Haunted hotel guide · Cashtown (Gettysburg), Pennsylvania
The Haunted Cashtown Inn, Gettysburg: Confederate Headquarters, Cellar Hospital and the A.P. Hill Room
Eight miles west of Gettysburg, the 1797 inn where Confederate generals made their headquarters before the battle is now a seven-room country inn, and guests say not everyone from 1863 has checked out.
The Cashtown Inn sits on Old Route 30, the old Chambersburg Pike, at the foot of South Mountain in the village of Cashtown. It was the first stagecoach stop west of Gettysburg, and in the last days of June 1863 it sat directly in the path of Robert E. Lee’s army as it moved east toward the town. Generals A.P. Hill, Henry Heth and John D. Imboden used it as their headquarters, and its cellar became a field hospital. It is one of the best-known stops on any tour of the haunted hotels in Gettysburg.
Today the Davis family runs it as a small inn with seven rooms and suites, each named for a Confederate general, plus a tavern and restaurant. The inn does not hide its reputation: its own FAQ says the haunted side of the place is part of its appeal, and staff will share their experiences if you ask at check-in. Ghost Hunters spent a night here in 2008, and Haunted Rooms now runs ghost hunt sleepovers at the Cashtown Inn with the whole inn booked.
Cashtown Inn at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 1325 Old Route 30, Orrtanna, PA 17353, in the village of Cashtown, about 8 miles (12 minutes) west of Gettysburg
- Opened As a tavern and stagecoach stop in 1797; Peter Marck held its tavern license from 1815
- Most haunted spots The A.P. Hill Room, the Heth Room, the General Lee Suite, the upstairs halls, the cellar and the front porch
- Best-known ghosts A young Confederate soldier, a woman in old-fashioned dress, phantom horses and an unseen pipe smoker
- Booking the haunted room Every room is named, so you can book the A.P. Hill Room direct with the inn. On Haunted Rooms ghost hunt nights each room is sold as an Overnight VIP ticket that includes the hunt.
- Good to know Seven rooms and suites, breakfast included. Ages 12 and up only, no pets in the inn (dogs are allowed in the inn’s vacation homes), and weekends usually need a two-night stay.
The ghosts of Cashtown Inn
The young Confederate soldier
The inn’s best-known ghost is a young Confederate soldier. Guests describe a figure in a gray uniform standing in a first-floor doorway or walking the upstairs halls at night, and many of the footsteps people hear on empty landings are put down to him.
Local accounts say he was shot by a townsman, carried to the inn and died in a second-floor bedroom. Guests in that part of the house report a loud sigh near the foot of the bed and the murmur of men’s voices behind closed doors. Nobody has put a name to him, and we have not found a record that identifies him, so treat the details as the inn’s oral history.
The A.P. Hill Room
Named for the general who made the inn his headquarters, the A.P. Hill Room is the room most guests ask for. People staying here say the rocking chair rocks on its own and that they have felt the weight of someone sitting down on the bed beside them when they were alone.
General Hill was unwell during his stay in Cashtown, and the inn’s own history says he recovered from illness here. When Ghost Hunters investigated the inn, Grant Wilson slept in this room.
The Heth Room, the bar and the General Lee Suite
A Confederate soldier has also been reported in the Heth Room, named for the general whose division opened the Battle of Gettysburg, and near the bar downstairs. Upstairs, a woman in old-fashioned dress has been seen in the General Lee Suite, standing quietly before she fades away.
Nobody has suggested who she might be. The inn was a tavern, a family home and a stagecoach stop for well over a century before it became a bed and breakfast, so there is a long list of candidates.
Pipe smoke, packed suitcases and phantom horses
The smaller stories repeat across decades of guest books. Doors rattle and knobs turn. Guests hear a light knock, open the door and find the corridor empty. One guest smelled pipe tobacco in her room and asked the man next door if he had been smoking; he did not smoke.
Others say they returned to find their belongings moved or their suitcases packed, that their televisions switched on and off, and that they woke in the night to the sound of horses outside. One couple described footsteps inside their room, a shaking mattress and a hand on their shoulders. The inn says activity tends to pick up around July 1 to 3, the anniversary of the battle.
The porch and the old photograph
Outside, people have watched the empty porch swing rock on still nights and heard cries of pain and the knock of wood on wood after dark. The most famous piece of evidence is an old sepia photograph of the inn, displayed inside, that appears to show a faint, see-through figure standing beside a man on the porch.
Skeptics point out that a double exposure would produce exactly that effect in a 19th century photograph. Either way, it is worth asking to see it.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- A.P. Hill Room: The general’s own room and the inn’s most haunted, with the rocking chair that moves by itself. It sleeps two.
- Heth Room: Named for General Henry Heth, whose division opened the battle. A Confederate soldier has been reported here.
- General Lee Suite: A third-floor suite where a woman in old-fashioned dress has been seen. It sleeps up to four.
- Pender and Anderson Suites: Both sit above the part of the inn used as a field hospital, which makes them a good choice if the A.P. Hill Room is taken. Jason Hawes chose the Pender Suite when Ghost Hunters visited.
- The cellar: The 1863 field hospital, with the spring that still runs beneath the building. Guests say the air feels different down here; ask whether a cellar visit is possible during your stay.
History of Cashtown Inn
The Cashtown Inn opened in 1797 as a tavern and stagecoach stop, the first one west of Gettysburg on the road that became the Chambersburg Turnpike. In 1815 innkeeper Peter Marck took out a tavern license and opened four guest rooms. Local legend says he took nothing but cash for rooms and tolls, and the name stuck to the inn and to the village that grew up around it.
In late June 1863, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia came east through the South Mountain gaps toward Gettysburg, and the inn sat right on its path. General A.P. Hill made it his headquarters while about 22,000 men of his Third Corps camped around the village, and Generals Henry Heth and John D. Imboden also used the building. On July 1 the first shots of the Battle of Gettysburg were fired a few miles to the east.
Once the fighting began, the cellar was used as a field hospital for wounded men brought back over the mountain. Surgeons worked among the brick ovens and the cold spring that still runs under the building, and amputations were carried out with little or no anesthetic. Local tradition says the pile of amputated limbs grew high enough to block the light from the cellar windows. After the battle, General Imboden used the inn to organize the long wagon train that carried thousands of wounded Confederates back to Virginia.
The inn went on to serve as a family home and, for a time, a local library before becoming a bed and breakfast. It appears in the 1993 film Gettysburg, and actor Sam Elliott stayed here during filming. In 2008 the inn was the subject of a season four episode of Ghost Hunters, “The Fear Cage”.
Today the inn is owned and run by Jeremy and Danielle Davis. Alongside the seven rooms and suites there is the Officers’ Reserve apartment, two vacation homes nearby, a tavern, a restaurant that serves dinner Wednesday to Saturday, and a public country breakfast on Sundays.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Book the A.P. Hill Room early, especially for weekends around July 1 to 3, when the inn says activity picks up and Gettysburg fills with battle anniversary visitors.
- Ask staff at check-in about their own experiences, and ask to see the old porch photograph.
- The inn is for guests aged 12 and over. Dogs are not allowed in the inn itself, but the inn’s vacation homes take them for a fee.
- Weekend stays usually need two nights, and cancellations within 14 days are non-refundable, so plan ahead.
- If you want to investigate rather than just sleep, book a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt night: the whole inn is booked, and your room ticket covers the hunt, extended investigation time and breakfast.
- Combine your stay with the battlefield: the visitor center and McPherson Ridge, where the battle began, are about 15 minutes east.
Want to investigate, not just sleep?
Sleeping in a haunted hotel is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through the building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and lets you explore on your own during free roam.
- Haunted Cashtown Inn Ghost Hunt and Sleepover: Haunted Rooms books the whole inn: investigate after hours, then sleep in the A.P. Hill Room or one of the other named rooms. Ghost hunt only tickets also available.
- 1810 Gettysburg Academy Ghost Hunt and Overnight VIP: A school that became a Civil War field hospital, in downtown Gettysburg.
- Cresson Sanatorium and Prison Ghost Hunt: A former tuberculosis sanatorium and state prison in the Allegheny Mountains.
More haunted hotels nearby
- Farnsworth House Inn, Gettysburg: the sharpshooters’ house on Baltimore Street, still marked by bullet holes
- Hotel Gettysburg (Gettysburg Hotel): the hotel on Lincoln Square, home to the nurse ghost Rachel
- Baladerry Inn, Gettysburg: an 1812 farmhouse that served as a Union field hospital
- Haunted places in Gettysburg: the battlefield, the orphanage and the town’s other haunts
- Haunted hotels in Pennsylvania
- Haunted hotels in Gettysburg
Stayed in one of these hotels? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from guests and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your stay. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cashtown Inn haunted?
It has one of the strongest ghost reputations in the Gettysburg area. Guests and staff report footsteps in empty halls, knocking on doors, a rocking chair that moves by itself in the A.P. Hill Room, pipe smoke and the sound of horses at night. These are reported experiences rather than proven events, but the inn itself treats its haunted reputation as part of its appeal.
What is the most haunted room at the Cashtown Inn?
The A.P. Hill Room, named for the Confederate general who made the inn his headquarters in 1863. The Heth Room and the General Lee Suite also come up often in guest stories.
What happened at the Cashtown Inn during the Civil War?
In late June 1863 it was headquarters for Generals A.P. Hill, Henry Heth and John D. Imboden as Lee’s army moved toward Gettysburg. Its cellar was used as a field hospital during the battle, and afterward Imboden used it to organize the wagon train that carried the Confederate wounded back to Virginia.
How far is the Cashtown Inn from Gettysburg?
About 8 miles, or around 12 minutes by car, west along Route 30.
Was the Cashtown Inn on Ghost Hunters?
Yes. It was the subject of the season four episode “The Fear Cage”, which aired in 2008.
Can you do a ghost hunt at the Cashtown Inn?
Yes. Haunted Rooms runs ghost hunt sleepovers with the whole inn booked. You can book one of the named rooms as an Overnight VIP ticket, which covers the ghost hunt, extended investigation time, the stay and breakfast, or buy a ghost hunt only ticket.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.
- Cashtown Inn: about the inn
- Cashtown Inn: FAQ and policies
- Wikipedia: Cashtown Inn
- Journey Through Hallowed Ground: Cashtown Inn
- The Dead History: Haunted Cashtown Inn (2025)
- Ghost City Tours: The haunted Cashtown Inn
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About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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