Lake Shawnee Amusement Park

The Lake Shawnee Amusement Park is a defunct amusement park in Princeton, West Virginia, United States, located along Lake Shawnee. Opened in 1926, the park operated for 62 years before closing in 1988.[1][2] It received public attention for urban legends regarding the park being haunted due to accidental deaths supposedly caused by "cursed land".[3]

Lake Shawnee Amusement Park
Amusement park in 2013
LocationPrinceton, West Virginia, U.S.
Coordinates37.406050°N 81.142372°W / 37.406050; -81.142372
StatusDefunct
Opened1926
Closed1988

History

The land on which the amusement park was built was the site of a massacre after landowner Mitchell Clay's children were targeted by Native Americans in 1785. Two of the children had been killed while a third was captured and taken to Chillicothe and burned at the stake. Clay sought revenge, and with the help of other landowners, he murdered several Native Americans. [4][2][5]

In 1926, an entrepreneur named C.T. Snidow purchased the land and began developing an amusement park for the people of Mercer County, West Virginia. The park, which featured a ferris wheel and a swing ride, was popular among locals in the county, particularly families of coal miners who resided in the area. It also featured a swimming pool, race track, concession stands, dance hall, and cabins for overnight stays. Two drowning deaths were reported during Snidow's ownership, as well as the death of a young girl on the swing ride in 1966.[5] The park was closed in 1967 because of a failed health inspection.[2]

In 1985, Gaylord White, a former employee who had worked at the park, purchased the land and reopened the amusement park in the summer of 1987. After three years, increasing insurance rates forced the park to close in 1988. White sought other uses for the park, such as fishing tournaments and off-road motosports. While working on a tract of land in the early 1990s, White's crews uncovered numerous Native American artifacts on the property that had been buried prior to the arrival of Anglo-European settlers. Archeologists from Marshall University spent several years uncovering artifacts and graves, and a total of thirteen Native American skeletons were uncovered, mostly of elderly people and young children. Shortly after, White began hosting Halloween week guided paranormal tours of the property.[5]

In the media

Television

Due to these local legends, the park was featured on the television series Scariest Places on Earth in 2002 which aired on ABC Family.[6]

The abandoned Lake Shawnee Amusement Park was also showcased on the part 5 episode of Most Terrifying Places in America which aired on the Travel Channel in 2010.

In 2010, Everyday Paranormal featured Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in Season 2 of Discovery Channel's Ghost Lab.

In 2019, Lake Shawnee Amusement Park was also featured in a haunted locations on the paranormal TV series, Most Terrifying Places which aired on Travel Channel.[7]

The park was also featured on the paranormal TV series, The UnXplained which aired on History Channel in 2019.

The park was featured in a 2021 episode of Portals to Hell with Jack Osbourne.

In 2023 the park was featured on Alone Paranormal Edition created by OmarGoshTV on Youtube.

References
  1. "Lake Shawnee Is Closed By Health Department". Beckley Post-Herald. 10 July 1967. p. 6.
  2. Pitts, Phillip. West Virginia Antiquities Commission, Oct. 1976, Lake Shawnee.
  3. Kuruvilla, Carol (October 26, 2013). "Abandoned West Virginia amusement park has a bloody history". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  4. Donnelly, Shirley (3 November 1972). "Lake Shawnee Massacre is Detailed". Beckley Post-Herald. p. 4.
  5. James, Michelle (October 25, 2015). "The Haunted History of Lake Shawnee". The Register-Herald. Beckley, West Virginia. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019.
  6. "Urban Legends 2". Scariest Places on Earth. Season 3. Episode 8. October 23, 2002. ABC Family.
  7. "Shadow Factory".

Sources


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