 |
| Grove team: left to right -
Anne Palagruto, Casey Wech, Tina McGoldrick, John Nilsen,
Audra Isanski, Jean Young, Jonathan Williams, Trish
Stryjewski, Jim DeWyer, Hildred Robinette |
We are not disclosing the
location so it does not turn into a crowded and noisy place such as
other areas have turned into like triangular field and devils den
since there are private homes closeby. The Grove is an area not
actually part of the park and is privately owned. At one time it was
an area for burial of civil war soldiers and it is believed that
there are several bodies still in this area.
This is one of the more
active places we have experienced in our Gettysburg investigations.
We were able to sit on one side of a cleared field believed to be
where the bodies are and watch dark figures run between the trees on
the other side of the field. Most investigators witnessed
apparitions on this night, some apparitions vanishing not behind
trees but out in the open.
We also experienced an extreme
coldness spread from in front of us and pass through us only to come
back through us the other direction about 5 minutes later.
Click to listen to
our EVP's
The
following EVP was obtained at the grove. If you listen carefully you
will hear a male voice saying "Take this minie".
What is a minie??
90% of all battle wounds were caused by the small arms projectile
known as the Minie Ball. It
was conical in shape and made of soft lead, with two or three grease
grooves around its body. The cylinder-conical ball usually had a
cavity. The majority of Civil War cartridges consisted of the Minie
ball and 60 grains of black powder enclosed in a paper cylinder. The
paper cylinder full of powder was placed behind the bullet, both
were wrapped in paper, tied off at the bullet end, and folded or
twisted closed at the powder end. To load this cartridge, the
soldier would bite off the folded end, pour the powder into the
barrel, and squeeze the ball from the paper wrapping. He would then
ram the ball with the ramrod to seat it on top of the powder. By
placing a percussion cap on the nipple under the hammer, the musket
was ready to fire. Upon firing, the hot gases produced by the
burning black powder charge expanded into the hollow base of the
ball, forcing the soft lead into the rifling grooves inside the
barrel of the musket. These grooves, which spiraled as they traveled
the length of the barrel, imparted a spin to the ball, making its
range an incredible 1500 yards, with extreme accuracy at 350 yards
or less. At 600 yards, a .58 caliber Minie ball fired from a
Springfield or Enfield rifled musket could penetrate six 1 inch pine
boards. When it hit the human
body, destruction of tissues, cartilage, vein, and bone was massive.
The soft lead flattened and broke apart as it hit flesh. If a man
was hit in the arm or leg, the bullet shattered the bone from 6 to
10 inches and necessity for amputation was certain. If hit in the
torso, a man was usually left to die. The entrance wound was the
size of a man's thumb, but the exit wound was the size of a man's
fist.
Grove 1 EVP
Grove 1 EVP (cleaned)
Grove 1 EVP (slow)
Another
EVP....
The
following evp was obtained right after the passing of the extreme
cold through our group. You will hear an investigator say "That
was weird" then a male voice say "the tunnel". We
have not yet figured out what this means in relation to the battle
of Gettysburg. It is more likely that the voice was someone
connected to the underground railroad since at one time there was
much anti-slavery activity in the area on the grove. (evp by J. Dewyer)
A few of the prominent
anti-slavery activists in the area of the grove were:
James McCallister, UGRR stationmaster,
and first president of the Adams County Anti-Slavery Society. James
McAllister hid fugitives in his mill, located on the Baltimore Pike
at Rock Creek. Fugitives were fed, sheltered, clothed, hidden
in the mill's cog pit, and also in nearby Wind Cave, located along
the bank of the creek. Family reminiscences note that the
period 1850-1858 was when most slaves were hidden here. Slaves
were then led to the Quaker farms in northern Adams County.
Adam Wert One of the founders of the Adams County
Anti-Slavery Society. His son J.
Howard Wert, as a college student, participated in UGRR
activities. Wert's farm, Wolf's Walk, was located along
Baltimore Pike, adjoined that of James
McAllister, and was used as a haven for fugitive slaves as late
as June 1863
Howard Wert While enrolled in
Gettysburg College, J. Howard Wert participated in UGRR activities
as a member of the college's Beta Delta fraternity. Some
members of the fraternity happened upon a fugitive in the middle
1850's, hid him and forwarded him to Quaker activists at York
Springs. They continued to help fugitives, widening their
circle to other trusted fraternity members, probably until the war
began. Their hiding place was an artificial cave on Culp's
Hill. A custodian at the college, John
"Jack" Hopkins, often notified them of newly-arrived
fugitives.
Grove 2 EVP
Grove 2 EVP (Cleaned)
Grove 2 EVP (slow)
|
