West Virginia has a way of holding onto its ghosts. If you drive deep into Mercer County, past the rolling hills and the quiet stretches of highway, you’ll eventually hit a patch of land that feels heavier than the rest. This is Lake Shawnee. It isn’t just an abandoned amusement park WV locals whisper about; it’s a site where the soil is literally layered with tragedy, prehistoric remains, and rusted iron.
People come here looking for a thrill. They want to see the skeletal remains of the Ferris wheel or the creeping vines strangling the swing ride. But the real story is much messier than a simple ghost story. It’s a mix of 18th-century frontier violence and a 20th-century business dream that turned into a literal nightmare.
The Violent History Before the Rides Arrived
Long before the first ticket was sold, this land was soaked in blood. That’s not hyperlogic; it’s documented history. In 1783, the Mitchell Clay family attempted to settle here, unaware they were on land that served as a seasonal hunting ground and burial site for the Shawnee tribe. The conflict was immediate and horrific.
Two of the Clay children were killed, and a third was captured and burned at the stake. In retaliation, Mitchell Clay and a group of settlers tracked down and killed several Shawnee people. This wasn't just a "bad start." It set a grim tone for the geography that some believe never truly washed away.
Fast forward to the 1920s. An entrepreneur named Conley Snidow bought the property. He didn't see a graveyard or a site of massacre; he saw a business opportunity. He saw a place where coal miners and their families could escape the soot and grime of the mines for a weekend of swimming and carnival games. Honestly, at the time, it probably looked like a brilliant investment.
Why Lake Shawnee Is the Abandoned Amusement Park WV Can't Forget
The park officially opened in 1926. It was a hit. For decades, it was the spot for Friday night dances and summer picnics. But the death toll started climbing in ways that felt statistically improbable for such a small operation.
A young girl was riding the swing set—the same one that still stands today, rusted and creaking in the wind—when a delivery truck backed into the path of the ride. She was killed instantly. Not long after, a boy drowned in the swimming pond. Legend says he got his arm caught in a drain pipe, but regardless of the mechanics, the result was another body added to the land’s tally.
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By 1966, the park closed its gates. It sat rotting for years until Gaylord White, a man who had actually worked at the park as a teenager, bought the land in the mid-80s with the intention of reopening it. But the land had other plans. During early excavations for new attractions, workers started digging up bones. Not just a few—hundreds.
The Archeological Reality
It turns out the park was built directly on top of a massive Native American burial mound. Archeologists from Marshall University eventually surveyed the site and estimated that there could be as many as 3,000 bodies buried beneath the grass.
Think about that.
Every time a child ran across the grass to get a corn dog, they were walking over a prehistoric cemetery. Every time a foundation was poured for a ride, it was disturbing a grave. This isn't just "creepy" for the sake of a Travel Channel special; it’s a genuine archeological tragedy that complicates the "haunted" narrative.
The Visual Decay: What’s Actually Left?
If you visit today, don’t expect a polished museum experience. It’s raw. The Ferris wheel is the crown jewel of the decay. Its baskets are still attached, swaying slightly when the wind catches them, making a metallic whining sound that will make your hair stand up.
The swings are perhaps even more unsettling. They look like giant, spindly spider legs reaching out of the overgrown weeds. Nature is winning here. The wood is soft with rot, and the iron is flaking away in orange scales.
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- The Muddy Pond: The water where the boy drowned is still there, though it's more of a stagnant marsh now.
- The Ticket Booth: A small, crumbling shack that feels like a gateway to a different century.
- The Burial Sites: While you won't see open graves, the heavy feeling of the "mounds" is inescapable.
Debunking the "Cursed" Narrative vs. Cold Hard Facts
Is it cursed? That depends on your worldview. From a business perspective, the park failed because of liability issues and the high cost of maintaining vintage machinery in a remote area. From a spiritual perspective, you have a site where at least six people died during the park's operation, added to the frontier massacre, added to the thousands of ancient burials.
Most "haunted" locations have one tragic event. Lake Shawnee has three distinct eras of death.
Some paranormal investigators claim to hear the "swing girl" laughing or see shadows moving between the trees. Locals are often more pragmatic. They see a piece of their history that’s being swallowed by the forest. But even the most skeptical person usually admits that the atmosphere at Lake Shawnee is... different. It's quiet. Too quiet. Even the birds seem to avoid the center of the fairgrounds.
Navigating the Legalities: Can You Actually Visit?
You can't just hop the fence. Well, you shouldn't. The property is privately owned by the White family, and they are very protective of it—both for safety reasons and to prevent vandalism.
They do, however, run "Dark Carnival" events around Halloween and offer photography tours during the year. This is the only way to see this abandoned amusement park WV has hidden away without getting a trespassing charge. It’s also the safest way. The structures are incredibly unstable. One wrong step on a rotted floorboard or a rusted strut, and you're becoming part of the park's casualty list.
The Economic Impact of "Ruin Tourism"
There is a weird, growing economy around abandoned places. West Virginia has leaned into this. From the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum to the Moundsville Penitentiary, the state has realized that people will pay good money to be scared or to photograph decay.
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Lake Shawnee is part of that circuit. It brings in tourists who then spend money at local gas stations and diners in Princeton or Bluefield. It's a strange afterlife for a park that was meant to provide joy. Now, it provides "dark tourism" revenue.
Actionable Steps for the Urban Explorer
If you’re planning to visit Lake Shawnee or any similar site in the Appalachian region, you need to be smart. This isn't a theme park anymore. It's a hazardous environment.
- Book Ahead: Check the official Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park social media or website. Don't just show up and knock on the door. They have specific windows for visitors.
- Wear Boots: This is marshy, uneven ground. There are snakes, rusty nails, and thick brush. Flip-flops are a disaster waiting to happen.
- Respect the Land: Remember that this is a burial ground. Treat it with the same respect you’d show any other cemetery. Don't take "souvenirs" like pieces of metal or stones.
- Check the Weather: West Virginia rain turns this site into a giant mud pit. If it’s been pouring, the access roads can be tricky, and the site becomes much more dangerous to navigate.
- Bring a Long Lens: If you're a photographer, you'll want to capture the scale of the Ferris wheel against the trees. A wide-angle is great, but a zoom lens lets you see the terrifying details of the rusted mechanisms without having to stand directly under a 50-foot hunk of falling iron.
The Reality of Preservation
There’s a tension here between preservation and decay. Do you fix the rides so they don't fall? Or does fixing them ruin the "abandoned" aesthetic that people pay to see? For now, the owners seem to be letting nature take its course while doing just enough to keep the site accessible for guided groups.
It’s a fragile balance. Eventually, the Ferris wheel will collapse. The swings will fall. The forest will finish what it started in 1966. If you want to see the most iconic abandoned amusement park WV has to offer, you probably shouldn't wait another decade.
The story of Lake Shawnee isn't just about ghosts or rusty metal. It’s a reminder that we are always living on top of history. Sometimes that history is just a little closer to the surface than we’d like to admit.
Next Steps for Your Visit:
- Contact the Owners: Reach out via their official Facebook page "Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park" to verify tour dates.
- Map Your Route: Use Highway 19 (Lilly Highway) outside of Princeton, WV; the park is tucked away but visible from the road if you know where to look.
- Prepare for No Signal: Cell service in this pocket of Mercer County is spotty at best—download your maps for offline use before you leave the main interstate.