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 40 years before closing in 1966. It received public attention for at least 2 deaths that occurred on the premises during its operations, which led to urban legends regarding the park being haunted, in an early instance of the Indian burial ground trope.[1] There were a total of 6 deaths.

Lake Shawnee Amusement Park
Amusement park in 2013
LocationPrinceton, West Virginia, U.S.
Coordinates37.406050°N 81.142372°W / 37.406050; -81.142372
Opened1926
Closed1966
StatusClosed

History

The land on which the amusement park was built was the site of a massacre over a land dispute in the mid-1700s[2] between the Clay and Draper families.[2] According to writer Rosemary Ellen Guiley, this event has been historically verified.[3]

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.[3] 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.[3] It also featured a swimming pool, race track, concession stands, dance hall, and cabins for overnight stays.[3] In the early-1950s, a young girl on the swing ride was killed when a truck delivering sodas accidentally backed into the ride, striking her.[3] A boy aged nine also drowned in the swimming pool, upon being left at the park by his mother, unattended, and was subsequently sucked down into the drain by his arm. The pool was filled in to prevent further accidents.[3] The park was formally closed in 1966.[3][4]

In 1985, Gaylord White, a former employee who had worked at the park, purchased the land with plans to reopen it,[3] and briefly reopened it in the summer of 1987.[4] However, the park closed after a 1988 archeological dig uncovered numerous Native American artifacts, as well as human remains on the property that had been buried prior to the arrival of Anglo-European settlers.[3] A total of thirteen skeletons were uncovered, mostly of young children.[3] White briefly reopened the park, but it was closed after three years.[3] Since its closure, the park has hosted guided paranormal tours.[3]

In the media

Television

Due to these local legends, the park was featured on the television series Scariest Places on Earth in 2002 where aired on ABC Family.[5]

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 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.[6]

References
  1. Kuruvilla, Carol (October 26, 2013). "Abandoned West Virginia amusement park has a bloody history". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  2. Guiley 2014, p. 220.
  3. Guiley 2014, p. 222.
  4. 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.
  5. "Urban Legends 2". Scariest Places on Earth. Season 3. Episode 8. October 23, 2002. ABC Family.
  6. https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/most-terrifying-places/episodes/shadow-factory

Sources
  • Guiley, Rosemary Ellen (2014). The Big Book of West Virginia Ghost Stories. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-811-71115-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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