Is The Lake Shawnee Amusement Park Haunted?
West Virginia’s Lake Shawnee Amusement Park has quite the sordid past as a Native American burial ground with strange occurrences and brutal deaths, but is it haunted? Lake Shawnee Amusement Park has been the location of bloodshed and allegations of paranormal activity for centuries. In the 1980s, the area was discovered to be a mass grave of Native American children, as well as the location of multiple child fatalities. Visitors to the park have reported feeling the presence of people who died there.
Keep reading for a brief history of the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park as well as some of the most prevalent reports of paranormal activity at the site.
Mitchell Clay and the Native Americans
When Conley Snidow bought the property in the 1920s, he had no idea it had been the site of decades of bloodshed, but to grasp the full history of Lake Shawnee Amusement Park, we have to look back to 1783. Mitchell Clay purchased the 800-acre farm in the late 1700s where he intended to raise his family of 14 children. However, the nearby Native American tribe had other plans when they kidnapped one of the Mitchell boys and burned him at the stake. Naturally, Clay sought revenge by tracking down several members of the tribe and killing them.
Tragedy at the Amusement Park
Fast forward to the 1920s, when Conley Snidow purchased the property with plans for rides and entertainment. A water slide, a speakeasy, a swimming hole, and circular swings were among the attractions of Lake Shawnee Amusement Park. Snidow intended the park to be a place of fun for the entire family, but instead, he got six deaths, including drowning and death on the swings.
The Cursed Land
In the 1980s, Gaylord White set his sights on Lake Shawnee as the perfect spot for new neighborhoods. But as construction crews broke ground, they found loads of Native American skeletons that archeologists believed were there long before the Clay family settled the land. So, does this mean the Clay family was cursed too?
The Haunting of Lake Shawnee Amusement Park
Is Lake Shawnee Amusement Park really haunted? There are many visitors to the site who would swear to it.
The Little Girl on the Swing
The original circular swing set still stands today and many people report interactions with the little girl who died on the attraction. Her swing is identified by a red ribbon, however, she seemed to favor an adjacent swing with an owl decoration hanging down. The owl appears to dance in a breeze only it can feel on a calm day. Surprisingly, the owl will frequently come to a halt, dropping limply as if someone had flipped a switch—or as if a child had dropped it after she had finished playing with it.
The Little Boy Who Drowned In The Lake
Visitors to Lake Shawnee Amusement Park have reported feeling the presence of the boy who drowned in the lake around the front entrance to the park. It is believed that he hangs out there to protect visitors from the dangers he could not protect himself from. A white plastic pinwheel mounted to the side of an old ticket booth near the lake may be his link from his world to the living. The pinwheel, like the owl ornament, moves even when there is no wind, implying that it is controlled by someone we cannot see. There is even video footage of a woman asking the pinwheel to move, as well as controlling its speed. The pinwheel can be seen following the woman’s command, without help from the wind.
Media Attention
Lake Shawnee Amusement Park has been featured on several television shows and specials over the years. Some of these include Scariest Places on Earth on ABC Family (2002), Most Terrifying Places in America on The Travel Channel (2010), and The UnXplained on The History Channel (2019).
Is Lake Shawnee Amusement Park Haunted?
Whether you believe in the supernatural or you are a skeptic, Lake Shawnee Amusement Park has seen its share of violence and death. You can take a tour of the site between Oct 25 and Oct 31 every year. You are required to carry a flashlight on the tour, but be warned…you may not like what you see.
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