West Virginia was built on coal — and when the coal economy collapsed, it left behind some of the most dramatic abandoned infrastructure in America. A WWII ammunition bunker complex linked to the Mothman legend. An 1870s resort hotel left structurally unstable by fire. A 1920s amusement park closed after children died on its rides. Coal tipples and company towns in the New River Gorge. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in West Virginia, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why West Virginia Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
West Virginia's entire economic history is an urbex story — a state built almost entirely on coal, with company towns, railroads and infrastructure developed at extraordinary speed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, then abandoned just as rapidly as the seams ran out and the industry contracted. The New River Gorge alone contains enough abandoned coal town infrastructure for a week of exploration; the surrounding landscape adds resort ruins, WWII bunkers and Civil War sites.
1. Lake Shawnee Amusement Park – 1926 Fairground Closed 1966 After Children Died on the Rides, Rusting Ferris Wheel Still Standing (Known Location)
Built in 1926 on land with a dark history — a 1783 Native American attack killed the Mitchell family on this same ground — Lake Shawnee Amusement Park drew families from across southern West Virginia for four decades with its Ferris wheel, swings, swimming pond and carnival rides. After a series of accidents killed children on the rides, the park closed in 1966 and was abandoned. The original Ferris wheel still stands above the overgrown grounds, its steel frame rusting against the West Virginia sky, the swing ride seats still hanging from their chains and the swimming pond now a murky, reed-choked pool. One of the most haunting and historically layered abandoned amusement parks in America — a site where violence predates the park itself by 150 years.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Lake Shawnee Amusement Park
2. TNT Area WWII Ammunition Bunkers – 1942 Igloos Built to Store Navy Explosives, Linked to the Mothman Sightings of 1966-1967 (Known Location)
Built in 1942 by the US government to manufacture and store TNT and other naval explosives, the Point Pleasant "TNT Area" — officially the West Virginia Ordnance Works — covered 8,000 acres of Mason County with 100+ igloo-shaped concrete ammunition storage bunkers. After the war it was decommissioned and abandoned. In 1966-1967, the wooded, spooky bunker complex became ground zero for the Mothman sightings — a winged humanoid creature seen by dozens of Point Pleasant residents, culminating in the Silver Bridge collapse in December 1967 that killed 46 people. The concrete bunkers still stand in the forest, their heavy steel doors intact, the surrounding woodland and ponds creating one of the most atmospheric abandoned military sites in the American East. The Mothman association makes this one of the most-searched abandoned places in West Virginia.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. Sweet Springs Resort – 1792 Mineral Spring Hotel in Grand Georgian Style, Abandoned Since the 1990s, Monroe County (Exclusively on Our Map)
Originally built in 1792 and rebuilt in grand Georgian Revival style in 1833, Sweet Springs Resort was one of Virginia's most celebrated antebellum mineral spring destinations — visited by Presidents John Tyler and Martin Van Buren at its peak. After the Civil War it passed through various owners, serving as a hospital, then a college, then a nursing home before finally being abandoned in the 1990s. The 1833 building — designed by Thomas Jefferson's architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe — still stands in Monroe County, its grand colonnaded facade deteriorating but structurally intact, one of the oldest surviving resort buildings in West Virginia. One of the best abandoned places in West Virginia for antebellum architecture. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. Nuttalburg Coal Town – 1870s Company Town with Headhouse and Conveyor Still Standing, New River Gorge (Exclusively on Our Map)
One of the most intact surviving coal company towns in the New River Gorge — Nuttalburg's 1870s origins make it one of the oldest mining communities in West Virginia, and the surviving headhouse, conveyor structure and company town buildings make it one of the most visually complete. The Nuttall family developed the site specifically for coking coal production; the coke ovens, mine infrastructure and workers' housing sites are all still traceable on the hillside above the New River. One of the best abandoned places in West Virginia for coal history in a dramatic gorge setting. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Hilltop House Hotel – 1888 Victorian Hotel Above Harpers Ferry, Structurally Unstable After Fire, Jefferson County (Exclusively on Our Map)
Built in 1888 on a bluff above Harpers Ferry with panoramic views of the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers, the Hilltop House Hotel hosted Mark Twain, Woodrow Wilson and Pearl Bailey across its century of operation. A fire left the structure unstable and the hotel closed permanently, leaving the Victorian shell standing above one of the most historically significant sites in Civil War America — the town where John Brown's 1859 raid on the federal arsenal helped trigger the war. The combination of Victorian hotel ruins, Civil War history and river gorge panorama makes this one of the most visually dramatic abandoned places in West Virginia. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in West Virginia
- Mine shafts: the New River Gorge and surrounding coalfields contain open mine shafts and unstable tunnels — never approach mine entrances or unfenced holes in the ground
- Structural instability: West Virginia's abandoned buildings have been exposed to high humidity and freeze-thaw cycles — always test floors before committing weight and avoid structures with visible roof collapse
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and let someone know your location
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Places in West Virginia
What is the most famous abandoned place in West Virginia?
Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in Princeton — a 1926 fairground closed in 1966 after children died on the rides, with the original Ferris wheel still standing over the overgrown grounds. Built on land where a 1783 Native American attack killed a settler family, the site carries layers of violent history that predate the park itself by 150 years.
What is the TNT Area and its connection to the Mothman?
The West Virginia Ordnance Works — a WWII naval explosives facility near Point Pleasant with 100+ concrete ammunition bunkers — was decommissioned and abandoned after the war. In 1966-1967, the spooky wooded bunker complex became the primary sighting location of the Mothman, a winged cryptid reported by dozens of local residents. The sightings ended with the collapse of the Silver Bridge in December 1967.
Why does West Virginia have so many abandoned places?
West Virginia's economy was built almost entirely on coal mining from the 1870s onward. The industry's rapid expansion created complete towns, railroads and infrastructure in remote mountain hollows; when mines played out or became uneconomical, the communities that depended on them emptied just as quickly. This pattern repeated across the state for over a century, leaving behind an extraordinary concentration of abandoned industrial and residential sites.
🎯 Summary
West Virginia's abandoned buildings carry the full weight of the state's boom-and-bust coal economy, bookended by antebellum resort ruins from before the Civil War and WWII bunkers linked to one of America's most enduring cryptid legends. Each of these 5 abandoned places in West Virginia captures a different layer of a state shaped entirely by the mountains, the coal beneath them and the communities that rose and fell with each seam.
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