Tillie Pierce House Inn Review: Staying in a Haunted Gettysburg Bed and Breakfast

Hello, spooky cats!

We recently returned to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for another overnight stay in a historic building with a haunted reputation. This time, we checked into the Tillie Pierce House Inn, an old bed and breakfast located directly on Baltimore Street.

The house survived the Battle of Gettysburg and is associated with Tillie Pierce, a local teenager who witnessed the aftermath of the fighting and helped care for wounded soldiers. Today, travelers can sleep inside the historic home—and perhaps encounter one of the spirits said to remain there.

Reported ghosts include Civil War soldiers, Tillie herself, and even a spectral cat.

Yes, they had me at ghost cat.

We stayed for one night, toured the room, tested the bed and shower, examined the breakfast options, and attempted a paranormal investigation. Here is what it was really like to spend the night at the Tillie Pierce House Inn.

Arriving at the Tillie Pierce House

The Tillie Pierce House is located on Baltimore Street, one of the main roads through historic Gettysburg.

That location is one of the inn’s biggest advantages. Guests are within walking distance of shops, restaurants, museums, ghost tours, and many of Gettysburg’s historic attractions.

The building dates to the early 1800s. I initially guessed that it had been built around the 1840s, but a sign inside identified the date as 1829. Tillie Pierce and her family moved into the house later.

Either way, this is not a building pretending to be historic. It was already standing when the Battle of Gettysburg swept through the town.

Inside Our Room

I photographed the room shortly after we arrived, before we covered it with luggage, cameras, recorders, cat toys, and enough paranormal equipment to alarm a normal hotel guest.

The room had a comfortable, traditional appearance with antique-inspired furniture and historic decorations. The furnishings had reportedly been updated recently, but the space still felt appropriate for an old Gettysburg home.

Our room included:

• A full- or queen-size bed
• A television
• A dresser with empty drawers
• Several lamps
• A private bathroom
• Toiletries and towels
• Historic decorations and artwork

The bed seemed smaller than ours at home, so I suspect it may have been a full-size mattress, although it could have been a compact queen.

There was no refrigerator or microwave inside the room. However, both were available downstairs in the shared breakfast area.

That arrangement worked fine for a one-night stay, but guests who need medication refrigerated or want immediate access to drinks should remember that the appliances are in a common area.

Was the Room Clean?

The room and bathroom appeared clean when we arrived.

The drawers were empty and available for guests who wanted to unpack. Since we were only staying one night, we left most of our belongings in our bags—or scattered around the room as though a paranormal equipment store had exploded.

The bathroom contained plenty of towels, shampoo, conditioner, soap, and storage space.

There were several bottles of conditioner, which I appreciated because my hair considers one tiny hotel bottle merely an opening negotiation.

The Private Bathroom

Our room had a private bathroom with a toilet, sink, mirror, and shower.

The shower was on the small side. It reminded me of a cruise ship shower, where turning around too enthusiastically can result in an accidental wrestling match with the shower curtain.

The curtain was also thick, which made the inside of the shower somewhat dark when it was closed.

Guests who prefer large, spacious showers may find it restrictive. However, everything worked properly, and the water pressure was surprisingly good.

Hot Water Instructions You Should Actually Read

The shower had one important quirk.

A sign explained that the hot and cold controls were reversed. Hot was cold, and cold was hot.

Read the sign.

Ignoring it could result in standing there for ten minutes wondering why a building supposedly filled with spirits cannot produce hot water.

The hot water also took a while to reach the shower. You need to turn it on, wait patiently, and make sure the control is positioned according to the reversed instructions.

Once the hot water arrived, it became very hot. The pressure was strong, and the shower worked well despite the limited space.

The Singing Toilet

The bathroom also contained one of the strangest features of our stay: what Zach named the singing toilet.

After flushing, the toilet produced a long series of unusual squealing and groaning noises.

Was it paranormal?

Almost certainly not.

Was it entertaining?

Absolutely.

Old plumbing can make an impressive variety of sounds, especially in historic buildings. Anyone investigating the Tillie Pierce House should become familiar with the toilet before identifying mysterious bathroom noises as ghostly communication.

Sometimes a spirit is trying to speak.

Sometimes the plumbing is performing opera.

Was the Bed Comfortable?

The bed was comfortable, with plenty of pillows and blankets.

Neither of us had any complaints about the mattress. It provided a good place to rest after walking around Gettysburg and completing our investigation.

The room did become warmer than we prefer during the night.

We did not find an individual thermostat or temperature control inside the room. The entire house appeared to be maintained at a central setting, so guests may not be able to adjust the temperature to their personal preference.

People who sleep hot may want to keep that in mind, particularly during warmer weather.

The Biggest Issue: Noise

The Tillie Pierce House is an old building, and sound travels easily through it.

We could hear people walking, talking, watching television, and moving around in nearby rooms. Sounds from outside also entered the room.

If you are sensitive to noise, this could make sleeping difficult.

I use a sound machine when traveling, which helped cover some of the activity. Without it, I probably would have noticed every footstep and conversation around us.

The thin walls and creaking floors also create an important challenge for paranormal investigators. A voice heard through the wall or footsteps in the hallway may belong to another guest rather than a ghost.

We had neighbors staying directly beside us, so we tried to remain quiet and respectful during our investigation.

Had we been the only people staying in the house, the experience would have been much easier—and considerably creepier.

Should Paranormal Investigators Stay Here?

The inn’s historic atmosphere makes it an interesting place for a ghost hunt, but the noise level creates complications.

Voices, footsteps, televisions, plumbing, traffic, and other guests can all contaminate audio recordings. Anyone investigating should document when neighboring guests are active and learn the ordinary sounds of the building before beginning an EVP session.

The singing toilet definitely deserves its own entry in the baseline notes.

The room itself had enough space for our equipment, although we quickly covered most available surfaces.

We also brought cat toys because one of the property’s reported spirits is a ghostly cat. Unfortunately, no phantom feline came out to play during our stay.

Typical cat behavior, honestly. Ignore all the toys and appear only when no one is filming.

Did We Experience Anything Paranormal?

Our night was uneventful from a paranormal standpoint.

We heard plenty of sounds, but the building contained other guests, old floors, thin walls, plumbing, and activity outside. Nothing we experienced in person clearly required a supernatural explanation.

We did not see a soldier standing in the room, encounter Tillie, or witness a ghost cat batting one of our toys across the floor.

That does not prove the house is not haunted. It only means we did not experience anything during our stay that we could confidently identify as paranormal.

Any possible audio or visual evidence would still need to be reviewed carefully and compared against the normal sounds of the building.

Breakfast at the Tillie Pierce House

Breakfast was included with our stay, although what we found was closer to a self-service continental breakfast than a large prepared bed-and-breakfast meal.

The breakfast area contained:

• A Keurig coffee maker
• Coffee and tea
• Bottled water
• Bagels
• Oatmeal
• Breakfast bars
• Crackers and packaged snacks
• Cookies
• A shared refrigerator
• A shared microwave

I found a peanut butter cookie, so breakfast was already heading in the right direction.

We arrived in the breakfast area sometime after 8:00 a.m. We were not sure whether a larger meal was served later or whether the self-service items were the complete breakfast offering during our visit.

Guests expecting a full hot breakfast may want to confirm the current setup when booking.

The shared refrigerator and microwave were also available for general guest use, which was helpful since our room did not contain either appliance.

How Much Did It Cost?

We paid approximately $166 for one night in March.

March is outside Gettysburg’s busiest season, so prices may be lower than they are during the summer, around the anniversary of the battle, or during major events.

Visitors willing to travel during cooler weather may find better rates. Winter could be even less expensive, although Gettysburg in winter comes with the minor inconvenience of winter.

Rates will naturally vary depending on the room, date, demand, and booking method.

The Location Is Excellent

One of the best reasons to stay at the Tillie Pierce House is its location.

Baltimore Street places you close to many of the attractions visitors come to Gettysburg to see. You can explore the historic downtown area without needing to drive every time you want food, shopping, a museum, or a ghost tour.

The central location does contribute to the outside noise, but the convenience may outweigh that problem for many guests.

It is especially appealing for travelers who want their accommodations to feel connected to Gettysburg’s history rather than staying in a standard modern hotel outside town.

Who Might Not Enjoy Staying Here?

The Tillie Pierce House may not be the best choice for everyone.

Guests who are extremely sensitive to sound may struggle with the thin walls, footsteps, conversations, televisions, and street noise.

The small shower may also be uncomfortable for anyone who needs more room. Guests who prefer complete control over their bedroom temperature may be frustrated by the lack of an individual thermostat.

Finally, travelers expecting the amenities of a modern hotel—such as an in-room refrigerator, microwave, large bathroom, and heavy soundproofing—should remember that this is an old bed and breakfast.

Historic charm often arrives carrying a suitcase filled with historic inconveniences.

Who Will Probably Love It?

The Tillie Pierce House is a good choice for people who enjoy:

• Historic buildings
• Gettysburg history
• Haunted locations
• Traditional bed-and-breakfast rooms
• Staying within walking distance of downtown attractions
• Accommodations with more personality than a chain hotel

Paranormal enthusiasts will also appreciate sleeping inside a house connected to both the Battle of Gettysburg and several ghost stories.

Even without a paranormal encounter, staying inside a building that witnessed Gettysburg’s history creates an experience that a standard hotel cannot duplicate.

Final Tillie Pierce House Inn Review

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at the Tillie Pierce House.

The room was clean, nicely decorated, and comfortable. The bed had plenty of blankets and pillows, the shower had excellent pressure once the reversed controls were understood, and the location on Baltimore Street was extremely convenient.

The biggest drawback was noise. You can hear nearly everything happening around you, so light sleepers should bring earplugs, a fan, or a sound machine.

The room also became warmer than we preferred, and the small shower may not suit every guest.

Despite those issues, I would recommend the Tillie Pierce House to visitors who want to experience something more memorable than a normal hotel.

We did not meet a ghostly soldier, Tillie, or the resident phantom cat, but we slept inside a genuine historic Gettysburg home, survived the singing toilet, and completed another haunted hotel adventure.

Maybe the ghosts were simply trying to be considerate of the neighbors.

Stay spooky, cats!