MERCER COUNTY, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Tourism recently announced 14 ghostly locations are set to be featured on a new West Virginia Paranormal Trail. Paranormal hunters can visit each site and redeem prizes along the way including a sticker, a beanie and a paranormal trail print.
“The waterfall trail is the same pattern, we also have the culinary trail. We also use it here at the CVB through the candy cane trail. Anytime you can have a trail to where people can go to different locations and win prizes. It’s just fun and it’s appealing to both visitors and locals,” said Jamie Null, executive director, Mercer County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
One of the ghostly locations featured on the trail is Lake Shawnee. Chris White, the owner of the area says his property has a dark past. That past involves the Mitchell Clay family. They were the first English settlers in Mercer County.
White says Shawnee Indians killed three of Clay’s children. Their deaths earned the name locally as the Clay Family Massacre. The three children were buried on the property.
“Go to the front of the headstone and read it. It says it was put in 1937 and it marks the exact spot Tabitha and Bartley Clay is buried. Ezekiel’s name is not on there. We know Ezekiel is there because history books tell us he’s there,” said White. “If you stand at the front of the headstone and take pictures every once in a while Ezekiel shows up in a photo letting you know where he’s buried at.”
The same area also served as an amusement park, but even set up as a happy place, death reportedly came knocking in that era. White says a young girl hit a soda truck while swinging on the property and a boy drowned in a pond at Lake Shawnee. White claims their apparitions continue to haunt the land.
“According to some of the paranormal investigators he hangs out at the front gate where the clown’s mouth is. They think it’s cute that this kid has took it upon himself to keep this park safe,” said White. “He watches everyone coming and going and he makes sure everything stays safe.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Lake Shawnee and the new West Virginia Paranormal Trail you can visit the trail’s official website here.
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