Latest news with #JillMcClure
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
I inherited a troublesome property in my aunt's will - it led to a bitter dispute but is now worth $6.4million
It's not your typical item to be left in a will from a loved one. Jill McClure inherited a theme park in North Carolina from her aunt Alaska Presley after she died in 2022. Ghost Town Village in Maggie Valley, a town outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, was once a tourist destination, but a tumultuous history had left the rides untouched for 15 years. The park has been riddled with bad luck from rides malfunctioning, being hit by a mudslide, closing down twice and attempting multiple unsuccessful re-openings in the past decade. After being locked in a legal battle for more than two years McClure has revealed that the park, that was recently appraised for $6.4million, finally has an interested buyer who plans to revitalize Ghost Town. McClure hasn't revealed the buyer's identity but said they were based in Florida and wanted to keep the western family-friendly theme of the park. 'It will be a totally different venue. They love country music, rodeos, convention-type events, festivals,' McClure told local ABC affiliate, WLOS. 'It's my intention to sell the park for something for entertainment that will help Maggie Valley's tourism industry. I don't want to see housing put all over the top of it,' McClure added. She said that the buyer's vision aligns with her late aunt's desire to help merchants and the people of Maggie Valley to make the area a buzzing tourist hub once again. Ghost Town has sat gathering dust for 15 years as the water line deteriorated and the rides were vandalized Sue Heise, who operates a store near the park, told WLOS that the news of a potential buyer was 'wonderful'. 'The tourism has been down. It will bring a lot of revenue into the town. I can't wait to hear the next edition of this,' she added. The community of Maggie Valley rejoiced on social media when news broke that a potential buyer was interested. 'I'm praying for this to happen and for our town Maggie Valley. 'I grew up with going to Ghost Town once a week being a season pass holder and working there a bit,' one comment read on the Ghost Town in the Sky Facebook group. 'I loved it and the waterside also go cart tracks we had. Maggie was thriving and so much wonderful memories which I pray to share with my grandchildren.' 'Absolutely loved that place and would really like to see it open again,' a second agreed. 'It's a great idea, everybody misses it just like it was no changes needed,' another added. Dismal history The park was fittingly named for its abandonment in recent years. Ghost Town has a long history of unfortunate events dating back to its inception in 1960, when Virginia businessman R.B. Coburn purchased Buck Mountain as the location of the park. It took $1million to construct the theme park, and Ghost Town became a fixture of the community throughout the '60s. However, the glory days of the North Carolina amusement park were short-lived as Ghost Town soon generated a reputation for being poorly maintained and operated. In 2002, the chairlift to the top of the mountain malfunctioned, leaving passengers stranded for hours in the rain. The failure was the last straw for Coburn, who decided to sell it later that year. The park rotted for years and filed for bankruptcy in 2009. The park's owner attempted to secure loans to reopen without any luck, until an anonymous donor put up the money. After years of abandonment, the park was a 'ghost town' no longer, and the public piled back onto Buck Mountain for the grand reopening. Unfortunately, the park's bad luck didn't end there as just one year later, the property's retaining walls gave way, resulting in a massive mudslide. A month after the shocking disaster, Ghost Town foreclosed and shuttered its doors once again. Presley bought the property in 2012 for $1.5million, but issues with the park's water line and years of neglect delayed. Then in 2014 water line problems prevented the park's opening, the Asheville Citizen Times reported at the time. Presley then placed the property into a limited liability corporation, Ghost Town in the Sky, and worked with the company to reopen the park. She died two years later and never got to see the reopening of the park. Frankie Wood was named managing member of Ghost Town in the Sky LLC, and McClure took over her aunt's share, The Mountaineer reported at the time. Legal woes Wood and McClure entered into a years-long legal battle over how the property's assets should be distributed. McClure's attorney alleged in a motion for summary judgment that Wood, 'member sits at the helm of the company like a parasite waiting for it to deteriorate further and further while he bears no risk'. Her attorney argued that McClure has been paying a bulk of the property taxes while receiving no income from the park for years Wood then died in 2024 after a construction accident, but his attorney, Russell McLean, told The Mountaineer, that the two had already 'buried the hatchet'. 'He said he realized the land deeded into the LLC is mine,' McClure told the publication. 'He never put any money into the LLC and in his deposition, he said he had no investors or prospective buyers. He asked me if I had prospective buyers, and I said people had expressed interest, but had no buyers.' After a long history of enthusiastic efforts, Ghost Town may finally once again see the light of day.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ghost Town in the Sky could see a revival: What to know about potential sale
A wild-west themed amusement park in Maggie Valley may see a revival, according to the National Amusement Park Historical Association. Regional travel guide website Blue Ridge Mountain Life noted that some refer to Ghost Town Village, formerly known as Ghost Town in the Sky, as a "cursed amusement park." The gloomy title refers to the many failed attempts to reopen the park, which was once a popular attraction but has not been open since 2009. The NAPHA made a Facebook post on May 9, stating that a potential buyer from Florida expressed interest in buying the defunct amusement park. The same post said that current owner Jill McClure, who inherited the property, aims to sell it for entertainment purposes rather than to a buyer who will use it for housing. The buyer envisions "a venue featuring country music, rodeos, and festivals, aiming to keep the park family-friendly." So far, the NAPHA has mentioned only preliminary consideration of purchasing the park from the potential Florida buyer. However, current owner McClure has clarified that she hopes to sell the park, regardless, for entertainment purposes. Blue Ridge Mountain Life co-owner Larry Deane explained in a post on the website that the reasons behind Ghost Town Village's initial closure were "extensive." "Over the many years, the park just slowly ran into disrepair, having some significant infrastructure issues like water, power, sewage," Deane wrote. "After all, providing those services on the top of a mountain for an amusement park isn't easy." Deane also cited the decline in popularity of the "wild west" theme in as a reason why Ghost Town Village was closed. As the abandoned park is private property, it is unlawful to enter the area without permission. "It is illegal to enter the property, and you will be charged with trespassing per our conversation with local authorities," Deane wrote. More: Mother's Day tariff trouble: Flower costs rising. See Western NC grower options Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@ This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Ghost Town in the Sky, Ghost Town Village may attract new owner
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ghost Town in the Sky could see a revival: What to know about potential sale
A wild-west themed amusement park in Maggie Valley may see a revival, according to the National Amusement Park Historical Association. Regional travel guide website Blue Ridge Mountain Life noted that some refer to Ghost Town Village, formerly known as Ghost Town in the Sky, as a "cursed amusement park." The gloomy title refers to the many failed attempts to reopen the park, which was once a popular attraction but has not been open since 2009. The NAPHA made a Facebook post on May 9, stating that a potential buyer from Florida expressed interest in buying the defunct amusement park. The same post said that current owner Jill McClure, who inherited the property, aims to sell it for entertainment purposes rather than to a buyer who will use it for housing. The buyer envisions "a venue featuring country music, rodeos, and festivals, aiming to keep the park family-friendly." So far, the NAPHA has mentioned only preliminary consideration of purchasing the park from the potential Florida buyer. However, current owner McClure has clarified that she hopes to sell the park, regardless, for entertainment purposes. Blue Ridge Mountain Life co-owner Larry Deane explained in a post on the website that the reasons behind Ghost Town Village's initial closure were "extensive." "Over the many years, the park just slowly ran into disrepair, having some significant infrastructure issues like water, power, sewage," Deane wrote. "After all, providing those services on the top of a mountain for an amusement park isn't easy." Deane also cited the decline in popularity of the "wild west" theme in as a reason why Ghost Town Village was closed. As the abandoned park is private property, it is unlawful to enter the area without permission. "It is illegal to enter the property, and you will be charged with trespassing per our conversation with local authorities," Deane wrote. More: Mother's Day tariff trouble: Flower costs rising. See Western NC grower options Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@ This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Ghost Town in the Sky, Ghost Town Village may attract new owner
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ghost Town courting a buyer
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways May 7—MAGGIE VALLEY — There is a potential buyer for property on Buck Mountain, which was once home to Ghost Town in the Sky. Owner Jill McClure said a deal looks promising, though there is no contract in place. McClure inherited Ghost Town from her late aunt Alaska Presley, who had rescued Ghost Town from foreclosure but died before realizing her vision to reopen it. McClure was unable to provide specifics about the possible buyer, the sale details or the future use of the property other than to say it is being eyed for entertainment and a park. McClure first met the family interested in purchasing the nearly 200 acres of mountain property that put Maggie Valley on the map as a result of relief efforts from Helene. McClure said the man came to Haywood last fall to deliver hurricane relief supplies and asked Teresa Smith with the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce about the property after seeing the sign in the abandoned parking lot. Smith put the two in contact. "I called, and he called me right back," McClure said. "He had his family with him, and they got it into their heads they would love to do this. He's smart, a hard worker and someone I can talk to." There were plans to reach a deal last winter, but McClure said the potential buyer had some red tape to wrap up in his home county waiting for a property sale to close. That sale took longer than expected, she said. She is hopeful to hear something in the next several weeks. McClure is also hopeful people will be glad to once again have a booming business on Buck Mountain. When Ghost Town first opened in 1961, the western theme park featured an incline railroad and an overhead lift to bring visitors up the mile-high mountain, gunfights on the hour, an old-time honky-tonk saloon with a piano player, can-can dancers and plenty of sarsaparilla. Ghost Town owner and founder R.B. Coburn brought in many of the popular stars of the day to entertain, including actors from shows such as "Bonanza," "Lassie," "Wagon Train" and musicians such as Reba McEntire, Mel Tillis and the Statler Brothers. The town drew thousands of tourists annually, as well as other businesses to help support the visitors who needed places to stay and eat during their visit. McClure expects there will be mixed feelings in the community if a renewed mountain entertainment park would open. "There are some residents who still want a sleepy little town and don't want a lot of traffic," she said. "But this town was founded to help tourism. That's why it was organized in 1974 to put in sidewalks, streetlights and offer alcohol sales. At the mini truck event last week, it was exciting to see so many people in Maggie." She estimated the crowd at 750 and said the main road through town looked a bit like the Rod Run in Pigeon Ford.
