History & local legend
Gettysburg’s municipal building at 59 East High Street began as the Adams County jail and later housed the public library from 1949 to 1992. By the time borough offices and police occupied it, employees had a familiar name for its supposed unseen resident: Gus.
Police chief Joe Dougherty described several experiences to FOX43 in 2018. He had heard footsteps upstairs when no one should have been there. On early mornings, arriving around 5:30 or 6, he sometimes noticed the smell of chili cooking even though no one was preparing food.
One night, while Dougherty was the only officer on duty, the elevator descended from the second floor. Its doors opened onto an empty car. He checked upstairs to see whether someone had entered unnoticed, but found no one. Gus was the building’s nickname for the presence; historian Timothy Smith said he had found no prisoner record establishing who Gus might have been.
Sources
- Grace Griffaton, FOX43, February 12, 2018, original interview with Police Chief Joe Dougherty, Mayor Ted Streeter and historian Timothy Smith
- Gettysburg Connection, Adams County Historical Society receives original property deed, jail and library history
- The Gettysburg Network of 1863, Gordon Laws, historical and folklore records of the old jail
- Mapcarta, Gettysburg Municipal Building footprint and street address
- FOX43 report preserved in Civil War Talk discussion
