Civil War Ghosts

11. The Rose Farm

Gettysburg, PA

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Late June of 1863 found the Rose and Odgen families, which included fourteen children between the two families, both occupying the farmhouse, readying for the growing season. It is said that two of the children, Mary Rose and Charles Odgen, may have had feelings for each other beyond friendship, and both were nearing marriage age. Charles Odgen left the farmhouse to join the 138th Pennsylvania Regiment of the Union Army at the beginning of the war, and had returned to his hometown of Gettysburg, not on leave, but to participate in the coming battle. During the days of July 1st through July 3rd, one can imagine the horrors young Mary Rose witnessed as she watched the slaughtering of troops on both sides outside her window. Along with hearing and seeing the horror of war and having to clean blood from the sides of the farmhouse, came the terrible fear that somewhere out in those fields Charles was laying dead. The fighting raged on, and when the cannon smoke finally cleared, the Confederate army retreated. After the Union Army left Gettysburg and the fallen soldiers were buried, news finally reached the Rose and Odgen families that Charles Odgen survived the gruesome battle. Mary was elated. But just days later came another report that Charles had been killed in another battle, and Mary was crushed, and could envision him being unceremoniously buried like all the unknown soldiers that she had witnessed being buried in mass graves at Gettysburg. As the days and months wore on, Mary’s mental health began to decline. A doctor was brought in and Mary was led out in a straight jacket and admitted to an insane asylum. There are reports of strange moaning and screams from a woman in and around the Rose Farm. This is a private residence, so please be careful when visiting the Rose Farm, or perhaps you may suffer the same fate as poor Mary Rose.