Summary
Dudleytown is an abandoned 18th-century settlement located within the Dark Entry Forest near Cornwall, Connecticut. Known in urban folklore as the "Village of the Damned," the site is famous for a generational curse said to cause widespread insanity, mysterious disappearances, unnatural deaths, and demonic hauntings. Popularized by 20th-century ghost hunters and local lore, the settlement is alleged to be devoid of wildlife sounds and enveloped by a supernatural oppression.
Background
Settling and Economic Context
The area known as Dudleytown was first settled around 1745 by Thomas Griffis, followed by Gideon, Barzillai, Abiel, and Martin Dudley in the 1750s. Situated in a secluded, mountainous valley in northwestern Connecticut, the hamlet was cleared for subsistence farming and small-scale timber and charcoal production to support nearby iron foundries.
Because the terrain was steep, heavily shadowed, and densely rocky, agriculture proved difficult. By the mid-19th century, as industrialization expanded and fertile land opened in the West, residents gradually migrated away. By the 1900s, the hamlet had been entirely abandoned and reverted to forest, leaving behind stone cellar holes and foundation walls.
Origin of the Legend & Claims
The supernatural folklore surrounding Dudleytown originated primarily with Reverend Edward C. Starr’s 1926 self-published book, A History of Cornwall, Connecticut, which compiled colorful local tales and embellished ordinary frontier hardships.
The English Royal Curse: According to legend, the Dudley family was cursed after their ancestor, Edmund Dudley, was executed for treason in 1510 during the reign of King Henry VIII. The curse supposedly followed the family to Connecticut, inflicting madness and tragedy on anyone who settled in the village. (Historians have found no genealogical connection between the Cornwall Dudleys and Edmund Dudley.)
The "Insanity" Legends: Popular stories claim several residents succumbed to madness:
Gershon Hollister: Said to have been murdered while building a barn; historical records indicate he died in an accidental fall.
Sarah Fay Swift: Supposedly struck dead by lightning on her porch; while she did die of a lightning strike, it was an isolated weather tragedy rather than a supernatural curse.
Harriet Clarke: Wife of Dr. William Clarke, who established a summer cabin in the early 1900s. Legend holds she went insane while left alone in the woods. In truth, she suffered from chronic illness, and Dr. Clarke helped found the Dark Entry Forest Association to preserve the land.
The Warrens and Pop Culture Expansion: In the 1970s and 1980s, self-styled demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren visited the site, declaring it "demonically possessed." Dan Aykroyd referenced it in a 1993 interview as one of the most haunted places in America, and the 1999 release of The Blair Witch Project sparked a massive wave of legend tripping and public obsession.
Modern Status and Trespassing Controversies
In 1924, land conservationists formed Dark Entry Forest, Inc. to protect the forest ecosystem. Following decades of trespassing, property damage, littering, and wildfires set by ghost hunters, the land trust completely sealed the area. State police and local caretakers enforce a zero-tolerance anti-trespassing policy.