History of the Brickhouse Inn

The Welty House, A Witness To Gettysburg’s Momentous History

Built in 1838, the Welty House witnessed an incredible amount of history along with an unimaginable amount of death and suffering. The notorious Welty House stands just a stone’s throw away from the very graveyard where President Abraham Lincoln delivered his pivotal Gettysburg address.

The Welty house stood in between the front lines of the Confederates and Union Armies with bullets whizzing back and forth, the future of the country in the balance. The historic property still bears numerous scars from that consequential battle. What better place to engage in our country’s paradigm-shifting history and possibly meet some of the ghosts who linger over this hallowed ground?

A Monument To America’s Beginnings

Honest Abe’s famous speech attempted to heal the country’s violent discord as the bodies of over 51,000 Confederate and Union soldiers still lay strewn across the blood-soaked battlefield.

Lincoln’s words of “Four score and seven years ago” were made to remind the country that America represented the world’s first true democracy and the worldwide ramifications of its potential failure. Today, after all these years, we’re commemorating this extraordinary property by sharing her memorable tale to all that come and stay within the walls of history.

Experience The Civil War Era First Hand
In 1863, the Welty House served as a sniper’s nest for Confederate sharpshooters as they attempted to pick off the temporarily retreating Union troops. As both sides tirelessly waged their ferocious battle, the inhabitants of the Welty House along with their neighbors holed up in the basement. There they prayed for their lives as the sounds of war raged above.

Quite frankly it’s something of a miracle that the house still stands today. If not for the goodwill of Union officers attempting to limit civilian casualties, the House would have assuredly become the target of artillery fire and been turned to rubble. Even with their compassion, Civil War artillery was infamously wayward. Perhaps the guiding hand of the thousands of dead soldiers helped spare it.

Eerie Modern Day Encounters
Despite the horrifying violence of Gettysburg taking place well over a century ago, the employees and overnight visitors of the Welty House have experienced many abnormal occurrences over the years. These ominous voices don’t come as much of a surprise. Besides sitting in the epicenter of one of the country’s most gruesome battles, bodies of Gettysburg fallen soldiers were actually buried on property!

Apparently, the voice of Charlie Toot calls out to workers by name as they go about their daily businesses. Charlie also enjoys slamming doors on windless days, occasionally giving the help near heart attacks. Once he was even seen shuffling around the Ohio room, wearing creased and pleated dress slacks with shiny brown dress shoes.

The long-time plumber of the house even reported that the hot water switch inexplicably would turn itself off. After his toolbox mysteriously moved on its own, he brought his wife with him if he had to work in the evening. Other spooky instances include the sounds of heavy dragging as if someone was moving a body. Come enjoy a night or two in the Welty House and see for yourself!

The Welty House Line Of Succession

Since the fateful days when Confederate soldiers died on the wooden floors of the Welty House and many more buried on the grounds, the property has seen just seven owners over the many years. The record of proprietors looks something like this:

• 1838 – 1853 “J. Schwartz”
• 1853 – 1854 Robert Johnson
• 1854 – 1891 Solomon Welty, was a Swiss immigrant farmer who lived with his wife and five children. The couple also tragically lost two children as infants during their time in the house.
• 1891 – 1996 Harriet Toot
• 1996 – 2005 Craig and Marion Schmitz
• 2005 – 2021 Tessa Bardo and Brian Duncan
• 2022 – Present Welty House Llc