal Civil War history and for ghostly legends. John Forney, owner of the land of Iverson’s pits, could relate well to the Ladys. But more than just the dead in the fields, the house and barn have permanent reminders of the war (similar…
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The Ghosts at Iverson’s Pits: Why Workers on the John Forney Farm Avoided this Burial Site
On certain foggy evenings at Gettysburg, witnesses claim to hear faint moaning voices and see pale lights floating above a quiet ridge. This unassuming patch of farmland—known as Iverson’s Pits—hides a grim legacy. Here on July 1, 1863, nearly an entire North Carolina brigade was cut down in minutes during the Battle of Gettysburg. In…
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Michael W. Hofe: The Gettysburg Cop Who Memorialized William McLeod
We normally stick to the Civil War-era history of Gettysburg but are making an exception in the case of Gettysburg police officer Michael W. Hofe (1947-1996). Michael Hofe is the other unrecognized hero of the William McLeod story. Thanks to the 1993 robbery of the Adams County Historical Society and Corporal Hofe’s dogged investigation, we…
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Sarah Kime, the Jacob Kime Farm, and William McLeod
In the story of William McLeod, we saw the importance of black man Moses, who was critical in bringing McLeod home. Another key figure in the story has not been mentioned yet. In 1863, Sarah Kime was 11 years old, the oldest daughter and second oldest child of Jacob and Sarah Bucher Kime. She had…
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Life and Death on the Farm of John and Elizabeth Wible
The lives of Reverend John Wible and his wife, Elizabeth Wible (Stallsmith), appear to have passed without generating a lot of notice. The reverend worked at the Christ’s Lutheran Church (which played a prominent role in the battle). Elizabeth was from a long-running family in the area. They had no children. They turn up in…
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The Interactive Gettysburg Map
This interactive Gettysburg map marks the beginning of a larger project to chart the civilian landscape of Gettysburg in new ways. What you see here is Layer One, focused on Confederate burials drawn from Greg Coco’s Gettysburg’s Confederate Burials and similar sources like Find-a-Grave. Each marker represents a farm or landmark where burials were recorded…
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Confederate Burials on the John Crawford Farm
The John Crawford farm, tenanted in part by Basil Biggs, ended up with a large number of Confederate burials because of its location directly behind the southern battle lines on July 2–3, 1863. When Longstreet’s assault surged through the Peach Orchard, Wheatfield, and toward Cemetery Ridge, thousands of Confederate casualties fell in that sector.