Ghosts of Antietam - Sharpsburg, Maryland

The small town of Sharpsburg, Maryland lies in the narrow strip of the state between Virginia and Pennsylvania.  Just east of the town winds a small stream known as Antietam Creek bordered by farms. This patch of farmland would forever change when the Confederate and Union Armies clashed one September day in 1862. The Battle of Antietam became known as the bloodiest day of the Civil War with over twenty three thousand men dead or wounded in a single day and many those souls, still linger.

The Sunken Road or 'Bloody Lane' as it would later be known as at Antietam Battlefield near Sharpsburg, Maryland

The Battle

The battle began in a cornfield north of Sharpsburg, where hundreds of men were cut down after the tall corn did them no good as cover as it was mowed down along with them.

The fighting then moved southeast just to the east of town. A sunken road which divided the Piper farm from the Roulette farm served as natural earthworks for the Confederate soldiers, so they dug in. They held this ground fiercely for hours. They were confronted at one point by the Irish Brigade, screaming their Irish battle cry as they charged the sunken road.  Over half of the Irish were cut down by the confederates. Eventually the Union soldiers gained a position where they could get a clear line of sight down into the road and then the slaughter of the Rebel soldiers began. It is believed at the end, the sunken road was piled five deep with dead Confederate soldiers. It was hence known as "Bloody Lane".

The 'Bloody Lane' at Antietam Battlefield as it is seen today.

By afternoon, the battle had moved south east of Sharpsburg as Confederate soldiers attempted to hold the town when Union forces led by General Burnside in defense of Washington, D.C., made an effort to cross Antietam Creek and confront the Rebel forces. This crossing became known as Burnside Bridge as onslaught after onslaught of Federal soldiers poured across and finally overwhelmed the defending Confederate troops. Commanding General Robert E. Lee withdrew his forces across the Potomac River the following day, retreating into Virginia.

Antietam Battlefield map showing troop movements on the day of the battle.

Nine months after the Battle of Antietam, the Confederates were on the move north again on their way to what would soon turn out to be another of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. On their northward march, they passed through the grizzly battlefield of Antietam.  Bones of their fallen comrades still lay in the fields on the open ground.

The Hauntings

Today all around the Antietam Battlefield National Park, there are upside down canon barrels that mark the location of where Generals leading the battle fell to their death.  Some people claim to have seen wispy clouds of mist floating around these markers, believed to be the spirits of the fallen Generals.

The Pry House, located in the midst of the battlefield, served as Union General McClellan's headquarters during the battle. A wounded General, Israel Richardson, was taken there were he was nursed by his wife. He remained there for months after the battle until he eventually passed away.  The house is now a field hospital museum. Many who have been in the house have seen a woman dressed in a Civil War era dress.  She has also been spotted standing in the window of the room where her husband died. Some claim to have heard footsteps in the house and it is believed to be the spirit of Fannie Richardson, still watching over her husband.

The Pry House served as General McClellan's headquarters during the Battle of Antietam and is thought to be haunted by the wife of a General that died there.

The Grove Farm served as a makeshift hospital for Confederate Soldiers. Wounded soldiers unable to walk, were left here after the retreat. The floors of the house were covered in blood. To this day, the blood stains remain despite many efforts to remove them.

Burnside Bridge, where the final charge by Union forces brought the battle to an end, was the hasty burial place for many solders who met their demise there. Civil war reinactors who have spent much time at the bridge, have seen blue balls of light and have heard beating drums near this location on many occasions.

Burnside Bridge at Antietam Battlefield is thought to be haunted by the sounds of dead soldiers buried near the bridge.  Photo credit: Antietam National Battlefield Memorial - Burnside's Bridge 06" by myself (User:Piotrus) - Own work (taken by myself). Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

And then there is The Sunken Road. This is probably the most haunted location of the Antietam Battlefield. Some visitors to the site claim to hear the sounds of battle still taking place including gun fire, canon shot and battle cries. The most chilling tale is that of a group of school children who visited the site. Later in class, they recanted that their favorite part was hearing the battle at The Sunken Road and hearing a song much like "Deck the Halls" being sung. It has been noted that the battle cry of the Irish Brigade "clearing the way” in Gaelic is "Faugh-a-Balaugh!"  


Location:
Antietam National Battlefield
5831 Dunker Church Road
Sharpsburg, MD 21782

39.47000    -77.74000



Plan a visit:  http://www.nps.gov/anti/planyourvisit/index.htm



 

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References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antietam_National_Battlefield
http://www.nps.gov/anti/
http://www.militaryghosts.com/antietam.html
http://www.prairieghosts.com/antietam.html

The Ghost of Patty Cannon - Woodland Ferry, Delaware

In the late 1700s at a place known as Woodland Ferry, located in Colonial Delaware, a woman by the name of Martha "Patty" Cannon ran a ferry that transported folks across the Nanticoke River.  Patty lived just north in the nearby town of Johnson's Corners.  Patty was not an ordinary woman, on many levels.  She was large and burly in appearance and stood over 6 feet tall.  Some say that she could best any man in a fight.  What was really scary about Patty Cannon though, was that she was just as nasty on the inside as she appeared on the outside and was a very murderous woman.

The skull of Patty Cannon is all that is left as a reminder of her brutal legacy.  It is kept in a hat box in a library office.

When Patty's ferry traffic was wavering, she would dabble in human trafficking.  Capturing freed slaves in the area and then re-selling them to plantation owners in the south.  She had a band of men who would help her capture these freed slaves and shackle them in hiding places such as buildings near the ferry and a tiny secluded island just off the waterways of the Naticoke River. Many slaves died over the years, meeting their death in shackles in one of Patty's hiding spots.  Patty's exploits were eventually discovered by local authorities in 1829 when remains of some of those she killed was found in a field near her home and she was arrested. She admitted to murdering eleven people including her husband and one of her children in 1826.  Scheduled for execution, she took some poison that someone had smuggled into her jail cell during a visit.  And just to be sure that Patty was dead, the jailers cut off her head.  

The Woodland Ferry circa 1930 with the ferry master's building in the background on the shore.  Photo: Delaware Department of Transportation http://www.deldot.gov/information/community_programs_and_services/woodland_ferry/galleries.shtml

Woodland Ferry still exists to this day.  It is said that the ghost of Patty Cannon can be seen lingering around the area where the ferry master's building was located. It is perhaps because after her original grave in the yard of the Sussex County Jail was exhumed to make way for construction, her severed skull was removed from the grave when it was relocated. After exchanging hands for a while, and even being put on display in a museum in Dover, it ended up being stored in a hat box in a library.  Some claim to have seen the ghostly figures of some of her former slaves she kept in the basement the house as well.  There are strange disturbances and the phantom sounds of rattling chains may be heard on occasion.

The remote island known by locals as "Shackle Island" where she reportedly kept slaves in transit is believed to have been found by a few as they describe many strange experiences take place in this location as well.  Until recent years, this island was believed to be lost in the shifting waters of the Naticoke River.

Johnson's Corners, which is now situated right on the border with Maryland, was renamed by locals to Reliance, Maryland because of the bad stigma associated with the place due to Patty Cannon's rain of terror.  They did not care for the negative association and as for them, they never cared to hear about or see the Ghost of Patty Cannon ever again.

Woodland Ferry is located at:
5123 Woodland Church Road, Seaford, DE 19973, USA
Latitude: 38.600342  Longitude: -75.657569 

Related stories: Shackle Island, the Ghost Slaves of Patty Cannon - near Phillips Landing, Delaware

View the Index of Haunted Places

References: 
Delaware Department of Transportation http://www.deldot.gov/information/community_programs_and_services/woodland_ferry/galleries.shtml
http://www.sptimes.com/News/061701/Travel/Simon_Legree_in_petti.shtml
http://www.castleofspirits.com/stories06/pattycannon.html

Spirits of Point Lookout Lighthouse - Scotland, Maryland

Built in 1830, Point Lookout Lighthouse guides the water traffic entering into the Potomac River from the Chesapeake Bay.  It has stood the test of time, guarding these waters for over 180 years.  However, over part of the lighthouse's history it has been manned by those of the spirit world.  Some believe it is the most haunted lighthouse in North America.

Point Lookout Lighthouse near Scotland, Maryland is thought to be the most haunted lighthouse in North America

The Point Lookout Lighthouse saw a lot of activity over the period of the Civil War.  It is said that prisoners may have been held there on the grounds, over twenty thousand to be exact.  A few may have died there as well, about four thousand!  They were buried there on the grounds, but most of the graves were relocated.  Lighthouse occupants have reported strange smells in within the building like the smell of death.  There have been reports of disembodied snoring sounds as well and furniture being moved around on it's own.  Doors have been known to open and slam shut on their own accord.

It is thought that ghosts of Civil War soldiers may haunt the lighthouse and grounds. Thousands of Confederate prisoners were buried here.

During the lifetime of the lighthouse operation, many shipwrecks occurred in the bay.  The Express was a well known wreck that occurred just of the point.  It is thought that one of the surviving crew rowed ashore in an attempt to get help.  Some believe this because of a spirit that has been spotted outside of the lighthouse on dreary, stormy nights.  The actual figure of a man in old sailor type clothing having a ragged distressed appearance has been seen standing outside on the porch of the lighthouse.  When approached he seems to disappear, moving back toward the water from where he came.  Sometimes the keepers could hear phantom voices outside as well as if someone were calling.

Monument at Point Lookout State Park dedicated to the Confederate prisoners of war who died here during the Civil War.

Today the lighthouse is owned by the State of Maryland as well as the surrounding area and parking is located at 11175 Point Lookout Road Scotland, MD.  It is also the location of what is now Point Lookout State Park.  The area is great for fishing, hiking, biking, boating, and of course you may try to sneak in a peak of a ghost or two.

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Spirit of Edgar Allan Poe - Old Western Burial Ground and other places in Baltimore, Maryland

Edgar Allan Poe was a relatively unknown poet while he was living.  He had a somewhat tragic life which may have contributed to the morbid theme of his writings.  This also may be what has contributed to his spirit still walking the streets of Baltimore to this day.

The spirit of Edgar Allan Poe is said to haunt the streets and graveyard of Baltimore, Maryland where he spent a good portion of his life

Edgar was born in Boston, Massachusetts in the year 1809.  His father had abandoned his family and shortly after he was born his mother passed away, leaving him orphaned.  He had a hard time holding a steady job as he was reported to be a very depressed individual and suppressed it or enhanced it, through drinking heavily.  In 1835 he married his thirteen year old cousin Virginia Clem.  However, in 1847 she became very ill as she had contracted tuberculosis.  She died that same year. 

Many believe that these series of events in his life made his poetry the memorable works that they are today.  He seemed to put his life's anguish into is writings and produced masterpieces such as The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell-Tale Heart just to name a few.  Ironically, his poem The Raven which made him a well known author almost overnight, only earned him nine dollars.

Two years after his wife passed away, Edgar Allan Poe was found lying in a street on October 3, 1849 in a dreadful state.  Delirious and extremely ill, he was taken to Washington College Hospital where five days later on October 7th, he passed away.  The exact cause of his death remains a mystery.  He did not live in Baltimore at the time and was simply passing through.  He was seen in in a bar toasting with friends five days prior to being found in the streets.  Poe was interred at the Western Burial Ground in Baltimore along with many of his family.  Today, the Old Western Burial Ground as it is known by is one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States.

The gates of Old Western Burial Ground in Baltimore, Maryland where Edgar Allan Poe was laid to rest

The original grave of Edgar Allan Poe, his mother and his wife.  They were later moved to a larger monument near the gates of the cemetery.

Many say that the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe has been seen strolling the streets wearing his black frock and hat.  He frequently walked the streets and was a patron of many local pubs and taverns so it is no surprise that he would choose to linger in these places in the afterlife.  He is also thought to haunt the cemetery where he is buried.  His grave was moved from his original burial place in 1875 to a large monument that was erected in his honor close to the front gates of the cemetery.  Perhaps this move has disturbed his spirit and now roams the grounds as well as the catacombs of Westminster Hall which were created when the original Westminster Presbyterian Church was constructed over top of a portion of the graveyard in 1852.  In fact, many bodies were moved to the catacomb which many believe make the graveyard one of the most haunted in the country.

Hazelhurst Manor (Lilburn Mansion) - Ellicott City, Maryland

Businessman Henry Richard Hazelhurst hit it big during the Civil War in the iron industry.  He became very wealthy and in 1857 built his 20 room Gothic mansion in Ellicott City, Maryland.  He named it Lilburn, however some referred to it as the Hazelhurst Manor.  However, from the very beginning the home has had a torrid  history. It was not so much as history as it was a curse.  Some argue that this mansion is one of the most haunted places in America.