I had an occasion to visit Gettysburg Pennsylvania this weekend for a little R&R.
As expected, the area is rich in history and amazing stories: tragic and heroic.
But I was also amazed how swamped the area is with ghost stories.
The first hint came when it was posted on Facebook that we were going to Gettysburg for a long weekend. Many people commented that we should be sure to check out –such-and-such– ghost tour, or haunted –whatever-.
And then on arrival, we saw at nearly equal parts, paranormal bunk to actual history in what was being hocked in the stores of downtown Gettysburg.
I begin to realize that people had made the association of ghosts to Gettysburg due to all of the violent deaths that had occurred in the area some 151 years earlier.
As for me: I love a good ghost story. I love fantasy and all manner of fiction. However, I don’t like fiction sold as reality. Of the lot of paranormal pitches that I saw, perhaps the worst was a ‘psychic medium’ because parasitic ‘psychics’ pray on the memories and lives of the credulous.
But beyond that offense to morality, I found the real history compelling enough without having to pretend that some poor solider, who was blown apart in his prime, was stuck for all of eternity roaming the same tract of land.
Images from downtown Gettysburg:
Ghost Walks
Psychic Medium Tarot Card Readings
GPS Paranormal Investigators
Haunted Gettysburg Tours
Gettysburg Ghost Tours
Gettysburg Candlelight Ghost Tours
Fear believes, courage doubts. Fear falls upon the earth and prays. Courage stands erect and thanks. Fear is barbarism. Courage is civilization. Fear believes in witchcraft, in devils and in ghosts. Fear is religion. Courage is science.
– Robert Ingersoll
Skeptical Hippo is Skeptical
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