Gettysburg interactive panorama: Devil's Den

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From tourists to soldiers to ghost hunters, visitors to Gettysburg are drawn to Devil's Den, scene of intense fighting on July 2, 1863. I shot the interactive image above of the iconic spot during an early April visit ... 

... early photographers at the site posed "dead" soldiers on the massive boulders, perhaps eager that such scenes would lead to a spike in sales. This image was taken in Devil's Den on Nov. 11, 1863 by Peter Weaver, a Hanover, Pa., photographer, according to research by William Frassanito. (Hat tip: John Cummings of Spotsylvania Civil War blog) ... 

... an enlargement of the photograph, which is available on the Library of Congress web site, shows three"dead" men and their muskets ... 

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

... and these 8th Connecticut veterans and their families visited Devil's Den on Oct. 9, 1894 en route to Antietam, where the regiment nearly broke through the Rebel lines on Sept. 17, 1862. This image is in the Connecticut State Libary archives ...

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

... years later, these soldiers in Company C of the 303rd U.S. Army Tank Corps posed in Devil's Den before they sailed for Europe to fight the Germans during World War I.  This photograph appeared in the Hartford Courant on Aug. 11, 1918. ...


... of course, no visit to Gettysburg is complete without a ghost tour or a little paranormal activity. In April 2008, I met Stewart Cornelius of the Mason Dixon Paranormal Society in Devil's Den, where he was conducting an "investigation." Before I departed, Stewart played a recording of an EVP -- Electronic Voice Phenomena for the uninitiated -- that his group recorded of a Civil War soldier in Gettysburg. "Help me," the "soldier" pleads in a low voice. Real or nutty? Judge for yourself by clicking on the video above.

Meet Stewart Cornelius, paranormalist

Wandering Civil War battlefields the past two decades, I've met all kinds of people.

A couple from Germany.

Historians.

Famous authors.

Re-enactors.

But tonight in Gettysburg, a lifetime goal was achieved.

I finally met a paranormalist.

Stewart Cornelius, a genial sort, is lead investigator for the Mason Dixon Paranormal Society. His group takes "high-tech equipment" to capture evidence of paranormal activity. Hear strange noises in your closet, a low moaning in the basement or see a shadowy figure dancing outside your bathroom at 3 in the morning? It may not be your strange Uncle Harold. Stewart and his ghostbusters may be just what you need.

According to MDPS Web site, paranormal investigations are free. "Remember, though we like to have fun, we understand the fear and the seriousness of your situation," the MDPS Web site states. "We are after all, normal people."

Stewart eagerly handed me a flyer touting a paranormal investigation his group is holding in Gettysburg in June. The two-night "investigation package" includes lodging at an historic and "haunted" Gettysburg house and a gourmet breakfast in the morning. Ghost hunting and a gourmet breakfast? Now there's a vacation combo I never considered.

Before we bade goodbye, Stewart played a recording of an EVP (below) -- that's Electronic Voice Phenomena -- his group recorded of a Civil War soldier in Gettysburg. "Help me," the "soldier" pleads in a low voice.

Real or nutty? Judge for yourself.

As for the ghost hunting and gourmet breakfast package, I'm telling Mrs. Banks that DisneyWorld can wait. I'm going ghost hunting!