GETTYSBURGH, PA

SACHS BRIDGE

By Brendan Keenan

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania marks the site of the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War. Over 50,000 men lost their lives in the two day battle, and thousands more were injured. There are many famous battlefields in Gettysburg, such as Little Round Top and Devil's Den. However, the entirety of Gettysburg was in fact a battlefield. To treat the many wounded and dying, many makeshift hospitals were created. Barns, homes, and even a wooden covered bridge, Sachs Bridge, were used to treat the wounded.

The bridge was built in 1854 by David Stoner. It runs one hundred feet long. It was referred to as "Sauck's Bridge" during the time of the Civil War, and this pronunciation still continues, even with its current spelling, Sachs. The bridge was used by troops during the war and provided an easy passage over the water below.

Many psychic photographs and electronic voice phenomenon (EVP) have been captured at the bridge. There are even more accounts from believers and skeptics alike of strange occurrences happening all around the bridge. Many describe having uncomfortable feelings at the bridge like they are being watched. Others have described being touched by unseen entities. Some people have even reported witnessing apparitions and unexplained sounds and smells at the bridge.

On an investigation at Sachs Bridge in Gettysburg, PA in May, 2004, members of the Paranormal Research Society of New England and Central New York Ghost Hunters experienced a ghostly reenactment of a battle in the middle of the night. John Zaffis says about the event, "It was a perfectly clear night, and a fog rolled in very quickly and the temperature dropped quickly. A few minutes later, we could all hear loud booms coming from the field adjacent to the bridge. There were ten of us there that night, and everyone was hearing the booms. They were so powerful that you could feel it hit your chest. We could see orange bursts of light coming from the field that occurred with the booms. Others could hear gun fire and the sound of running horses. Even though Brendan Keenan had a video camera running throughout the phenomena, none of the sounds or orange lights showed up on film. About 15 minutes after it began, the fog lifted and the booms, orange lights, and all the other phenomena stopped. The temperature also increased significantly. I turned and looked at everyone and said, 'This is just like it's out of a movie.' Some of the researchers there that night have been back to the bridge since, but they have not experienced anything to the magnitude that we experienced that night."