The Haunted Amusement Park Revisited Photo Gallery by Karen Stuebing at pbase.com

The Haunted Amusement Park Revisited

I went back to the site in July, 2005. I spoke to the owner about the property. He is convinced that it is haunted by Indians because the white man took their land. He is trying to reopen it to the public by hosting catfish tournaments and other events. He is committed to preserving it's history. He wondered if it was wise to allow public use given the many paranormal happenings he's experienced there.

All I can say is it creeps me out. I have personally had strange things happen while I was there as well. Carrillion bells playing, an owl standing in the roadway in broad daylight which took off over my head, the smell of smoke with no fires around, rustlings in the brush behind me as I walked along and a feeling of being watched.

So two years later...

Please note. This site is privately owned land. You must contact the landowner first to get permission to visit. Link here.

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tstarkey		12-Sep-2013 00:13
Im starting a project on the history of this land and am gonna work with the family to get the story right. Gaylords niece is a cousin of mine and i could use any pics or stories you would like to share. Thanks bottomsupbass@gmail.com

Stephanie Chlebowski		30-Jun-2013 03:15
I visited the park this past week, although I did not experience anything my cousin who accompanied me did right beside the parks Farris wheel at the left side away from the pond. To visit the park tou must contact mr. Gaylord White as this is private property. He gives a very interesting and informational tour.

I LOVE MINDLESS BEHAVIOR		26-Feb-2012 12:54
I have never been there and i want to see pics of the park at night.Someone reaspond back to me and tell me more about your experiences and how most children died on swings and the other rollercosters.:) PEACE

Susan Kennard		05-Nov-2011 23:08
My brother and I just took a trip to see the old amusement park this afternoon. It wasn't hard to find, but it sure was a disappointment to see. A friend of my brother's told him that the owner (Mr. White) was once on his tractor when he saw the ghost of a little girl. He got so scared that he jumped off the tractor and it hasn't moved since. From what I understand, that even was more than 10 years ago. Since my brother was interested to see where this tractor was located on the property, he called Mr. White on his cell phone to ask for permission. Telling him we were already there in his driveway, I actually heard Mr. White yelling over the phone! Although my brother was VERY polite to the man, we both found it extremely rude of him to respond the way he did. If anyone is still at all interested in going to the site, take Route 460 to Princeton WV to Walker Street and head north. Walker turns into Route 19 North. Stay on Route 19 until to a little town called Kegley (blink, and you'll miss it though). Very shortly after Kegley, Route 19 forks with Route 10. The amusement park is located AT THE FORK!!!

brad		30-Oct-2011 23:05
anyone have contact info for the owner? id love to take some pics of my car in there, email me at whyhello20t@gmail.com. i kinda wanna get permission to be there

Guest		22-Oct-2011 16:52
A little girl died on the swing when a soda truck was parked to close and she hit into it until the ride stopped

LynnH		28-Jun-2011 21:25
What an interesting place. I'm fond of hauntings and history!

Bobbie		17-Jun-2011 16:30
I'm watching about the amusement park right now on planet green(channel)

global images		16-Apr-2011 23:54
Keith Does anyone know who I can talk to to gain permision to go on this property and photogrphy the old amusement park? Is the amusement park still there? I would appreciate your help omn this.

guest		27-Jan-2011 08:17
the owner...i dont know what to believe. he mentions preserving the park, opening up to the public, not about money, and did i mention PRESERVING THE PARK??!?!?! anyway, if he want to preserve the park and it's originality...then why did he sell the roller coaster just a few years ago. money??, probably, but if he was want to preserve it...he wouldnt have sold the roller coaster to a buyer(my uncle) so i know its true....i'm looking at what used to be the roller coaster. my uncle and the owner of the park disgust me only because the all mighty dollar overtakes history and history preservation. the place is haunted though......for real, no doubt about the hauntedness.

Misty R		09-Jan-2011 23:02
I would like the information to contact the landowners. Some of my friends and I are starting to try to explain the happenings at these huanted places in our great state. We are between the ages of 15 and 16, but we are very grown up for our age. It would be helpiful thank you

Sharimar & Leina		23-Dec-2010 20:46
- Well We The Episodee Of Thee Death There & It Really freaked Us Out Even though It Scary We Would Like Too Visit That Park : ]

Lori		07-Dec-2010 14:16
watching the ghost lab episode now. i am from WV and never knew this was there. I can't wait to check in to this further. This is fascinating!!

Mitchell Clay		27-Nov-2010 21:29
did anyone die there ...like on the rides?

Dale		27-Nov-2010 14:34
I Hope the owner makes alot of money, what's wrong with that. more power to him! I'm watchin the Ghost Lab episode now.

moutain folk		09-Nov-2010 21:49
I myself believe that people get caught up in the ghost stories and forget that real tragedy did happen there.You need to respect the tragedy the Clay family had to live through while they lived on this land.And yes as a mother of three you better believe I would be back to haunt a place if my child was killed. And then dont forget about the girl falling of the swings.At least that death was not murder.But please people in your ghost hunt remember that the ghost that are there were once real children and have a little compasion for the dead. And for the one person that made the comment dumb hillbillies be glad you made it back from were you came from.Because you dont mess with us mountain folk because you could become another of our ghost stories

Laura		01-Nov-2010 23:29
I lived just up the road from this place as a small child in the 80's & I remember riding both the swings and the ferris wheel! I moved away when I was 7 and returned 13 yrs later.In order to get to my grandmother's (where I once lived) you have to go by this and it was odd 2 me that the rides were still standing all old and grown over and rusted. I never knew why it had closed until late last night when very strangely I turned to the travel channel and immediately recognized the erie pix!Very creepy and I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about it!I am intrigued!It's just creepy to know I rode the same swings a girl was killed on!

Guest		29-Oct-2010 19:54
i want to go see this place so bad i am part shawnee indian

peanut		16-Oct-2010 16:28
i live in wv. never know this place was there. cant wait to check it out.

fub---- shub		21-Jul-2010 14:43
omg....... one time my friend and i went to the admusment park and we were standing beside the lake and we heard something..... we looked back and saw the swings moving.. we looked at eachother and said that it might just be the wind.. there was a bit of wind.. we started to walk then we heard clinking... we started walking back.. and well my friend doesnt know but i can see ghost and everything that happened and i didnt want to tell her that i saw them... while we were driving home i sat really quite she wispered to me and said "i wonder why all that stuff hapened".... i shrugged and said... well staranger things have happened like when me and u were at ur house in the tree fort and it started creeking.... and it tipped.... and during the camp fire we had we heard something in the shed and it wasnt an animal.

Guest		09-Jul-2010 21:26
how do you contact the owner and can you fish there anytime? a.s

kesley		04-Jul-2010 09:19
Okay Now this is a very interesting site with very awesome pictures(: I live right up the road from lake shawnee(: Its kinda scarey hearing about these things,But then again its so cool.

Guest		30-Jun-2010 23:48
Just got home from picking up my son from Kegley, and drove by the park and saw that Ghost Lab is there. Wonder if they'll experience anything? Who knows, anything is possible.

Guest		24-Jun-2010 00:53
Gaylord White is an asshole!!!!! My sister and I went there on a sat evening during the fishing tourney to take pix....we"re both amateur photographers...we didn't know it was private property, since the only sign is on the gate, which is not visible when open..we walked around and took pix for an hour, and THEN GAYlord decided he was upset...he swore at us, threatened us, tried to be very intimidating.....I got great pix though, so that's all that matters to me.....

Donnie Lambert		02-Jun-2010 15:53
This is Donnie Lambert once again with a report frm Lake Shawnee. Soon we'll be having another investigation and this time the team from Ghost Lab is gonna be there! For more information look us up on yahoo or myspace. gaylordsdigitalghosts@yahoo.com or myspace.com/gaylordsdigitalghosts

GREENDAY		27-Feb-2010 15:04
koool THAT WOULD BE AN AWESOME PLACE 2 VISIT SOMEDAY =-)

Guest		12-Nov-2009 01:17
where excatly is lake shawnee admusment parks

Tracy		31-Oct-2009 02:45
I will let everyone know what I find, as I am planning to visit within the next couple of weeks. Interesting stories here!

Vanessa		30-Sep-2009 01:59
is this stuff really real I mean honestly! People perclaim that it is real and others not. Show me proof and I will believe it

Guest		29-Sep-2009 17:03
I went there one time on halloween and i was freaked out. Not because it was halloween just from what i saw and captured on my camera. It freaked me out that I deleted every picture that i took there. Scary place indeed.

Ada		09-Sep-2009 05:49
Will really love to visit there, if there's a chance!

Guest		23-Jul-2009 19:56
no way

Cline		14-May-2009 14:13
A friend and I just visited the park yesterday and had to tresspass to get in of course, but it was worth it. We actually sat on the swings and took pics and in the ticket booth as well. On our way back to the vehicle, there's no doubt to either of us we DEFINATELY DID HEAR CARRILLION BELLS!! Its pretty freaky But absolutely Awesome.

LMK		23-Sep-2008 07:41
I moved into a small house in the mobile home park right beside the park the month that these pics were taken and lived there for about a year. This house was what we believed to be one of the cabins from the motel or hotel that used to be located there. During this time, we had a few experiences. I repeatedly heard scrathcing noises that seemed to come from either the inside of the walls or the roof, which could have just been a rodent, so I'm not sure abour that. My husband however came running into the house one night with a look of terror on his face. He said that he had been chased by two non-human looking cloaked figures from the end of the driveway to the porch. This was by far the most compelling thing to happen during the whole time. A friend of ours reported the refrigerator and bathroom doors repeatedly opening and closing by themselves during the night when he stayed over. The "lake" (and I use that term loosely, it's really a pond and a small one at that) always did have a gloomy look to it, but I think this is more due to the lack of proper upkeep of the property than paranormal presence. Mercer county is not exactly known for it's pleasant weather, and the winters are quite long and quite harsh. Besides that, we had no other experiences. We did have a friend who said that they captured a figure that looked like a woman in a long dress with her put up in a bun standing on the far side of the lake on video. A good SCIENTIFIC investigation would definitely be warranted for this sight. Just wanted to share our experiences.

Guest		29-Sep-2007 21:40
Please, everyone, this haunted Lake Shawnee nonsense has been taken way out of context. I've lived here for all of my 28 years. The way this place was portrayed on World's Scariest Places is an embarrassment to everyone that lives here. This is nothing more than a money making opportunity for the owner of the delapitated park. If you want the real history of this area, go up on the hill across from the lake, which looks down on Lake Shawnee. There is a very large memorial to the Clay family and all the individuals involved with the Indian Attacks. The monumnet is set up almost in a Stonehenge fashion with marble rock outlining a celtic cross. The names of everyone involved, and their stories, are engraved in stone. It is by far a much more dignified way of remembering the victims of the massacre than what is happening now with one of the "world's most scariest places".

JStogdale		20-Aug-2007 17:25
Visited Park on Saturday night, did not know of fishing tourney. It was 4 of us brave enough to go. We walked around and while we were walking the owner drove up. There were probably 100 people fishing but, the owner knew somehow we were there for some other reason...very Erie Feeling , especially at the swing . I wonder if the spirits take a break during the Fishing tourny?

DESIREE		09-Jul-2007 19:30
I JUST WENT THERE FOR THE CATFISH TURNY.MY SISTER INLAW GOSE ALL THE TIME.SHE HAS TOLD ME ABOUT THESE TWO TRAILERS THAT A FAMILY WAS SLAUGHTERD IN AND NO ONE LIVED ,IF THIS IS TRUE WHERE ARE THE PICS OF TRAILERS . I DID NOTICE THAT IT IS ALWAYS COLD THERE AND A REAL HEAVY FOG ROLLS IN ON THE LAKE ABOUT 11:00 PM ,NO WIND WHAT SO EVER,I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE LAKE.

Jennifer		16-Jun-2007 04:55
There was a episode on some reality show where a group of people went here to investigate. It was awesome, lots happened on tape. Does anybody by any chance recall waht that was! Let me know PLEASE!

lindsey		13-May-2007 22:51
lindsey, This place is really haunted i'v been there when they had hauntedhouse at halloween this place is really haunted.It freaks me outand every bodt that goes there

terena and timmy		24-Apr-2007 04:52
Has anyone looked close enough at the pictures above to realize that one of the ferris wheel seats are half-way open in one pics but closed in the other???? Can someone explain that??

joanne		30-Mar-2007 00:21
Where is this park located? I would love to go here to take some photos for a photo class. If anyone else has any ideas about closed amusement parks I would like to hear them :) joanne_gervais@yahoo.com

Brian		20-Mar-2007 19:27
This is very interesting. I bought the old kiddie rollercoaster from this place a few years back. That coaster had sat there along time. Would you believe when my friend cut the power line to this ride that the power was still on? It is really a wonder that he did not get hurt. That was scary and after reading this article makes me really think. I have since sold the coaster but when it was in my backyard I really had some strange sensations. Once I was walking back to the house from the backyard (in the dark) and I had a sensation that something was flying after me and swooped down above me. I have never felt that before and it made me run like a scared kid. I have not had any sensations like that since I sold that thing.

Amy		24-Dec-2006 03:21
If any of you who have been to Shawnee Lake know how to contact the owner, please email me with any information, my husband and I are very curious to go and see this place, Beautiful Pics btw, thanks! Amy, Parkersburg, WV

Michele		04-Nov-2006 05:23
can anyone tell me who the owner of the park is and how to contact him/her? I would greatly appreciate it.

heather		30-Oct-2006 01:58
I have been doing some research on haunted houses and places and this on has caught my attention. If anyone has information on this story please let me know. I have always been into the huantings and ghosts, my brother died when I was 10 and seen his ghost ever sense I have been doing research on hauntings around the US. If you know of any other hauntings besides this one please contact me at johnnys_hot_girl@yahoo.com thank you very much!!!!!

Nick		27-Jun-2006 09:37
Hi my name is Nick. I'm with a local paranormal group here in the New River Valley. We would like to know how we can get in contact of the landowner so we can investigate this location ourselves. Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks you

mathew cole		16-Jun-2006 13:52
Three of my friends and i went to lake shawnee yesterday. after getting a hold of the owner , he came down and told us a few stories about all the people that have died there. then he told us we could look around as long as we were respectful so we entered....then shut the gate behind us. then the owner did a burnout when leaving in his truck and we walked bout 20-30 yards in and i looked behind us and the gate was mysteriously wide open and no one was around and there was no wind and it naturally shuts not opens. second we get to the ticket stand when we look into the lakes and a fish was floating ont the top of the water very slowly wringing back and forth not splashing just kinda rolling over and then it turned over and a lage mass was either eating it or was being eaten then it dissappeared with a small splash. next we walked to the ferris wheel and noticed the eye level seat is six and is marked on 3 sides with 6's next we looked at the old carnival swing and my buddy said "spirits reval yourself" 3 times and we look around to see the 50's era paddle boat rooster-tailing water until we got closer then it stoped. finally as we looked at the monuments to the original owner the cows in the field across the road bolted off like their was an explosion. keep in mind this was all in broad daylight and with 4 witness' there was no one else there after the owner left. now if this place is rigged then they are pretty smart hillbillies cause they dont charge (except for the catfish tourney on sat nights)and there is a spooky aura to the place...must be the 5-10 people that have died there (most kids)all in all i say its worth a trip just to experience being there ps the owner said hes trying to get groups to camp there on full moon nights if anyone has the balls!!!

Dawn		16-May-2006 02:49
I am very interested in this place and would like to know the complete history also I dont understand why that person that said they lived there all their life and its not haunted why are they so upset? maybe they can tell us what really happend there and what didnt since they know everything.

Aaron		30-Apr-2006 13:24
i drove by the amusement park a week ago and then heard that it was haunted.so i asked a friend of mine and he says that the amusement park has been haunted since the 1800s and that the peice of land itself were cursed but wether the plane is haunted or not it still is a pretty cool story to tell

Kendra		20-Jan-2006 00:07
This story amazes me because 19 years ago I visited this amusement park when it was running. We attended a mud sling there and rode all the rides. We went on the farris wheel and we rode on the paddle boats on the lake. Nothing out of the ordinary happened while we were there. It is sad that it has grown up because the pictures I have the lake are beautiful.

Krystal		15-Nov-2005 04:14
I heard that a little girl died on the swings and a boy drowned in the lake. Can someone please confirm this? I would really want to know more on the park's history. I saw the episode of "The Scariest Places On Earth" and Shawnee Amusement Park really facinates me. My search still continues on information. Thank you.

wouldtellyoubutuwouldbemad		11-Nov-2005 02:32
I think all the old people should be quiet. You don't know if its haunted or not. I just think your not brave enough to go there chicken poo!!! Please write back....

Jessica		11-Nov-2005 02:29
Awesome pictures! Visited but too scared to get out of the car! Should open again-would be nice!!!!!

Brandon Alisha		11-Nov-2005 02:26
We have no idea if lake shawnee is haunted or not? Were very curious but were too scared to get out of the car. We will visit again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We might be brave one day. Santa Maria!!!! Beckley West Virginia

Miller		03-Nov-2005 01:25
FairmontI found your site. Enjoyed looking at the wonderful pictures. We hope to come that way and see it for ourselves sometime. I'm sure it was a neat park in it's day but I'm sure there is alot in store for it now too!!! B. Miller - Fairmont

Cheryl Hawkins		01-Nov-2005 20:14
Very Cool! I barely made it home in time to see you on TV last night. I may have missd the first few minutes of your interview. It was great to see you "live" instead of in a photo. Your voice is very nice.

Dan		01-Nov-2005 04:11
This place isn't haunted. It reminds me of an amusement park up in Hudson, NH called "Playworld" It closed in the 80's and was left abandoned, ferris wheel, buildings, rides....the whole park all rusted out. It looked scary, but was it honestly a scary place? No. Of course, it wasn't built on an Indian burial ground either. I'll tell you what. How about a bunch of us volunteer to move that ferris wheel a few hundred yards from the burial ground and with a nice new motor we'll have that baby up and running in no time. Sure, it'll squeak a little, but a few cans of WD40, some good old rag time music in the background. You could just cover the rust with a few coats of red paint and it'll be like new ;)

becky mays		31-Oct-2005 18:31
I have lived nearby lake shawnee all my life, I am 62, have been there many many times , this is a bunch of hog wash about being haunted, I think the owner wants recognition so hhe can make some money, money, money money

Lake Shawnee local		29-Oct-2005 10:18
I have lived within two miles of Lake Shawnee all my life, and as child visited there when it was in it's heydey with the rides functioning and a large swimming pool. I can asssure you the place is not haunted, perhaps the owner is !!! The large lake has been drained to save money on insuring the place,(I hear) and the beauty of the place has gone down hill. Catfish touneys in a lake the size of a small swimming pool. Let's get real, the only "haunts" there are the locals who drank too much beer while trying to catch a non existant cat fish on Saturday nights.

Guest		25-Oct-2005 15:13
does anyone know he name of this park?

Guest		25-Oct-2005 07:54
This place creeps me out. I would never go there at night. I saw Scariest Places on Earth yesterday and I had trouble sleeping afterwards. Anyways, cool pictures. I was very curious about this place and I like the photos.

Gary Winters		13-Aug-2005 15:56
I just stumbled into these galleries, Karen. Amazing pictures, of a very amazing place. I once lived briefly in a building converted to a "house" that had been part of an amusement park 50 years ago -- a "dinosaur" park. All long since abandoned, but I could still find "dinosaur eggs" in abandoned weedy fields (actually, just carved rocks the shape of eggs).

laine82		13-Jul-2005 22:31
Superb gallery Karen.

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