Lake Shawnee is located along U.S. Route 19, 3.5 miles northwest of Princeton. Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in West Virginia, which was shut down in 1966 and belived to be cursed, will open for one week only from October 25th through October 31st. But Lake Shawnee is a tourist destination all the same. He does, however, say his father had an encounter with the little girl who lost her life on the swings 49 years ago. When near the offering site on the burial ground, while trying to communicate with the native spirits, the Rem Pod goes off and is followed by the howling of nearby coyotes. They brought in a Ferris wheel, but the acquisition of swings, White says, is an interesting story., We found a swing in New Jersey, loaded it up and brought it back, he said. Lake Shawnee Amusement park was opened by C.T. Most Terrifying Places in America was an American paranormal documentary television series that premiered on October 9, 2009 on the Travel Channel as a stand-alone special. Lake Shawnee operated as an amusement park in Mercer County, West Virginia from 1925 to 1966. Nowadays, the park has capitalized on its ghostly reputation, and offers open tours of the facilities to the brave every year from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31 for an event called Dark Carnival, featuring ghost tours and even a haunted house, which is fitting since the mysterious Shawnee Park amusement park certainly seems to fit in with Halloween. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. (Plus we all needed a bit of a break after the intensity of Harold the Doll, am I right?). The old rides had been sold off, but the Whites decided the swings and a Ferris wheel were necessary to revive Lake Shawnee. Built in 1920s, the amusement park was a popular summertime retreat for coalfield families and their children. The History of Lake Shawnee, the haunted Amusement Park By Joshua Malsawma, The West Virginia amusement park has seen both accidents and massacres. 1 In reality, Michell Clay, the nephew of Henry Clay, and his family settled along the Bluestone River at Clover Bottom in 1775. 10 Lake Shawnee Amusement Park. Unfortunately, death claimed more children: a young boy drowned in the pool, and a girl died when a truck accidentally backed into the path of the rotating swing ride. They should give fond memories and bring smiles to faces. White has done much research since his family purchased the property in 1986, but says he doesnt know much about the early years of the park. Paranormal groups and ghost hunters began contacting the Whites for permission to visit. Lake Shawnee is an unincorporated community in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. You can watch a clip from the episode below. Both of their scalps were taken by the Shawnee group. It may have been due to negativity related to these deaths, or possibly due to a decline in mining and the area. The location of the park is also the site where Mercer County's first white settlers, the Mitchell Clay family, made their home. Businessman Conley T. Snidow opened Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in West Virginia in the 1920s But six people, including two children, were killed there in a series of horrific accidents. 10 Ways Disney Parks Hide Things Right In Front Of You, Top 10 Creepy Things You'll Only Find In The Disney Parks, 10 Rare Events That Forced Disney To Close Their Parks, 10 Secret Histories Behind Well-Known Hats, 10 Disney Characters With Controversial Histories, 10 Absolutely Bizarre Books And Their Histories, 10 Holidays With Twisted, Dark, And Unusual Histories, Ten True Tales from Americas Toughest Prison, 10 Times Members of Secretive Societies and Organizations Spilled the Beans, 10 Common Idioms with Unexpectedly Dark Origins, 10 North American Animals with Misplaced Reputations, Top 10 Creepiest and Strangest Homes on Zillow, Top Ten Worst Book to Movie Adaptations Ever Filmed, Ten Seriously Spooky Unsolved Spring Break Mysteries, 10 Significant Biblical Archaeology Discoveries, 10 Huge Songs You Didnt Know Were Written for Movies, 10 Amazing Animals That Can Detect Human Diseases, Horrifying Facts About Flakka: The Zombie Drug, 10 Tragic And Terrifying Child Abductions, Top 9 Newly Found Photos Of Ted Bundy And Their Chilling Backstories, 10 Supervillain Projects From Around The World. It is said her and the babys cries can be heard at night. After the park closed on Labor Day, 1976, Franklin Loftis shot and killed the parks owner Harry Koch and his sixteen-year-old stepson Carl Derk outside their trailer on the grounds of the park. There are several interesting videos of investigations that have taken place at Lake Shawnee, along with alleged EVPs posted on Youtube. Gaylord White said the experts think the rest of the tribe was inflicted by a virus and left the region. In 1926, Snidow opened the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park. Lake Shawnee Amusement Park has been listed as one of the most terrifying places in the country. Although no one ever died on the ride, a full body apparition is often seen in the bucket marked with a number 10, and video has allegedly been captured of a seatbelt buckling and unbuckling on its own accord. Chris and the White family now make this a staple part of their tours, and they ask all visitors to bring a gift or offering to leave at the burial site. He paints a picture of a busy, popular Lake Shawnee in the 40s, 50s and 60s, however. It is not known if any of the accidental deaths occurred on the ferris wheel. Those wishing to enjoy the beauty of Lake Shawnee could also take a paddle boat or canoe out for a ride.Business was booming, and the park was making a name for itself until things began to take a turn for the worse. In October 2018, a five-episode special series . Just four miles south of Myrtle Beach, Magic Harbor Amusement Park had all the makings of a fun attraction a roller coaster, bumper cars, Tilt-a-Whirl, arcade, hedge maze, Ferris wheel, and other all-ages rides, but it never really succeeded. His dream was to build a grand amusement park, but little did he know he was building atop of an Indian burial mound. Then, in 1969, Dreamland Park would make headlines again when two decomposing bodies would be found in the woods on the grounds of the park. In 2014, Lake Shawnees Halloween activities underwent a bit of a change as they shifted from campfire tales and tour to the Dark Carnival Lake Nightmare haunted attraction that went around the lake, swings and Ferris wheel. Originally opened in 1960, the theme park contained replicas of famous biblical scenes, including the Last Supper, Garden of Eden, and an inn featuring a no vacancy sign. In 1916, tragedy would strike the park when Catherine Bouidecki was shot and killed and Areti Nichols was shot by Samuel Gongas, who then set fire to the parks restaurant, railway, and photography gallery, as well as some concession stands. Lake Shawnee Amusement Park was first built nearly 100 years ago in 1926. Weve never discussed Portals to Hell on Residual Whispers before, but it is an excellent show with thorough and respectful investigations. After three years, though, skyrocketing insurance rates forced the closure of the amusement park and the Whites began holding fishing tournaments and other events to keep the property active. However, looking back, most things appear clear. Years later, an amusement park was built on the site . A series of haunting images of an abandoned theme park in West Virginia hints at the horrific history of the site. Although all of the rides had been sold, some of the original structures remained on the property and White hoped his new park would be even better than the original. Clay took revenge by murdering several of the Shawnee. Lake Shawnee Amusement Park was a small, family owned park that was located in Mercer County, WV. Violent deaths. Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in West Virginia has been eerily abandoned for decades. Several tragic accidents would hit the park over the years, claiming six lives, including a little boy who drowned while swimming. Jewell told the Register-Harold that she thinks the spirit of her husband may be there as well, keeping an eye on them and the property he loved so much. This is the pond which was used as an open air swimming pool for years until a young boy drowned in it, This sign tells the grim story of why the land first became haunted after a clash in the 18th century, Mitchell Clay moved into the area in 1775 and built this farmhouse. 3 9 The area had been settled previously by the . Lake Shawnee, White says, also featured a speakeasy and a dance hall. [3] There were a total of 6 deaths. The child was killed on impact. A man named C.T. Lake Shawnees final two nights of Halloween attractions are scheduled for Friday and Satruday from 8 p.m. to midnight. 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Mitchell was away hunting at the time. The cheerful turquoise, red and green rides slowly faded and flaked. She was in a ruffled dress and she just appeared. Lake Shawnee is an unincorporated community in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. Truly, a ghastly place to visit and one of the top destinations on my personal bucket list. It is said that numerous children lost their lives on the park's rides, in the community pool, and even in the nearby lake. In 1783, Mitchell Clay was the first European settler to make a home in the area, which was heavily inhabited by the Shawnee Native American tribe. People still found a way in, though, and vandalism and trespassing occurred, destroying many of the parks statues and attractions. While Clay was gone to town one day, the Shawnees surrounded three of the Clay children, who were working in the fields. Of course, the amusement park had rides the Ferris wheel and swings drew large crowds. Her ghost has been spotted on site recently, A child's toy has been left on the rusted swing set, which is now almost 100 years old, A rusted tractor sits idly on the site of the abandoned Lake Shawnee Amusement park in West Virginia, This sign, erected on the site 30 years ago, gives an indication of what happened on the site in 1783, when white settlers moved into the area and clashed with the indigenous Shawnee tribe, The entrance to the abandoned Lake Shawnee Amusement park in West Virginia. It received widespread attention owing to at least one or two deaths that happened upon the premises throughout its functions, something that sparked urban myths about the place becoming haunted, in quite an excellent form of the Indian burial site trope. West Virginia Antiquities Commission, Oct. 1976, "Abandoned West Virginia amusement park has a bloody history", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lake_Shawnee_Amusement_Park&oldid=1137531029, Defunct amusement parks in the United States, Reportedly haunted locations in West Virginia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 5 February 2023, at 03:16. 14 /15. When you think of amusement parks, funnel cakes, roller coasters, Ferris Wheels, people dressed in costumes, and fond childhood memories probably come to mind. The road that leads to Lake Shawnee is easy to miss, and many drive by it on their first visit. Bug Dust reports one of the more popular theories is that two of Clay's children were scalped and ultimately killed by 11 members of the Shawnee tribe while they were working on a fence. The Lake Shawnee Amusement Park, which started in 1926, lasted four decades before having to close in 1967. You might be an amusement park junkie, but we're warning you, hold on to your butts if you're headed to the Lake Shawnee Amusement park. Ive done my best to put together the most cohesive and true story possible, and if you want to hear about some of the other, more questionable things I found about Lake Shawnee in my research, make sure you listen to the podcast episode!). Its sad, but Marshall thinks thats what wiped out this Shawnee tribe back in the 1700s., In 1773, Mitchell Clay, his wife Pheobe, and their sixteen children were the first to settle in the area; their farm and homestead was located where Shawnee Amusement Park would later be built. Have you ever visited this haunted park? The site attracts paranormal investigators, A rusted slide on the abandoned Lake Shawnee Amusement park in West Virginia. When an amusement park is being built, the goal is often to create an atmosphere of joy, where children can live out their dreams of eating too much junk food and catching an adrenaline rush on their favorite ride. With the deaths of both her husbands and oldest son, Jewell White said she wasnt sure how she would continue to run Lake Shawnee, so she called upon her other children for assistance. A feeling of being watched from the tree line and a reported shadow figure is attributed to the spirits of the Shawnee. When we got here, we ran the serial numbers, and found it was the exact same swing that used to be here.. The campfire history and self-guided tour will be reinstated, allowing visitors to walk around the swings and Ferris wheel area and visit the grave of the Clay children, taking pictures if they wish. Thompson tried to claim the girl had failed to stay seated and follow safety guidelines for the ride, but the bad publicity alone was enough to hurt the parks reputation once again. But, some parks are shrouded in mystery and misfortune, causing fear and shivers instead. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. [4] Maggies death is the only murder in the parks long history. The park was thoroughly demolished in 2007, leaving nothing behind except for the strange memories and photographs and the questions as to why anyone thought it would be a popular attraction. Lake Shawnee shut down in 1966 and sat idle until 1985, when a man named Gaylord White purchased the site and reopened the fun park. Image from Wiki Commons. Lake Shawnee is one of the most infamous abandoned places in all of West Virginia. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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