People

The people most often named in the park's public history.

R.B. Coburn, founder

Coburn already ran Frontierland in Cherokee and a park in Florida when he opened Ghost Town in 1961. He sold his parks to National Service Industries in the 1970s, bought Ghost Town back in 1986, and ran it through the 2002 season. He brought in well-known entertainers, closed the park after the 2002 chairlift failure, and sold it in 2006.[1][2][3]

Performers

Over the years the park hosted actors from TV shows including Bonanza, Lassie, Laramie and Wagon Train, and musicians such as Reba McEntire, Mel Tillis and the Statler Brothers.[2][3]

The gunfighters

The staged gunfights needed a regular cast. The Mountaineer describes Robert Bradley as a Ghost Town gunfighter since 1962. After he was shot with live ammunition in 2013, the gunfighters walked off the job.[1] We would like to hear from anyone who performed there.

Ghost Town Partners

This group of investors bought the park in 2006 and reopened it in 2007. Lynn Sylvester was managing partner and Steve Shiver was park president during the bankruptcy years. Investor Al Harper, owner of the Smoky Mountain Railroad, offered to buy the park out of bankruptcy in 2009 but could not secure funding.[2][1] Dean Teaster and Hank Woodburn timed the 2007 reopening with the premiere of Teaster's film.[2]

Alaska Presley

A Maggie Valley businesswoman who was involved with the park from its beginning, and who encouraged Coburn to build it, Presley bought it out of foreclosure in 2012 and spent years trying to reopen it. She died on April 4, 2022, at age 98.[1][2][4]

Frankie Wood

A South Carolina developer who became Presley's equal partner in 2020 and managed the company through Coastal Development LLC. He died in the fall of 2024.[5][4]

Jill McClure

Presley's niece inherited her share in 2022 and became the sole owner after Wood's death. She has said she wants the mountain used for entertainment that helps Maggie Valley tourism, not housing.[4][6]

Hugh Morton

The North Carolina photographer documented the park around 1970. His photographs are held by UNC Libraries.[7]