When the park opened in the 1920s, its owner knew nothing of its bloody past.

In West Virginia, the eerie Lake Shawnee Amusement Park has been abandoned for decades. While it is common for amusement parks to come and go, Lake Shawnee Amusement Park has a deeper darker tale. In the 18th century, the Clay family owned the land. In the 1920s, a man named Conley T. Snidow purchased it from them and turned it into an amusement park. It soon became a popular attraction for coal mining families in the area.

Snidow was unaware that not only was the park built on Native American burial ground, but it was also the site of the Clay family children massacre. The amusement park grew popular and drew crowds all until a mysterious death took place. A mother sent her son to the park in the morning and returned by evening to pick him up. Upon coming back, she could not find him anywhere. Eventually, his body was found in the swimming pool. He had been drowned.

The pool was drained and filled with sand soon after. But, this was not the last death to take place. Not long after, a delivery truck killed a young girl as it backed up into the contraption. Soon a reputation for mysterious deaths surrounded the park. In 1966, it was shut down. The abandoned park lay deserted and forgotten.

Years later in 1985, a man named Gaylord White bought the land once more. He reopened the park and brought back the glory days of fun and amusement. Three years later, it had to be shut once more as the mysterious deaths continued to grow.

Sightings of the young girl who died by the delivery truck were reported. She could be seen walking the grounds in a pink dress, covered in blood. Through the trees, chants of Native Americans could also be heard.

Hence, began the search for the land’s history. It was discovered that the site used to be a large Native American settlement and burial ground which existed far before European settlers. Around 3,000 Native Americans are thought to have been buried on these grounds.

Till today, the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park stands closed and abandoned.