“USA 🇺🇸 West Virginia ~Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park With a Very Interesting History!”

• December 6, 2024
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

We made this stop as our final stop, mid-October, 2024, while on our Leaf-Peeking Road Trip, after visiting the mysterious Serpent M0und in Ohio, and on the way back home.

 This very interesting stop was originally included in my five-part blog series, from our awesome Leaf-Peeking trip we did, but it took me more time to verify what I could, and respectfully wouldn’t post about; based on what the owner, Chris, had told me.

So, in order to post the rest of the blogs, I eliminated this part from part five, and created a blog for it, separately, to post, when I felt comfortable with the content.

Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park

Some years ago, on a sunset tour of Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park, which was originally built in the 1920’s; the current owner, Chris White began sharing stories of the site’s tragic history that has drawn paranormal enthusiasts, from as far away as London and South America.

The day was young, still, sort of, so we continued on, to our last stop of this trip, as we were heading from Ohio, back down, South, towards North Carolina.

We heard of this Abandoned Amusement Park in West Virginia, but not till we were out of West Virginia, earlier in the trip, and we defiantly wanted to see what that was all about!

When we arrived near the town of Princeton, West Virginia, we drove to another area, close by, but could see no entrance to the Amusement grounds. We stopped at a gas station to fill-up and we asked about the place.

4.5 hours

238 miles 

From the gas station, we found the website and I called. Fortunately for us, we got a response. As it turned out, a tour had just started and a very nice man told us it wasn’t too late to join, since we were so close by, and that’s what we did. We weren’t wanting to spend the night and do a tour the next day, since we were ready to get home, after our fabulous trip.

We got specific directions and an actual address to a farm, nearby, in Rock, West Virginia, where we were told somebody would meet us. We spoke again on the phone, and ended up driving on our own, with great directions, on a good dirt road, through a field. Once we could see the old ferris wheel, we knew we were good! We parked the truck and hustled on over to join the group of three other couples, across the Shawnee Lake.

WOW! Was this place ever interesting! We knew nothing about it, other than it used to be an active park, but closed down; two times in its history. As it would turn out, Chris, the owner, is who we spoke and texted with on the phone, his dad, used to go to this Amusement Park as a kid.

Many years later, his parents bought the property in the 1980’s. Now Chris owns it, and runs it.

After the parents bought the abandoned park in the 1980’s, they eventually would start selling off as many of the rides and amusement park paraphernalia as they could. In the end, only two rides remained, and never sold; the Ferris Wheel, and a Swinging Chair Ride. They are a huge draw, in current day, so definitely meant to be?

Back in the original days of the Amusement Park, at some point, things started to go wrong. Lake Shawnee fans know the facts intimately: a little girl died on the swing ride, when a truck backed into the ride area, accidentally, and a boy drowned in the pond, when his arm got stuck in the filtration system on the bottom. All told, roughly six visitors died during the amusement park’s brief history.

By 1966, the attraction was abandoned for good.

It is no longer a swimming hole or an amusement park, obviously, but since his family bought it many years ago, it was discovered the land has an ancient burial ground, from the native Indians who used to inhabit the area. The family have collected many artifacts and have had excavations done by professionals. This was so special to see the photos.

Chris is mostly interested in the Native American activity and lives that took place there, in the past. The paranormal activity is just there, but he keeps an open mind, and fields the many calls that come in, from those who want to come to the park at night and film with all their fancy equipment; of any paranormal activities.

Once it was discovered there were thousands of buried souls on the land, and this included children, it was decided to cease the digging.

The remains of one particular skeleton was discovered to be a 14 year old Indian girl, who appeared to be buried, while holding an infant. It is believed it was her baby. Out of respect for Chris and his private, photos, I’m not posting the pictures.

Chris truly wants to keep what he has there, more private, and has a strict code about what information makes it the World Wide Web.

Recently, hundreds of sharp-eyed viewers have found a hidden QR code in “Leave the World Behind” that directs them to the Mercer County Convention and Visitor Bureau’s website listing; for the Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park. The people from that movie obviously loved their visit there! I got the impression they wanted to use the property in that movie, but that’s just not how Chris rolls and I respect that. As soon as what he has to share makes the internet, then it could become a joke, or something he would have to defend; as legitimate or not. He wants no part of that, and as long as people are curious, and show up, he is more than happy to share what the property is all about, or used to be all about.

Is this place haunted? We have no idea, but as we listened to the stories, then witnessed the many supporting photos and video evidence, we agreed there is defiantly something going on there!

I did not get a dark feeling from being on the grounds. If it was dark I would have felt it, and left, I do not entertain darkness, but we kept an open mind and really enjoyed this visit.

The Abandoned Amusement Park closed down, two times over the years. The first time, was after there were a couple of drownings in the lake, including a child who went down a slide, flew over the rail, broke his neck and died.

After it re-opened, years later, a delivery truck driver, accidentally backed into the swinging chair-ride area, and a little girl, on one of the swing, crashed into the delivery truck, at a high rate of speed, and was killed. That chair ride is still on the grounds, including the actual swing the girl was on.

It is believed by many, that little girl is a regular visitor there, in current day, along with the children who drowned in the lake. There is interesting evidence to support this.

Chris’ brother used to live in a converted school bus on the grounds, for many years. He died a few years back, but he has been “seen” many times, since his passing, and always on his old bus. The pictures of aparations do look like his brother.

By the way, the pictures and videos we viewed are not all out, publicly, including all the old photos, from when the Amusement Park first opened, and through the many years.  There are pictures of people standing in line to rent wool bathing suits, to go swimming in the Lake Shawnee. That’s how old this place is.

One must actually visit the Abandoned Amusement Park to see all the photos and videos, and hear all the interesting stories. Chris is a great story teller. The only photos we were allowed to take were of the park grounds, as it stands, today. Where did the convincing photos and videos come from? They do not come from Chris. He opens the place up for many functions throughout the year, plus people rent the place from him, for their own functions. People come from all around to join in on whatever occasion is going on, and they spend the nights in tents and in Rv’s, on the property. The photos and videos mostly come from the people who were/are there, spending the nights on the grounds. There are years and years of activity that have gone on. I gotta say, it’s very compelling, indeed.

We enjoyed speaking with Chris, after the tour. He took the time to take us the Indian burial grounds that we missed, by being late. He told us, when I called, he just automatically said come on over and you can join up. He never, ever says this, normally, and he didn’t know why he did with me when I called, until we met, later. Normally, he would have said to  come that evening for the 6PM opening; after dark function. I’m so glad he invited us to come when he did. Beings that it was only a few weeks till Halloween, they had a lot going on for that, and we would not have wanted to partake in any of those kinds of events.

What we got to do was just perfect, and we are so grateful Chris said to come on over! If we are ever in the area, again, we would defiantly go back to say hi to Chris, and maybe even spend the night in the Abandoned Amusement Park field.

This is the actual swing the little girl was on, when a Coke delivery truck driver, backed his truck into the swing ride area 

This tractor has not moved from this location, in the photo, in many, many, years. While it was being operated by Chris’ Brother, Gaylord, (who has since passed away) …he kept hearing a voice saying to stop the tractor, stop the tractor, but there was nobody around. He proceeded, and the voice got louder and more urgent, when all of a sudden, a young child appeared, sitting on his shoulder, which freaked him out. The apparition disappeared, and Gaylord stopped the tractor.

It was discovered, upon inspection of the tractor, soon after he stopped it, a fuel line leak had begun, which could have ended with tragic results. The tractor was never moved, again.

There are two memorials put up by Chris and his family, to honor those who lived on the property, before them.

Conley T. Snidow

The Mitchell Clay Family

Back in the 1800’s, there was an Indian raid, by a group of warriors, against a pioneering family.  The family homesteaded on the grounds, that would eventually become the Amusement Park. 

While the husband was away with his brother, hunting, the Indian Warriors attacked the wife and her, then, eight children. She had to make a very hard decision; to stay and fight for her children, or flee, with her surviving children, after two of her children were killed. She made a wise choice and fled.

When the husband and his brother returned, not long after, they discovered the carnage at the homestead. In a rage, the husband and brother tracked down the raiding warriors to Chillicothe, Ohio (interestingly enough, Chillicothe was where we stayed, at the Sulphur Lick Hotel, the night before). Anyway, the husband and his brother killed the band of Indians, in retaliation for killing his family. The chief of that band gave the father a horse for them to take his child’s remains back to their homestead; the one who had been burned at the stake.

The father had no way of knowing at the time, that his wife had fled and saved the rest of their children from being massacred. They had survived and would eventually reunite and have more children.

After the Amusement Park had closed for the last time, it was discovered the lake had a lot of old bricks in it, lining the shore, under the water. The original owners of Shawnee Lake Amusement Park had gotten the contract to haul bricks away, when the nearby town removed their brick roads and put in pavement. Mr Snidow used the many bricks to stabilize the shore, under the water.

Chris and his family made this memorial to the man, using some of the bricks, for all of his hard work on the property.

An old ticket booth

A place to leave an offering in honor of those who lived on this land

The Shawnee Tribe

After our visit to the super cool Amusement Park, we continued driving towards North Carolina. It was getting dark, so we found a motor motel like we like, called Big Walker Inn; conveniently, just off the interstate, and spent the night.

Here is a link from the owners’ website of the Abandoned Amusement Park; some of what we got to see from visitors experiences on the grounds.

https://www.wvlakeshawnee.com/faq/visitor-stories/

If you are ever in West Virginia, check this place out! 

WEST VIRGINIA