Dobbin House Tavern

The oldest building in Gettysburg, built in 1776. Reverend Dobbin's home was a stop on the Underground Railroad and later a field hospital for both Union and Confederate soldiers during the battle.

The Dobbin House Tavern, built in 1776, is the oldest structure in Gettysburg and one of its most haunted. Irish immigrant Reverend Alexander Dobbin constructed the house after studying Latin and Greek in Londonderry and theology at a Presbyterian seminary in Glasgow. He purchased 300 acres and completed his home the same year the Declaration of Independence was signed.

The Dobbin House served as a crucial station on the Underground Railroad, the first stop along one of the passageways north of the Mason-Dixon Line. A secret crawl space, featured in National Geographic, hid runaway slaves in a room tucked away behind a fake cupboard -- far from perfect accommodations, but a significant improvement over bondage. After the Battle of Gettysburg, the house served as a hospital for wounded soldiers from both armies. This combination of suffering -- the terror of escaped slaves and the agony of dying soldiers -- has left a deep mark on the place.

The most commonly reported spirit is a woman in a blue gown seen gliding through the upstairs rooms, particularly near what were once bedrooms. Some believe she was a nurse during the Civil War; others think she may be a grieving mother searching for a child lost to the war. Guests and staff hear children laughing, whispering, or running down the stairs even when no children are present -- these ghostly youngsters may date to the Dobbin family era or the home's use as a schoolhouse.

A wounded Union soldier haunts the lower levels, perhaps someone who died during the building's time as a field hospital. He's seen near the basement stairs, accompanied by sudden drops in temperature, waves of nausea, and the sound of a man moaning in pain. The ghost of Alexander Dobbin himself is spotted around the house smoking a cigar. Some believe the slaves who sought refuge here never truly left.

Guests have spotted mysterious, reoccurring bloodstains on the floorboards. Today the Dobbin House operates as one of the most popular restaurants in town, its native stone walls, seven fireplaces, and hand-carved woodwork painstakingly restored to their 18th-century beauty.