By ERIN JAMES
Evening Sun Reporter
Skeptics might outnumber believers when it comes to tales of spirits, ghosts and hauntings in the town of Gettysburg and on the battlefield that bears its name.
But even the most incredulous among us cannot deny the fact that ghost stories are a huge part of Gettysburg folklore.
Names like Nesbitt and Farnsworth - the author of the Ghosts of Gettysburg series and the name of a downtown house famous for spookiness - are known by locals as commonly as Lee and Meade.
Thousands of tourists sign up each year to follow storytellers through town and hear tales of Gettysburg hauntings, just as they court licensed guides for tours of the battlefield and a historical perspective on an unimaginable loss of human life.
Ghosts - whether they exist or not - are a part of Gettysburg's history.
But their place in the town has long been the subject of debate and a source of controversy - particularly in recent years.
In 2007, storytellers and town officials butted heads over a proposed cap on the number of people allowed
per ghost tour after complaints of noise, property damage and littering reached the borough due to a growing number of ghost tours downtown.
In 2005, ghost hunters were some of the most outspoken opponents of a proposal by the park service to limit after-dark hours on the battlefield.
A clash between skeptics and believers could reach town again by summer - when more than 500 paranormal investigators are planning to descend on Gettysburg. The first-time conference has been dubbed the G4 Summit.
The ghost hunters want to conduct paranormal investigations on some of the deadliest spots of the Gettysburg Battlefield, including Devil's Den, Little Round Top and the field of Pickett's Charge.
Leaders of the Gettysburg National Military Park are adamant in their position, however, that ghost hunting is not an activity consistent with the mission of the park and therefore is essentially outlawed on the battlefield.
That policy has Kerry Eble-Keller - the man who is coordinating the summit - crying foul.
"Any areas that would be popular to the tourist are off limits to us," Eble-Keller said. "It should be set up that everybody's treated equally.
"They're very anti-ghost at the park service," he added.
No ghost hunters allowed
"Anti-ghost" might be a strong way of putting it, but Katie Lawhon, spokeswoman for the park service, does not hesitate at all when it comes to explaining the park's policy of no ghost hunting on the battlefield.
"No commercial activity or organized group can conduct paranormal activities or ghost hunting on the battlefield," she said. "There's no access for that."
Just as the park would not allow an ultimate Frisbee tournament on the battlefield, so too is ghost hunting not allowed, Lawhon said.
Only activities consistent with the park's mission "to preserve and protect the resources associated with the Battle of Gettysburg and the Soldiers National Cemetery, and to provide the understanding of the events that occurred here, within the context of American history" are granted special-access permits, Lawhon said.
"We spend staff time and money on the historic events that happened here," she said. "We spend no time and no money whatsoever on ghost stories."
That's a bummer for Eble-Keller and the summit, which he began to organize through the Web site Myspace.com before realizing paranormal investigations are not allowed on the Gettysburg Battlefield.
"The situation kind of mutated since we started this," he said.
The policy has prompted the group to look elsewhere to conduct investigations, such as in homes and businesses in the town and its surrounding areas.
More than 500 paranormal investigators are confirmed to attend the June 13-15 event, but Eble-Keller said he won't be surprised if the park's policy turns off some.
And that's no good for Gettysburg, he said.
"They're coming from all over the place," he said. "That means that they're going to be spending money."
The park's policy is in opposition to what would make sense as an economic policy for a tourist town, Eble-Keller said.
"Gettysburg is reliant on tourism," he said. "That's their bread and butter."
Lawhon, however, said the park's policy ensures that tourists who come to Gettysburg to visit the battlefield and learn its history can do so in a respectful atmosphere, not bothered by large groups engaged in unrelated activities.
"That is something that's very important for us to have available," she said.
Besides, the park is making a significant economic impact without granting permits for ghost hunting, she said.
More than 1.7 million people visited the battlefield last year, Lawhon said.
"The park does create a tremendous economic impact," she said.
Coming to a town near you on Friday the 13th
Despite the disappointment of being exiled from the battlefield, hundreds of ghost hunters from more than 30 states are still planning to be in town for one weekend - which happens to begin on Friday the 13th of June.
For ghost hunting, that "may be a good thing," said Eble-Keller, who lives in Ohio.
The conference organizer said he believes the summit could qualify as one of the largest - if not the largest - conferences of paranormal investigators ever.
"I would say this is the largest single investigation, I think, ever undertaken," Eble-Keller said. "I've never heard of any larger than this."
The summit will conduct investigations in homes and businesses in the Gettysburg/Hanover area on the evenings of June 13 and 14, he said.
Also on the agenda are guest speakers and a period dance at the Holiday Inn on Baltimore Street.
There, conference goers will receive their assignments for where to conduct investigations, Eble-Keller said.
Despite the park's restrictions, Eble-Keller said he wouldn't be surprised if some investigators attempt to hunt for ghosts on the battlefield anyway.
"I would imagine so," he said. "I won't be organizing them."
http://www.eveningsun.com/localnews/ci_8091292
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