The Halloween season is a time when many well-known amusement parks across the country get into the act of running themed promotional events and special offers. But there is at least one creepy contender that has no trouble standing on its own, sans elaborate advertising and fanfare, where spookiness is concerned. In fact, the rides are no longer up and running, and it can hardly be touted as a family-friendly seasonal destination for lighthearted thrills and amusement. Rather, it sits abandoned and condemned out in the wilds of Princeton, West Virginia. I am referring to the notorious Lake Shawnee Amusement Park.
Infamously hailed as “one of the world’s most haunted places,” as the story goes, this once-thriving amusement park was unknowingly built on cursed lands—an ancient Native American burial site, in fact. It was also the location of horrible colonial-era tragedies. Even throughout its 62-year tenure as an amusement park, it knew no shortage of onsite accidental deaths.
For this frightening Flashback Friday Feature, I’m taking a look at the grim and gruesome history behind now-abandoned Lake Shawnee Amusement Park.
Land and Legendary Lore
While the remnants of the park ruins tell a more recent story draped in history and mystery, the land and its legendary past predate the more immediate early-to-mid 20th-century accounts. Some of the most antiquated evidence, ironically enough, wasn’t even recovered until archeological digs confirmed such accounts following the park’s permanent closure.
It has since been revealed that the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park was constructed on Native American burial grounds containing the bodies of 13 people, most of whom were children. This supports the suggested idea that these grounds are indeed cursed, offering a more tangible explanation for the continued misfortune that has befallen the area. Not to mention the ghost sightings and accompanying sounds.
More familiar documented accounts trace the significant prelude to tragedies back to the late 1700s when the first Europeans arrived and settled in these parts. A particularly unsettling tale is that of the Clay family. As the story goes, Native Americans descended on a hunting party led by Mitchell Clay and killed his youngest son, Bartley, in the action. Clay’s daughter Tabitha was also murdered, stabbed to death, and his eldest son, Ezekial, was kidnapped and burned at the stake. Clay got his revenge by murdering several of the Native Americans in Mercer County.
Construction of the Amusement Park
The story behind Lake Shawnee Amusement Park begins with its construction back in 1926. It was the brainchild of entrepreneur Conley Trigg Snidow, Sr., who purchased the land with the intent of providing a fun locale for the folks of Mercer County.
The park proved to be popular for pastime seekers. This was particularly true for the families of hardworking coal miners looking to decompress when time allowed. Featured attractions included a mechanical swing ride, favored Ferris wheel, a race track, multiple concession stands, a popular dance hall, a swimming pool, and even cabins for accommodating overnight stays.
Documented Deaths
Unfortunately, many of the park’s fan favorites played a direct role in the onsite tragedies that unfolded here. No less than six mysterious deaths were reported to have taken place onsite, freak accidents involving children. Two young boys, for example, drowned in the swimming pool on separate occasions. One instance occurred when the boy’s mother dropped him off for a day of swimming. His body was found floating in the pool later. The other account was that of an 11-year-old drowning after his arm got stuck in a drain. There was also a report of a three-year-old girl being crushed by a lift, and another having been run over by a reversing truck delivering concessions while she was riding the swings.
All in all, the deaths that occurred here all took place between 1926 and 1966, the 62-year tenure in which the park operated. The accidental deaths did not impact the eventual decision to close operations, however. The final nail in the coffin came via a failed health inspection back in 1967.
Futile Future Endeavors
The park sat dormant for nearly two decades. Then, in 1985, a former employee named Gaylord White purchased the existing land with intentions to reopen operations. But this was also around the time that onsite archeological excavations revealed the pre-existing past tragedies of the pioneering days. While the park did reopen for a time in 1987, it had to close again in 1988 due to increasing insurance rates.
In the end, Lake Shawnee never got to experience a second wind as an amusement park. Nevertheless, it did, however, discover a morbid new stint as an area attraction in altered form. It has since become a popular destination for paranormal investigators and ghost hunters alike, offering tours, overnight stays, and special ticketed Dark Carnival events. Click here to learn more about those or to book tickets for current offerings in light of the Halloween season.
Enthusiasts of the eerie and countless seekers of the uncanny have reported myriad macabre encounters here, including hearing children’s laughter and even unexplained sightings. You’ll find no shortage of recorded footage in support of such claims, either. Whether the influential legends of the land’s storied past play a suggestive role or these anomalous amusements are self-sustaining remains inconclusive and open to interpretation. Whatever you believe or disbelieve, the fact remains that Lake Shawnee Amusement Park is a premium place to get into the Halloween spirit.