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The Soldiers' Passageway Ghost Tour
Children's Alley Ghost Tour
Graveyards, Cemeteries and Soldiers Ghost Tour
See descriptions of each below
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Welcome to our tour page, we're glad you found us!
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Hey I'm Mark. Julia and I started Sharpsburg Civil War Ghost Tours 11 years ago. We'd been researching the lives of Sharpsburg citizens who lived through the Battle of Antietam for a long time, and we'd heard many stories from the residents of the town that matched the historical accounts. Starting a ghost tour to explain history was the furthest thing from our minds, but so far, we've had a great time doing just that. Our clients seem to agree. See a few of their comments at the bottom of this page.
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This may be the most unusual ghost tour anywhere, but we're enormously proud that we emphasize and connect historical events to current folklore, all with significant Civil War content. As we say over and over, once you experience our tours you'll never see Sharpsburg the way you did before.
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Dressed in period attire, we'll lead you on tours that again breath life into September 17, 1862, and set the scene for recurring unexplainable experiences that harken to the Bloodiest Day in American history. Although the events of that date cannot be imagined or recalled by those living today, we'll bring you as close as we can. Give us a chance to be a part of your visit to Sharpsburg for an unforgettable and rich experience.
We have 3 Sharpsburg Civil War Ghost Tours, each about 90 minutes.
Early evening in the Confederate Soldiers' Passageway. Just up the alley on the right is an area used to bury dozens of Confederates who died in the town of Sharpsburg.
The Soldiers' Passageway
This is part of our original tour, yet we've updated it almost every year with new stories. It explains the part the people of Sharpsburg played in burying the dead Confederate soldiers they found in their homes after the battle, and the effects of the epidemic that swept the town in the winter that followed. According to people who live in Sharpsburg, ghostly images of Confederate soldiers still linger in the town, possibly remnants of souls who never crossed back over the Potomac River after the Battle of Sharpsburg. But one interesting fact makes the observations compelling: The Confederates repeatedly seen in Sharpsburg are usually moving to the west in the direction of the Potomac. Do they yet seek to cross the river?
This tour is a great introduction to Sharpsburg and its enormous Civil War history. Stories usually include at least 4 of the following:
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Jacob McGraw's Ghost
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Charley King's War
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The Lone Confederate Sentry
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The Rohrback House Remembers
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The Broken Confederate Artillery
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Indian Head Hill/Copperplate Hill.
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​You'll never see Sharpsburg the same way after you experience this tour!
The Children's Alleyway Ghost Tour
This is our longest tour, it is longer than 90 minutes. It's strange stories are alarming to some. Strange things happen on this tour. Batteries are drained. Photos are distorted. Orbs sometimes flash and move down the alleyway. It's weird. offered only a few times each year in September and October.
Since the mid 1930's the citizens of Sharpsburg have reported sightings of unfamiliar children running through the alley near the Big Spring. This was a community gathering place before the advent of indoor plumbing, and it was a child's daily chore to fetch water here. There are many historical accounts of children's use of the alley, particularly as a daily shortcut to go to school.
Is it coincidence that after several prominent and aged citizens of the town who had experienced the Civil War died in the early 1930's that unknown children began to appear here?
The Children's Alleyway tour tells the stories of Jacob McGraw, Savilla Miller, Theresa Kretzer, Dewitt Clinton Rench, Henry Kyd Douglas and Aaron Good. Also on this tour we try to work in stories of about 16-18 Confederates who died on Main Street during the battle, and The Woman in Black who strolls the main street in search of her husband who was buried in a field after the battle. Their lasting impact on the history of Sharpsburg, and perhaps even more than that, is felt to this day.
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Stories on this tour usually include at least 4 of the following:
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The Woman in Black
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The Happy Waving Man
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The Haunted Home of Aaron Good
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We're from Here: The Incident at the Big Spring
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The Disappearance of The Old Veteran
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This tour is an absolutely perfect ending to a visit to Sharpsburg.
Graveyards, Cemeteries and Soldiers of Sharpsburg Ghost Tour
Our newest tour debuted in 2018 reveals incredible newly discovered appearances and research. This tour will take you to locations where Confederate soldiers died and were buried, and will lay out repeated sightings of them on streets, in alleys, and yes even in Sharpsburg's old cemeteries. This tour is an easy walk, and includes the following stories:
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The Lost Confederate Company
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Private Wood's Visit
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The Mitten Man
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Black Dog
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All stories are based on reports we've collected over 38 years, and are explained in the context of documented historical events.
Looking back at the approach to the Big Spring on a Fall evening.
The Big Spring
Civil War Ghosts of Sharpsburg
Recent Tour Comments:
"Mark and Julia, Thank you for offering these tours! I attended your Children's Alleyway Tour last night and it was fantastic! Mark's zeal and passion for history, the truth, and answering unanswerable questions clearly comes through in his presentation and tour. I was impressed with the level of research, professional scholarship, and forethought that went into the development of the tour. Very impressive!!"
"Through the simple life and actions of a local farmhand, Mark brings the history to life from a unique perspective. Most of us would never consider the aftermath of Antietam from the perspective of a farmhand turned gravedigger turned entrepreneur. Very informative, entertaining, and well done! Thx!"
"Went on the ghost tour last night and it was GREAT!!! Learned so much about the Battle at Antietam, town of Sharpsburg during that period and about many of the sightings of ghosts. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, interesting and loved telling us the history and stories. I highly recommend these tours and plan to go every Saturday evening I am free. So worth more than the $10 they charged....GREAT EXPERIENCE!!!!"
