If places could speak, Lake Shawnee Amusement Park would have a dark tale to tell. Instead, it sits rusting into the landscape, a derelict monument to happier times. However, there are those who claim the land does speak, whispering its secrets with the haunted voices of lost children and the echoes of ghostly drums.
Conley Snidow opened his park along the shores of Lake Shawnee in 1926 in Princeton, West Virginia. He operated the park until 1966 when it was closed due to a failed health inspection. In its 40-year run, no less than six deaths occurred on the grounds. This was a disturbing trend for the property, which, as history recalls, has a tragic and bloody past.
One hundred fifty years before Snidow raised his iconic Ferris wheel, Mitchell Clay and his family built their home there. In 1775, they were the first settlers in Mercer County, and for a few years, things were peaceful. This changed dramatically in 1783 when Clay expanded his homestead onto land that was sacred to the Shawnee People, on or near a centuries-old burial ground.
His sons, Bartley and Ezekiel Clay were building a new fence when the Shawnee attacked. Bartley was struck by a bullet and killed instantly, while Ezekiel was captured. Tabitha, their younger sister, suffered horrible stab wounds defending the corpse of Bartley and was also killed.
Mitchel Clay was away on a hunting trip at the time. Upon returning, he found the remains of his children. He immediately formed a posse with other settlers and set out after the Shawnee. Clay was unable to overtake the raiding party, and Ezekiel was burned alive by his captors. The posse killed several Shawnee in retaliation, further exacerbating the conflict. Eventually, the property was abandoned, and the surviving family moved to New River, as Phoebe Clay could not bear to stay in the home where her children were killed and buried.
It is unknown if Conley Snidow knew the bloody history of the property. If so, it did not deter him from building an amusement park on it. The park enjoyed some longevity and was popular with the families of the local coal miners, though it was not without incident. One boy went missing, only to be found drowned in a swimming pond. The most infamous death was that of a young girl who was killed on the swing ride. A truck was backing up to turn around when it struck the child. Her death in 1966 was the catalyst that led to the park’s closure for health and safety violations.
It was briefly opened again in 1987 by a former park employee, but this incarnation was short-lived. While expanding the park, the graves of nineteen people, mostly children, were unearthed along with numerous Native American artifacts. Archeologists from Marshall University estimate that there are over three thousand bodies interred on and around the property.
An interesting footnote to the 1987 incarnation of the park involves the swing ride. As many of the original rides and features were removed after the 1966 closure, the new owners sought a swing ride to restore the park to its original state. They located a suitable one in a salvage yard, only to discover when checking the serial numbers that it was, in fact, the original swing ride from Snidow’s installation—the same ride where the young girl died.
Reports of the paranormal are common. Many visitors claim to have observed the ghost of a young girl in a blue dress near the swing ride or wandering the grounds. Others report a single swing moving on its own. Parkgoers frequently hear distant drums, chanting, and tortured howls, often accompanied by feelings of heaviness and dread. It is little wonder that the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park ranks as one of America’s most haunted locations.
Skeptics are welcome to see for themselves, as private tours are available by appointment.
Jason Roberts is a Seattle-based author noted for his acclaimed Western Horror series The Dead Wind Trilogy and other works of cosmic horror infused with historical fiction. His web-based series, Dark Distractions, examines paranormal mysteries, unexplained phenomena, and all things strange.
