Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park
Located in Mercer County, West Virginia, Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park is one of the most famously cursed and haunted sites in Appalachia. Built in 1926 by entrepreneur Conley T. Snidow on land with a tragic double history—an ancient Native American burial ground and the site of the 1783 Clay family massacre—the park enjoyed several decades as a thriving local summer resort. However, a string of tragic accidental deaths, including a young girl killed on the swing ride and a boy drowned in the swimming pond, led to its permanent abandonment in 1966. Today, rust-encrusted ferris wheels and wooden swing frames stand overgrown in the forest, drawing paranormal investigators from around the world who report hearing disembodied children's laughter, seeing shadow figures, and witnessing swings moving against heavy mountain winds.