Ghost Town Village

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.

[2](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.)

Coburn had overheard a story of Uncle Dan Carpenter losing his sheep in a large cavern on top of Buck Mountain.

They attempted to find them again but when they got to the general area where he had heard his sheep crying, the land had closed up and no cavern entrance was found.

[2] 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.

It showcased a double incline railway to bring park visitors to the top of Buck Mountain, a journey of more than 3,300 feet.

In 1983, country music stars including Mel Tillis, Reba McEntire and the Statler Brothers performed at the park.

[11] By mid-May 2009, the park's rides had not been inspected and Ghost Town claimed to need a $330,000 loan in order to reopen for the summer on May 22.

Failure to secure the loan would have probably meant the loss of 200 jobs and a $2 million payroll, as well as impacting local businesses who benefited from park visitors.

[9] Ghost Town continued to struggle financially until the end of the 2009 season, when the park closed while the owners dealt with bankruptcy issues amid complaints that employees were not being paid.

Owners of the Smokey Mountain Railroad in Bryson City attempted to purchase the property, but were unable to obtain financing.

[12][13] Shiver announced on a local news program that the park was still slated to open on Memorial Day weekend, but this did not happen.

Federal funding was granted to the park in the amount of $1.3 million for the clean-up of its main access road, Rich Cove, which was buried in the slide.

Ghost Town partners negotiated a separate deal with SunTrust and BB&T which gave them until May 31 to come up with an alternate plan to allow the park to continue operating if funding was obtained.

In April 2011, the bankruptcy administrator recommended dismissing the case, citing the failure of Ghost Town partners to submit a sufficient reorganization plan to pay its debts.

The rebranded park was to feature gunfights, the chairlift, Appalachian themed gift shops, ziplines, a museum, a paintball course, arcade and horseback riding.

[5] As of July 2018, the park was being called Ghost Town Adventures and planned to reopen in fall 2018, after renovation and work on the skylift.

[5] An unaffiliated group attempted to purchase the park, Ghost Town Maggie Valley LLC (some of the members had also worked with Berry), but they failed to get funding as well.

[27] The plan included a Broadway at the Beach style attraction at the base and an RV resort, as well as local businesses to enhance the entire area.

Following her passing, the future of Ghost Town was uncertain as Presley was still the titled owner of the park property at the time of her death.

[30] North Carolina Business Court Judge Adam Conrad dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit by Presley's niece Jill McClure, who inherited 50 percent of Ghost Town.

The heart of the park is the recreated Old West town, complete with two saloons, a schoolhouse, bank, jail and church and various other businesses.

"Indian Village" featured shows about Indigenous life in Old West days, including a deer hunt and a raid on a frontier settlement.

The film, titled Ghost Town: The Movie,[36] was directed by Haywood County native Dean Teaster and technical director Jeff Kennedy.

The film starred Bill McKinney and Herbert Coward, DJ Perry, Renee O'Connor, Terrance Knox, and Princess Lucaj with appearances by Rance Howard and Stella Parton (Dolly's sister).

The movie brought elements of the original gunfight staged plays written by RB Coburn and Hubert Presley from the early 1960 era.

Dean Teaster's desire was to capture some of the original park design by Coburn and Russell Pearson, to keep it forever forged on film.

A marble stone was erected at the base of the mountain after filming as a tribute to the first gunfighter crews and the Hollywood stars that performed there.

There was Robert Bradley, the original "Apache Kid" from the 1960s gunfighter crew who first stepped forward with half of the movie's budget.

Coburn had an avid interest in the life this U.S. Army scout who would later become a notorious renegade active in the borderlands of Arizona and New Mexico.