This building, although not a part of the official battlefield, was nevertheless the scene of viscious fighting on the days of July 1-3, 1863. It first served Union then Confederate forces as a lookout and a field hospital during and after the battle, and there are numerous ghost stories associated with its history.
Interestingly before the battle of Gettysburg it was a secret stop on the underground railroad. Its founder, Samuel Simon Shmucker was a well known abolitionist and considered a marked man by Confederate troops. So when the rebels occupied the seminary on the second day of battle he was forced to flea his home, leaving behind anti-slavery writings which were later found torn up and covered with muddy boot prints. Speculation still persists over weather this was done by Union soldiers (trying to destroy evidence that could lead to his arrest), or by Confederate soldiers outraged by his anti-slavery beleifs.
Although the preists who live at the seminary do not encourage the beleif in ghosts there are many rumours that the seminary is haunted. Many people report seeing spirit faces looking out from the upstairs windows of Shmucker Hall. Recently this building was made into a Civil War research center which is now open to the public. The seminary is also included in many ghost tours and a very popular three hour walking tour of the underground railroad of Adams County.