Most of us have fond memories of Rhode Island's Rocky Point Amusement Park which thrived for more than a century. Strolling the midway, taking a thrilling ride on the Corkscrew, and feasting on clams linger as distant recollections for those who visited this shoreline destination before it closed over 20 years ago. The park was a destination where cares were cast aside and fun was purchased with a ticket. However many happy-go-lucky park-goers never realized that a sinister killing had once taken place at this cheerful spot. The tale of the Rocky Point Amusement Park deaths is a chilling story that many have never heard.

Rocky Point Amusement Park which operated from the 1840s until its closing in 1995 was a much-loved destination for family outings. Park-goers young and old would enjoy the rides and then indulge in clam cakes and chowder at the Shore Dinner Hall.

In August of 1893, Maggie Sheffield, a five-year-old girl, was taken to the theme park by her father, Frank. The visit would not end well.

Frank Sheffield, a former school principal, had suffered a head injury in a freak accident around the time of his daughter's birth. To make matters worse, Maggie's mother passed away from complications of birth just a week after the child was born.

Sheffield was clearly unstable and confessed to his doctor on several occasions that he was going to kill his daughter. He was put on cocaine and opium which were legal drugs during the late 1800s.

On that particular day, Frank and Maggie Sheffield had a meal at the Shore Dinner Hall. It was Maggie's final meal.

Afterward, the father walked his daughter away from the dining hall and over a hill toward the shore. At the edge of the bay, Frank Sheffield picked up a rock and smashed it into his young daughter's head, killing her.

The murder was reported in the newspapers at the time but quickly forgotten as Rocky Point Amusement Park gained popularity. The killing of Maggie Sheffield is the only murder ever documented at the theme park.

After the park's closure in the 1990s, the rides were auctioned off and the park remained abandoned for over a decade.

In 2011, Rocky Point was reopened as a state park with a shoreline walking path and plenty of open green space where the amusements once thrilled patrons.

Take an extensive look at the history of the Rocky Point Amusement Park:

Did you know about the murder at Rocky Point Amusement Park? Did you know there is a rumored Rocky Point Amusement Park haunted cave? If you are itching for more spots to explore, check out our road trip to various abandoned places in Rhode Island. Just be sure to read through our ultimate road trip packing guide first so you have everything you need.