The Legends and History of Dudleytown, Connecticut

Dudleytown is a place that few people seem to know of, but those who do know the story find it a little strange if not spooky. Stories of the town have inspired countless books and movies over the years. The reason is that this little Connecticut town was so haunted that its residents actually ran to escape the ghosts and demons there.

Dudleytown was officially named in 1747, though the town had already existed for a handful of years. Legend claims that a cursed member of the British Dudley family founded the town. The curse supposedly dated back to the 16^th century, and would bring failure and death to all descendants of the family line. A number of the family members all experienced heartbreak in England before the family arrived in America.

Gideon Dudley purchased land from a man in the small town, and his two brothers also purchased land. Yet another Dudley arrived in town, and though he wasn't related to the three brothers, he died marry into their family. A handful of other families arrived in the area, bringing the total up to 26 residents.

Before long stories began spreading about the strange and mysterious deaths occurring in Dudleytown. One of the Dudley brothers lost his mind after he lost all of his money, and died a broke and crazy man. The other two brothers moved away with their families, and had long and fulfilling lives outside of the town. However the curse struck a number of people not related to the family. One such man was Gershon Hollister.

Hollister was accidentally killed in the barn of a close friend, though no one is quite sure what happened. The man who owned the barn, William Tanner later went insane. Before his death he began telling others that he saw things in the woods outside of town. There was also a strange disease that passed through the town in the 1760's, killing several people there. Another resident was struck by lightning, which caused her husband to go insane not long after her death.

Following the Civil War, Dudleytown slowly became a ghost town. Residents of the town left for better places where they had access to more things. Some ghost towns hold on for years, with some residents refusing to leave, and that was also the case with Dudleytown. John Brophy decided to keep his family there, even though everyone else had left. These would prove to be a big mistake.

Brophy saw his entire life change within just a few short months. His wife died, and immediately after the funeral, his only two children walked into the woods and seemingly disappeared. His house then caught fire mysteriously and Brophy finally disappeared himself.

Following the last resident's death, a Dr. Clarke purchased a large plot of land in the area and officially became the owner of Dudleytown, or at least what was left of Dudleytown. Legend claims that the man left his wife there for a few days, and returned to find her completely insane. After screaming about the creatures in the woods, she killed herself in their house.

A few years later the man remarried, and built a new house for his bride. Together with a group of their friends, the couple formed the Dark Entry Forest Association. With trees and forests being destroyed across the country, they hoped to preserve the land here. Clarke and his second wife died during the 1940's, but their descendants still live nearby.

Today there is little left of Dudleytown except for a few foundations and trails that were once roads. The town seems a little like Helltown, a popular urban legend told in Ohio. People hiking in the area sometimes accidentally find their way into this old town, and some believe that those people are responsible for the legends told of the town.

Of course some truly believe that the Dudley family was cursed, and their history of problems followed the family for a number of years. However there is no link between the Dudley's in America and the Dudley's in England. Recent genealogists have even proven that the two families were not connected in any way.

Stories persist that there is something in Dudleytown that turns people insane; the creatures in the woods, or something even darker. Visitors claim to feel someone scratching their skin, or hear things running through the woods. There also stories of odd feelings and strange lights in the woods outside the remains of the town.

Locals take Dudleytown very seriously, enough so that they closed off the town. Hiking trails that once led through the town are now re-routed, and they do prosecute trespassers found there. It seems as though everyone is tired of the legend, and those who continue to believe the tale of this cursed town.

Sources:

http://www.legendofdudleytown.com

http://www.ghostvillage.com/legends/dudleytown.shtml