The Unsettling Story Of An Amusement Park

In the 1700s, the Draper family lived on acres of land that would be known as Lake Shawnee Amusement Park. The Drapers were a Native American family, living off the ground and enjoying the fruits of their labor.

They were distraught when a white, European family, the Clays, moved onto their land. From the start, the two families fought about nearly everything. Neither side wanted to give an inch or negotiate a truce.

William Clay went out hunting one day, and the Draper’s ratcheted up the rivalry. They abducted the eldest son and sent him to an area that would be modern-day Ohio. The child was burned at the stake while one of his siblings watched. Soon after, the second child suffered the same fate. A third child was murdered in front of the Clay matriarch.

The Clay family patriarch was livid. After he was informed of what happened, he began murdering the Native Americans who slaughtered his family. He enlisted help from other European settlers to settle the score and reclaim the bodies of his kids.

All three children were buried on the property. The two families never made peace with one each other. However, historical records indicate that the Clays eventually moved further away while being able to visit the graves of the ones killed by their rivals.

Amusement Park Of Horrors

With time, ownership of the land changed hands several times. Conley T. Snidow bought the land in 1926. The entrepreneur decided to turn the land into an amusement park. He figured that the people of Mercer County, West Virginia, would flock to the newly opened grounds.

Snidow and his employees built a swing set, Ferris wheel and turned the lake into a swimming pool. Knowing that was not enough, the company man also had a dance hall, concession stand, race tracks, and cabins built.

Lake Shawnee was set to be the centerpiece of his portfolio.

That was not to be, however. Tragedy unexpectedly struck the park. A little girl was on the swings, enjoying herself when a delivery truck came into the park. The driver lost control of the vehicle and backed into the swing set, killing the child.

Rather than closing the park and making sure that it was safe, Snidow kept the park open and insisted that it was a freak accident. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, attendance at the park was down. However, they weathered the storm, and it continued to be highly profitable.

It would continue to be so for another few years.

Until a six-year-old boy became trapped in the pool drain and drowned. The community uproar was loud and constant; Lake Shawnee Amusement Park was not safe. Snidow tried to calm the controversy, to no avail.

To silence the heated debates about the park’s safety, Snidow had the pool filled to prevent any further deaths. However, six more people died on the Ferris wheel and the swings.

Lake Shawnee Amusement Park shut down for good in 1966.

New Life At The Lake

For nearly 20 years, the amusement park was left to rot until 1985, when Gaylord White bought the lot. White was a former employee of Lake Shawnee and wanted to bring it back for the families looking for something to do.

He succeeded briefly. The park reopened in 1987 after a few repairs and updates were made to the rides. However, during an archeological dig, it was discovered that the park was built upon an Indian burial ground. Excavators also found several Native American artifacts on the grounds. White decided to shut down the park and honor those buried there.

After the second closure, plans were announced for a Native American Museum on the grounds. Those in charge have not moved to make it happen, though the county insists the idea is still in the works.

While that is sorted out, paranormal tours are given around Halloween time. Visitors claim that they have seen the little girl killed in the freak car accident on the swing sets. They also report hearing the little boy crying as he drowned.

Other odd occurrences are said to have happened on the property.

The Park In Pop Culture

Along with the tours, many paranormal TV and web shows have been filmed on the grounds. Each one filmed there and reported something odd happening. Most of the events revolved around seeing the ghosts of people who died in the park.

One encounter was much different, though. A crew member of one show went into an old toll booth. The door shut behind him and trapped him inside. The video showed that there was no lock on the door and that the man was genuinely trapped.

Other footage showed music coming from the dancehall. It happened despite there not being any electricity to the building. The cast and crew of that show went into the structure, looking for where the sounds came from. They didn’t find anything.

Adding to the bizarre nature of the park, some people have reported seeing the Ferris wheel move. Tangled and broken leaves from the outgrowth of plants seem to bolster the accuracy of the story. Multiple YouTube videos claim to show ghosts sitting in the buckets on the ride, including a couple that was killed when the ride went haywire.

All of the tragedies that occurred on the grounds can be traced back to the ancient feud between the Drapers and Clays.