History & local legend
The Andrew Woods House at Baltimore and Breckenridge streets in Gettysburg began with a carriage-trimming shop in 1834. Mark and Carol Nesbitt bought the property in 1997, and it became the headquarters of their Ghosts of Gettysburg tours. Its oldest room is also the setting for a story about an unusually helpful presence.
According to the account Mark Nesbitt shared with the Ghost Research Society, a construction worker was carrying wood through the house with both arms full when a door opened ahead of him. After he crossed the threshold, it closed gently behind him. He told his coworkers, then demonstrated what had happened by carrying another load through the doorway. The door reportedly opened for him three times that day.
Nesbitt also described glimpsing a small woman in a veiled hat and a pleated skirt elsewhere in the building. When he turned to look directly at her, no one was there.
Sources
- Ghost Research Society, firsthand account of Mark Nesbitt’s guided visit to the Andrew Woods House and three episodes of the opening door
- Ghost Research Society, Gettysburg 2021 investigation, Andrew Woods House identified as the Ghosts of Gettysburg office
- Ghosts of Gettysburg, operator’s FAQ and 271 Baltimore Street address
- OpenStreetMap, Baltimore Street and West Breckenridge Street intersection
