Ghost Towns and Curses: Dudleytown Connecticut

DISCLAIMER: Dudleytown and it surrounding land is a privately owned property, anyone caught trespassing may be subject to prosecution. This is merely a blog that speaks about the rumors and truths of the matter. Do not consider this open invitation to go exploring!

Cornwall Connecticut; like many towns of the mid to late 1700's was just as unassuming as any other east coast settlement. Large swaths of agricultural farmlands dotted the landscape. Many immigrants came seeking a new life of prosperity on these foreign soils. So the same aspirations came to a man by the name of Thomas Griffis. Who established a hamlet of his own within the town of Cornwall in 1745, only for it become abandoned by the 1800's. So how did this all happen? Are there more sinister things going on behind the scenes or are the answers to these mysteries more mundane than hoped? It may be better to first look into the rumors and claimed history before looking at the skeptical side of the matter.

In 1510, by the command of King Henry the VIII; Edmund Dudley, a conspirator against the crown was beheaded. Before his death, a curse was placed on him and his descendant for his sedition. By the 1740's, descendants of this unfortunate soul make their way onto the shores of colonial America. It is unknown why the town was named after the Dudley's. Perhaps it was due to the sheer abundance Dudley's to arrive all at once. Considering that it was Thomas Griffis who settled the land and resided there many years before their arrival, many unanswerable questions remain on this matter and will likely to continue to go unanswered.

Slowly as the years passed, the population which had grown steadily over the years began to dwindle with the arrival of the Dudley's. Crops and Businesses alike would fail. Death either natural or by the hands of others were common. Diseases were prevalent such as dementia, and insanity. Finally natural disaster such as spontaneous and deadly lightening strikes plagued the town. These suspiciously fateful circumstances forced its local population to either leave or continue to suffer in hardship. It would be fair to say that pain and suffering in Dudleytown came with the territory. Many began to associate their misfortune with the Dudley's themselves, who had suffer most at the hands of their own curse.

Rumors began to spread that the Dudley's; most of which who had died at this point, had brought with themselves a book that would open the gates of hell. Causing all forms of misfortune to beset the town. Others would note seeing dark shadows roaming the forest nearby or seeing shadowy figures entering and leaving cellars at night. Some believed that the mere arrival of the Dudley's caused the land itself become cursed. A distinct lack of fauna had become noticeable as it seemed that the animals themselves feared to come near the town. People who believed these rumors feared that the souls of those who would die there would become tainted as well. Many would take family that had died in Dudleytown far away from the town proper. The only evidence we have to go on for this account is the suspiciously missing graveyard Dudleytown had call its own. Because of the far distance people had to travel to carry their deceased loved ones, corpses would pile on carts until they could be taken to Cornwall plains cemetery. Some modern believers claim that this may have resulted in a spike of paranormal activity within the town itself. By the mid 1800s, the last of the remaining population of Dudleytown had decided to finally call it quits, leaving it to ultimately be abandoned... Until the 1930's.

In 1936 a Doctor by the name of William Clark visited the verdant countryside of Cornwall and immediately fell in love with the natural foliage. He felt is a calming change of pace as opposed to the busy and bustling city of New York that he was so used to. He purchased the land that Dudleytown once stood upon and built a homestead there out in the forests. He would go on to establish the Dark Entry Forest Association in order to preserve the natural beauty of the land. While away on business Clark had received a letter that his Wife was in terrible health and thus rushed back home to see to the matter. Upon reaching the his home, he saw that his wife had gone completely unhinged. Babbling that she had been attacked by a mysterious creature in the forest. She would go on to say that something was not right about this place and desperately wanted to leave. She would unfortunately spend the last of her days in a mental institution.

In 1974, a paranormal research magazine started by Ed Warren was given an invitation by the Dark Entry Forest Association to visit Dudleytown. His findings were that the Ghost town was indeed cursed. The Warrens felt that as soon as they entered the town that they had the distinct feeling of being watched. The sounds of animals began to fade leaving them in their eerie ambiance of blowing wind through the trees. The conclusion from their investigation was that demons plagued the land, that the air was choking and stifling, and that it had been the most haunted place the publication had ever been.

By all given accounts, this should seem rather damning. But I feel it must be noted that while there are these rumors and perhaps many many more that I had not yet discussed. The truth of the matter from the Cornwall Historical society disproves many of these stories. The truth is perhaps a bit more mundane than what one would have hoped to hear, but I feel it important to share.

Funnily enough, as if to disestablish the rumors entirely from the start, the town was not actually a town. Dudleytown was a burgeoning little Hamlet branch off the town of Cornwall. It was situated 1500 ft above sea level, and surrounded by a mountain on 3 sides, making it somewhat difficult for travel and habitation. While there were Dudley's in the town, none of them were ever associated with royalty in any manner. Dudleytown itself was mostly known for agriculture and iron mining and refining. The land being so rocky and mountainous made it difficult for land to be cultivated and herds to be fed. Thus farming was hard labor-intensive work that yielded few crops, making it hard for the settlers to feed their own families and make a living beyond ironwork. It was also far away from efficient sources of clean water. The sad reality is that the location itself just did not lend itself to being habituated effectively, and thus many left on their own accord to find better lands to settle after iron refining started to become less profitable.

The Dark Entry Forest Association which was indeed started by William Clark, was established and bought into by a collective of 41 shareholders who desired to re-plant tress in the 300 acre plot of land in order to conserve the forestry of the area. No one ever came to harm nor did some unbidden curse left behind some two centuries past dredge up pain and suffering on the new owners.

The 1970 publication of the warrens and their investigation on the abandoned town was most likely (if I had to guess) an effort by the Dark Entry Forest Association to stamp out the ghost story rumors, only for it to backfire entirely. Along with the advent of the Blair Witch Project movie in 1999, more and more would-be ghost hunters, vandals, and cultists took to exploring the town only to ruin what remains and the verdant beauty that had been cultivated for almost 100 years. It goes without saying that the Cornwall Historical Society is incredibly irritated by this. In fact, from their own website they state:

“Imagine if someone wrote that your home was haunted, even though it wasn't, and you suddenly had total strangers wandering around your yard, peering in through your windows, setting fires and leaving litter, invading your privacy on a regular basis. You wouldn't like it very much, and neither does anyone in Cornwall.“

Let it be known that so many of the stories shared here today have been word of mouth, perpetuated by local legend, and is unverifiable. In fact the catalyst for such rumors most likely spawned from Edward C. Starr's own publication called the History of Cornwall. And perhaps by his own imagination; crafted the story of the curse of Dudleytown. After so many years of constant upset and destruction of personal property, it seems that the people of Cornwall (primarily those of the Dark Entry Forest Association) are entirely fed up with the constant nuisance of unconscious tourists that Dudleytown brings. Perhaps, the problems associated with the rumors of Dudleytown are a curse in their own right.

Here is a link to the Cornwall Historical Society regarding Dudleytown: http://cornwallhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-truth-about-dudleytown.html