The Shawnee have a name for their dead. They call them Asanwaa which means ‘Gone Home’.

There is a place in southern West Virginia, where the souls of many are said to linger on. They have not found their home in the afterlife. Sandwiched between Princeton and Spanishburg is a spot that has had a longtime reputation of being haunted.

Passer bys can see an old rusty ferris wheel sticking out of a grown-up landscape like an ancient metal monument of a bygone era. They can barely make out amusement rides and rickety wooden seat swings from the junction of US 19 and WV 10. Some people keep on driving by…but a few others cannot resist the temptation to stop and have a quick look around.

Lake Shawnee Amusement Park was a draw for thousands of people from its start in 1926. It was bought by current owner Mr. White in 1985 as a defunct  property. The current owner thought that a few house sites would be a nice income but was surprised to find Indian graves and artifacts in the ground as it was excavated. It’s speculated that around 3000 graves may be scattered across the property so a housing development was out of the question. The owner decided to re open as a small amusement park which offered about 30 rides.

Three years later, the park closed and when it did, stories started emanating around the paranormal. When ABC’s Scariest Places on Earth” filmed a segment here in 2005, the word was out and people flocked from all over to explore, snap photographs and see if the dead still lingered among the rusting rides. During the production of the show, some of the crew refused to venture into the park at night. Other visitor’s have spoken of unexplained feelings and seeing shadows that flitted around in the fading light. To make matters even more eerie, the story of a small girl dying in the 1950s gave grounding to some of the ghostly sightings. The child was on the swing ride and was the victim of deaths cruel hand when a soft drink truck backed into the ride while she was on it. The current owner says that he “saw” the girl and others have sworn they have glimpsed her as well.

Even before it ever became an entertainment place for young children, it was home to at least 2 Indian settlement sites.  The Indians lived on this land for some time before abandoning it. The first European settler, Mitchell Clay arrived on the same land in 1775. (200 years after the Indians) It was a place of death long before C.T. Snidow opened the amusement park in 1926 and operated it until 1966.

The story goes that in 1783, while the local men were away hunting, Indians rode down from the ridge. They killed and attempted to scalp one of the boys. Little Tabitha Clay was trying to defend the body of her dead brother and prevent the Indians from scalping her brother and in this struggle; Tabitha was cut to pieces by the Indian with a butcher knife. The younger girls made it to the house safely. There is a monument to the children at the site and many have wondered if this tragedy is the basis for the paranormal activity that some experience.

What is said to happen at Lake Shawnee is that you hear unexplained noises (mostly creaking and doors slamming) also you see things that you can’t explain. Some have said to have seen the swings move on their own, while others have seen orbs on or around the swings. Throughout this small park you get the feeling that something doesn’t want you there.

The activity doesn’t scare everyone away though. GHOST LAB filmed an episode for their TV show in 2010. If interested in taking a look around, be aware that this is private property and you’ll need permission to explore. You can try calling the owner, Mr. White, at 304-425-5716 for more information…if the spirit moves you.

    Sherri Brake is a paranormal investigator and published author. Visit  www.HauntedHistory.net.