What It's Like To Tour America's Most Haunted Town

Approximately 10,000 lives were lost in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and 30,000 more people wounded, during the infamous three day battle in 1863.

Depending on who you ask, not all those Civil War casualties have left the hallowed grounds for the great beyond — which is why during most autumn evenings in the town, you will see guides in period costume, leading packs of nervous tourists from one macabre site to the next.

Considered one of the most haunted places in the country, and in the world, Gettysburg has a robust ghost-tour industry, reports The Guardian.

According to Destination Gettysburg, a tourism bureau, there are 10 ghost-tour and paranormal investigation companies operating in the town. That’s a big number for a city of about 7,700 living residents.

“The park rangers won’t answer any questions about ghosts, which is fine with me. We’ll handle the ghosts,” Mark Nesbitt, founder of the Ghosts of Gettysburg Candelight Walking Tours told The Guardian. “Folklore’s history, too.”

Nesbitt calls the town a “perfect storm” for the paranormal: Violent deaths, unconsecrated burials, unfinished business all exist there.