Abandoned Places - Ghost Town in the Sky - Maggie Valley, North Carolina

Abandoned Theme Park on Top of a Mountain - Ghost Town in the Sky 2020 - Maggie Valley, North Carolina
For footage of when it was open check out: https://youtu.be/D3J3qskaiYY
Ghost Town Village (formerly "Ghost Town in the Sky at Ghost Mountain Park") is a Wild West-themed amusement park in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, United States that is currently, as of October 2019, under contract for possible sale. It sits atop Buck Mountain, with a top elevation of 4650 ft. Ghost Town is promoted as "North Carolina's mile-high theme park."
Location
The park is located on a ridge extending from Buck Mountain border, an extension of the Cataloochee Divide, to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park's entrance is located on U.S. Highway 19, the main road through the town of Maggie Valley. An unusual aspect of this park is that it is located atop a mountain which originally could only be accessed by visitors via a 3,370-foot-long (1,030 m) chair lift or an inclined funicular railway. Attempts to move visitors to the park by bus proved problematic.[1](At one time visiting the closed park was possible via an abandoned road, but it is a private property and as of October 2019 the new owners have increased security and limited access.) These methods of transport to the park started at the parking area beside Jonathan Creek at an elevation of 3,150 feet (960 m), climbing to the lower level of the park at 4,400 feet (1,300 m), a climb of 1,250 feet (380 m). The recreated "Ghost Town" sits at 4,600 feet (1,400 m), with the highest elevation in the park being about 4,650 feet (1,420 m).

Construction
Ghost Town was the brainchild of R.B. Coburn, a Covington, VA native who moved to Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Originally, it was planned that the park would be placed between the towns of Waynesville, North Carolina and Clyde, North Carolina, but future owner Alaska Pressley suggested the mountain top locale. Local investors provided much of the needed capital for the park in the form of debenture bonds, beginning in 1959. The name of the park was provided by the child of one of the investors.[1] The park was designed by Russell Pearson and constructed for approximately $1 million in 1960, and inspired by Coburn's trips to the western United States. Over two hundred locals help construct the 40 replica buildings that comprised the Western Town, located at the Mountain’s peak. About 120,000 square feet of building were constructed, using 300,000 feet of lumber, 200,000 feet of plywood, and 20,000 pounds of nails.[2]

Opening
The park opened on May 1, 1961 and quickly became one of Western North Carolina's most popular tourist attractions. It showcased a double incline railway to bring park visitors to the top of Buck Mountain, a journey of more than 3,300 feet. The park added a two seat chair lift, which at the time was the longest in North Carolina and the second longest in the USA.[2] At one point, 620,000 people visited Ghost Town each year.[3] This number declined to 340,000 by 2008.[4] It averaged about 500,000 per year, with the chairlift moving 1,200 people per hour.[5] The park was sold in 1973 to National Services for a stock swap, but Coburn bought it back in 1986 and constructed the park's famous Red Devil roller coaster.

Decline
In its later years under Coburn's ownership, the park suffered from mismanagement and a lack of maintenance. The Red Devil, Goldrusher, Sea Dragon, Monster, Mountain Town Swings, Undertaker, Dream Catcher, Casino, Round Up, Lil Devil and Silver Bullet rides were regularly breaking down and rarely opened, causing many visitors to tell others not to go. The chairlift and incline railway also required constant maintenance and repair. Coburn spent thousands of dollars maintaining them.[6]

Closure
On July 16, 2002, the chairlift stopped, stranding passengers for over two hours. With fewer people visiting Ghost Town because of the bad condition of the park, Coburn closed Ghost Town a few days after the chairlift failure and put the park up for sale. The park remained closed and unmaintained for the next four years, leading many to believe that nobody would buy the park because of the bad condition of the rides.

Re-Opening
2007
Ghost Town was sold in August 2006 and reopened on May 25, 2007 after $38 million was spent on renovations and improvements.[7] All of the rides were reopened except the incline railway, the train and the Monster. The opening of the park in May was scheduled closely by Dean Teaster and Hank Woodburn so the motion picture Dean Teaster's Ghost Town, which was filmed in the western town could premiere that same weekend.

2009
In 2009, after more than $11 million had been spent, $6 million of that on the Cliffhanger roller coaster, Ghost Town filed for bankruptcy. The economy and high gas prices the previous year were blamed for the park's problems, but managing partner Lynn Sylvester said reopening was planned for May 15 and the park would continue to operate.[8]