Happy Independence Day from the Haunted Lake Shawnee

Lake Shawnee Amusement Park Photo by Theresa

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY FROM THERESA’S HAUNTED HISTORY!

Although it is known today as one of the most infamous haunted places in the country, at one point, the former Lake Shawnee Amusement Park was the hottest vacation spot in southern West Virginia. Between 1926 and 1966, visitors came from all over southern West Virginia and parts of Virginia to experience dancing, swimming, amusement rides, and plenty of lake activities. The Fourth of July holiday was a HUGE deal at Lake Shawnee, often featuring 24+ hour celebrations. 

I thought I’d do something a little different with today’s blog and share some of the newspaper advertisements from the park’s heyday, along with a few other anecdotes found in the local papers! Please enjoy this sneak peek back in time. 

Bluefield Daily Telegraph 3 July 1928

In 1928, the town of Princeton decided to hold its annual Independence Day celebration on-site at Lake Shawnee, where FREE admission was being offered to all. The swimming pool was cleaned and chlorinated, ready for the influx in visitors, and the local Boy Scouts were put on parking duty. Baseball games, horse riding, drag races, and airplane rides were all part of the festivities. 

Bluefield Daily Telegraph 3 July 1931

This first advertisement is from 1931. For $2, one could dance from 10pm to 5am. Even by today’s standards, that’s pretty wild. Those are rave hours. And I’m not even going to speculate on the park hours listed for the actual Fourth of July. But, in addition to swimming, boating, and dancing, you could also watch the fireworks, enjoy a motorcycle race, and take a scenic airplane ride (Lake Shawnee actually operated a small airstrip on property at the time).

Bluefield Daily Telegraph 3 July 1935

The ad above from the 1935 celebration was followed up on July 5th with a blurb about how the festivities actually went. It unfortunately rained throughout most of the day on the 4th, and when there was no sign of it slowing by 4pm, most of the visitors decided to leave. However, one guy must have been fired up about the disappointing weather, and was arrested for assaulting Lake Shawnee owner, C.T. Snidow. T.A. Mills of nearby Lashmeet was arrested by the state police but was out on bail by 7pm that evening. 

Bluefield Daily Telegraph 5 July 1935

The war years were a little less joyous when it came to Independence Day festivities, understandably. But, as the country entered the more prosperous (and arguably calmer) family-centric 1950s, Lake Shawnee continued its 24 hour Fourth of July celebrations. In 1952, one reveler REALLY got into the spirit. Willard Howard of Pocahontas, Virginia, was arrested for walking around the crowded lake, haphazardly tossing lighted firecrackers at people. Luckily, it doesn’t appear that anyone was hurt. The state police just happened to be there during the incident and Howard was arrested. He was fined $10, plus $5.50 in court costs. 

The Raleigh Register 1 July 1951

Beckley-Post Herald 9 July 1952

And finally, one last Independence Day related news article needs attention. The 1966 season would be the last for Lake Shawnee, and during the week of the Fourth of July, tragedy marred that final holiday celebration. On July 3, 1966 12 year old John Talley drowned in the pool, just one day after his birthday. He was at the park celebrating with family, and when they couldn’t find him at the end of the day, assumed he had left already. But, when they got home and he wasn’t there, they became worried. They went back to the park that evening to look for him. Sadly, he was found at the bottom of the pool. John would become the final victim of the Lake Shawnee swimming pool, following a drowning incident in 1961 and a head injury in 1930. You can read about those incidents in my article Lake Shawnee Swimming Pool Deaths. 

The Charleston Daily Mail 04 July 1966