John McFarland built this house on Baltimore Street in 1810. An addition was added in 1833. The Sweney family was living in the home at the time of the battle in July of 1863. Over 100 bullet holes from this conflict are still visible on the south wall of the home.
Today the Shultz family, who has turned it into bed and breakfast and has restored it to the 1863 appearance, own the building. Many of their guests and employees have reported ghostly experiences. These odd occurrences include odd noises, footsteps, and the feeling that someone has just sat on the edge of the bed. Late at night the staff had seen odd movements, or felt someone tap or touch them. One guest even photographed a wispy image in a bedroom.
The waitresses at the bed and breakfast wear Civil War period costumes. On several different occasions, waitresses dressed this way have reported an unseen entity roughly pulling on her apron. This even happened in front of surprised guests.
Staff members have also reported an elderly lady in 19th century dress appearing in the kitchen. She has been spotted browsing the shelves, as if looking for something. Her identity is unknown.
The spirits also like to fool with electronic devices. One woman’s portable TV kept turning itself on and off the night that she was there. She and her husband also complained of sudden temperature drops. To top it off, the next day they found that all of the tape on their video camera had been erased!
There are several other ghosts besides the sharpshooters and the older lady. The spirit of a boy is present. He was run over by a wagon in the street, and brought into Farnsworth House, where he died.
The spirit most often spoken about is Mary, who once occupied the room known as “The Sarah Black Room”. Mary also died there. She often returns to sit on the bed, play with a sleeper’s hair, and occasionally appears to startled guests.
The “Sarah Black” room is next to the “Catherine Sweney” room. Both have their share of spirit activity.
One couple checked into “Catherine Sweeney” one evening. Soon after falling asleep, the couple was awakened by the sound of heavy footsteps. Upon checking, no one was discovered. It seemed that the noise mainly came from the “Sarah Black” room next door. They blamed the noises on the other guests, and tried to sleep. Despite the heat being on, the room was oddly cold.
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