Dudleytown- Why would an abandoned town be protected?

Dudleytown is a big part of the culture around where I live. Surprisingly, although I assume there are other ATS members from my area, it's only been mentioned once before on the site. Allow me to enlighten.

Enter, a small area of the Cornwall township. It lies within the current town of Cornwall, Connecticut. Founded by Thomas Griffiths, it was then settled by the three Dudley brothers. Their ancestor was beheaded back in Britain for attempting to overthrow Henry XIII.

The Dudleys who would eventually settle in Dudleytown can trace their roots to William Dudley, who was born in Richmond, Surrey, England on September 11, 1608. His son, also named William, was born aboard a ship headed for America on June 8, 1639. William II’s son, Joseph, was born in Saybrook, Connecticut on September 14, 1674.

Joseph Dudley of Saybrook had 12 children, three of which would eventually settle in Dudleytown: Gideon (born 1706), Abiel (born 1710), and Barzillai (born 1725). (ghostvillage)

The ghostvillage resource has all the history, if you're interested. So, apparently there was an epidemic in 1774, killing a whole family. Another family from Dudleytown was killed in New York and some members of that family were kidnapped to Canada. General Swift served under George Washington. He lived in Cornwall, where his wife was struck by lightening in 1804. Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune lived there, and his wife committed suicide and he lost his race for the presidency. A man named John Brophy may have set fire to his house after his wife died and his children disappeared into the woods.

Now the town is completely deserted, except for possibly some supernatural occurrences. It's been said that there are no birds in the forest, but other sources claim that this is a blatant lie. Apparently all that is left are some foundations and cool archaeological stuffs. And of course, "no one knows" about what happened to the residents.

The stories go on and on. The words "curse" come up fairly often in Dudleytown stories. Regardless, that's not my point.

The land within the town of Cornwall that was once Dudleytown is called Dark Entry Forest. It is owned by the Dark Entry Forest association. They claim to preserve it as a "nature preserve."

There are severe fines if you are caught going anywhere near Dudleytown. Many residents of Cornwall live near the entrance to the forest, and some of them are known for calling the police if you even slow down on the street where the entrance is. Let's try to work this out, logically:

1. I can see why residents and police would want to keep people, especially teenagers but apparently also curious responsible adults from the forest. Apparently, according to police, there have been instances of noise, litter, graffiti, drinking, etc at night in this area. They want to preserve the nature preserve, as well as keep nearby residents happy.
HOWEVER
2. The teenagers go there because they are curious about the mystery. If the land were turned into a park or archaeological/historical site that was open to the public, there would be no mystery left.
3. Except for some owls, there is no reason why this specific natural area should be kept pristine. I am a firm believer that people should enjoy nature, not be fined for trying to check it out.
4. There was a movie that was going to be made about Dudleytown, but it fell through.

No one has really explained anything about what is left in the town from a research standpoint, nor what happened in that town. I don't know about curses, honestly. But I do know that something is weird about the rumors about that place. Nearby residents claim that nothing is weird, it's all fine, pay no mind to the fact that people have been arrested for trespassing into some empty woods.

Is it government? Is it supernatural? I don't know, I'm asking what you think.

Essentially, no one knows about who has access to the Dark Entry Forest association. I'm pretty sure some birders have access. But why not let everyone birdwatch there, then? Take the mystery out, and people will find it boring and stop vandalizing.

The other disturbing fact is that supposedly, some people have gone missing in the woods. That's a rumor, I have no idea if it's true or not. Either way, it seems everyone wants to come here to see what's up. I don't know why there would be more supernatural activity here than anywhere else.

But I'm really just posting this for the following reasons:
1. There was no information on Dudleytown yet on ATS
2. I wanted to know what you thought
3. I was curious as to whether anyone was familiar with it.

Resources: www.ghostvillage.com...
www.washingtonpost.com...



[edit on 5/15/2009 by ravenshadow13]

Wow that's crazy interesting. I'll be watching this for any information. I've always been interested in this sort of thing. Deep down inside I think I wish places like Silent Hill existed. I guess that's messed up but maybe I crave adventure. This world's too boring (I'm still waiting for NWO, Economic Collapse, Alien Invasion, FEMA Camps, and all the other fun stuff to happen and nothing's happened).

reply to post by Aberinkula


When I first heard about it I was like "Oh it's probably just fake."

But then people started getting arrested. Or crazy lost. And then I was like, well, I love owls. I'll get a Dark Entry permit.

Obviously that didn't happen. That organization should almost be labeled a secret society. Why not raise funding by letting other people check it out, you know?

It's way weird. Cops patrol that area so much and it's this whole big deal... I was actually surprised no one had posted much about it yet. It should be on this website.

Have you checked into the history farther? Perhaps they build the town on a native american burial ground? That would explain why supernatural phenomenon would be stronger there.

Do some digging!

reply to post by NephraTari


Good call, darling. Here's what I found (I'm a fast digger.)

1. Elias Boudinot. 1802-1839
He was a Cherokee leader and attended boarding school in Cornwall. He was stabbed to death in the Cherokee Nation.
www.findagrave.com...

2. 1929 Trails
Apparently, according to the Cornwall planning and zoning commission, there are some trails in the area which were once trails of both Native Americans and Colonists. These are trying to be protected. I do believe that the Mohawk trail mentioned in the following transcript from a meeting of the commission is part of Dark Entry Forest. The meeting was regarding a house being built in this area.

Ms. Colson explained that the Blue Trail or the Mohawk Trail had been designated State "Greenways" to try and protect them from disappearing. These trails have existed since 1929 and were former trails of the native Americans and colonists. Dorothy Russ reported that one of her neighbors located within the required notification area had not received one notice of any of these Public Hearings. Ms. Russ stated that she had walked the trail as a child and that there are old stone walls eight to ten feet high along the trail. Commission members asked Ms. Colson about relocating trails. Ms. Colson stated that relocating trails along roads takes away from the hiking experience, but it is possible.

www.cornwallct.org...

More to come.

The Cornwall Historical Society website says nothing about Native Americans once living on that land. I'm going to assume that they did, because they were all around this area. So I will keep looking for that.

I did find this information about Dudleytown:

Life in Dudleytown was not very different from the lives others led in 18th and 19th century Cornwall. True, the land was only sufficient, the roads poor, and the big farms in Cornwall Hollow and on Cream Hill were richer by far. Still stories from that time tell of a peaceful existence, troubled only by poor land and, by 1810, by the departure of younger sons, then families, for better lives out west. The call to migrate reduced the population of Dudleytown to a few families who, by the end of the 19th century still lived in that remote hillside.

Harriet Clark, who lived to be 103 and left many memories of Cornwall, recalled seeing a few tumbledown houses in Dudleytown in the 1930’s. Her family had relations who had lived there and left letters and memories from which this essay is drawn. Harriet remembered that someone leased and cleared some land in South Dudleytown in the 1940’s for grazing but the place was soon covered with wild blueberries which the townspeople hiked up to pick.

Dudleytown became a hard place to make a living. After World War II, summer visitors acquired land nearby and built new homes. The area remains remote, not served by good roads, a place of cellar holes, old lilac bushes and underbrush.

www.cornwallhistoricalsociety.org...

So, do you buy it? If there are blueberries, why not let the people pick them? If nothing happened, why place police officers continuously near the entrances to where that area of town is? It seems like if the town is so sure nothing is strange there, why not let people just go and check it out for themselves.

And what do they mean by "it became a hard place to make a living"? No one lives in the actual forest, as far as I can find out. Why not make better roads so people can use that land. It feels like something is missing from the story. But I don't know.


[edit on 5/15/2009 by ravenshadow13]

Well, this is just screaming for a movie to be made about it. Maybe someone will take the initiative to try again.

Do you know any members of the Dark Entry Forest assocation (that title alone makes me laugh)? I wonder: is it a pun on the forest's reputation, or does the association consider it an honestly fitting title for the forest? "Dark Entry Forest"...hmmm. Dark entry to what, exactly? This is indeed very interesting, even if only for fictional material. I'd love to know more about it, but it seems to be suffering under a real shroud of mystery.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention!

[edit on 15/5/09 by paperplanes]

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
reply to post by NephraTari

 

Good call, darling. Here's what I found (I'm a fast digger.)

1. Elias Boudinot. 1802-1839
He was a Cherokee leader and attended boarding school in Cornwall. He was stabbed to death in the Cherokee Nation.
www.findagrave.com...

Ah that right there in itself may be enough to have the immediate area a highly active source of paranormal activity. Especially if the spirit is still angry.

reply to post by ravenshadow13


This is very interesting. Allow me to throw some unusual theories in this thread.

The Wendigo:

The Wendigo (also Windigo, Weendigo, Windago, Windiga, Witiko, Wihtikow, and numerous other variants)[1] is a mythical creature appearing in the mythology of the Algonquian people. It is a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans. Those who indulged in cannibalism were at particular risk,[2] and the legend appears to have reinforced this practice as taboo.

LINK I know wiki isn't a prestine source, but it worked out.

Now Wendigo's as far as I have been told mainly reside inside of Forests, but have been known to occasionally leave the forest in search of human victims. This could possibily be an explaination for the disappearances and the tight secruity.

Manifesation of Evil

Now a Manifestation of evil can be many things, but the most common are curses and spirits. Now spirits are not usually evil, but their are occurences of this and in many of those occurances it causes people to become mad and do stupid things. Since a spirit cannot physically harm a person, they can drive the person made by making them hallucinate and eventually making the person become insane. Many cases have been reported of this and suicide.

Thier is also another manifestion and it deals with Imprints. Now Imprints are basically a recording of an event that happens over and over, but it only (usually) acts with the cause of a trigger. A trigger is something that starts the imprint, like cutting of a tree or moving of bones or what not, it can be anything really. When this trigger is activated the curse or whatever the imprint is can begin. For instance, in this case the trigger could be entering the woods. Which is why the fine is so much.

I found this a fascinating read. There are many other reasons. I listed some in the thread in my signiture: The Mystery of the woods. Ravenshadow feel free to move any information you want to this thread, information that you feel to be suitable if you want.

But in my opinion, I would have to say this is not a haunted place. Perhaps cursed, but not a ghostly place. Infact I would have to study the land and the peoples residence for a long time, before coming to an authentic conclusion. But just for the heck of it, I would have to say this place has a curse over it.

Or its just a place that is shrouded in mystery just for the Mystery. People tend to do that. in the sense that they want to hold a secret when a secret just isn't their. So they create a mystery, in order to say, "hey we have a secret."

Starred and Flagged, awesome read!

[edit on May 15th 2009 by TheMythLives]

reply to post by paperplanes


I don't know anyone personally. Awhile ago I found a P.O. box and phone number for the organization, I've just had it bookmarked. I think that if my zoology teacher wanted to, she could get a permit, if birding really is going on there.

I think it's strange. I just did a google search to try and find more information, and I got to this page:
www.google.com...

I went to the yahoo answers link and saw that the question was deleted. I've almost never seen a yahoo question get deleted before.

I was born and raised in Connecticut and have always had a desire to visit Dudleytown. But I have to admit that it scares the bejeezes out of me to think of going. I do some ghosthunting, but that place ... yikes!

Check this out. Found it on a CT Paranormal Research page:
www.cprs.info...

Dudleytown has long been revered as being haunted. CPRS has conducted several investigations at this location through the years producing some interesting results. However; much more research needs to be done if we are to find conclusive evidence of the existence of paranormal activity. We are encouraged by the photos and information that we have gotten so far, but we would love to be given the opportunity to do further research. Unfortunately, given the current circumstances, it looks as though that is an extremely remote possibility.
To reiterate, Dudleytown is located on private property. It is not open to the public. We do not recommend that anyone try to go there because you will be subject to a fine or arrest. Because of our respect for the privacy of the residents of DEF and the preservation of the land, CPRS will not offer maps or directions to this location. Below we have provided a public statement released by Dark Entry Forest, Inc. of Connecticut in 2001.

Dark Entry Forest, Inc.
P.O. Box 259
Cornwall Bridge, CT 06754-0259


“News Release”

Please release this on October 15, 22 & 29, 2001.


Dark Entry Forest, Inc. is privately owned land, which is posted thoroughly with “No Trespassing” and “No Parking” signs on all roadways leading into the area known as Dudleytown. Dudleytown is not on state property, nor is it in a state forest; therefore this property is not open to the public.

The Connecticut State Police and Department of Environmental Protection Officers will continue to patrol and strictly enforce all trespassing and illegal parking laws and regulations. The owners of Dark Entry Forest, Inc. will seek the arrest and prosecution of all trespassers to the full extent of the law. Additionally, parking is prohibited on the roads leading into Dark Entry Forest and owners will be ticketed and vehicles will be towed should they be blocking vehicular traffic and/or driveways.

This year Law Enforcement Officers have been summoned 79 times to the Dark Entry Forest area, resulting in arrests for criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, illegal parking and littering. We will also assist the police by obtaining vehicle registration numbers and photographing them for evidence in citizen complaints.

Dark Entry Forest, Inc. regrets having to take these measures, but we are dedicated to the preservation of our fragile woodlands, as well as our own peace and tranquility.

In conjunction with this News Release, the Connecticut Forest and Parks Association will close a section of the Mohawk Trail to the public for seven days, from the Dark Entry Road entrance to the Cornwall Village entrance, beginning Saturday, October 27. The trail will re-open Monday, November 5, 2001.

So it looks like the trail is open, but the... preserve... is not open to the public. Are you fellows aware of many nature preserves that are owned privately and not by the state or town? I've never heard of that before. It looks like it gets closed for Halloween, probably because of an increase in parties and such (I know some friends who went on Halloween a few years ago and got fined.)

I will post whatever else I can find. I agree, Flyers. I've never gone there, even though I've driven through Cornwell a bunch of times. I'd be too afraid of getting arrested or something, honestly.


[edit on 5/15/2009 by ravenshadow13]

www.prairieghosts.com...

This website has another reiteration of the history, as well as the warnings. Doesn't add anything new, but it's written well and this way there's a whole bunch of resources available here.

More meeting minutes... apparently the town and DEF are in communication.

Letter and DEP forms from Dark Entry Forest, Inc.

Karl has determined that Cook Road is an abandoned town road which is now a driveway. Someone has purchased property on Cook Road and plans to construct a dwelling there. The town only has jurisdiction on the driveway which is on his property off Cook Road. It is an existing lot and the owner has a right of way on Cook Road. There is a vernal pool adjacent to Cook Road, which is a wetlands issue more than a zoning issue. Residents of the Dark Entry Forest Assoc. have submitted Special Animal Survey Forms to DEP reporting the spotting of an Eastern Ribbon Snake and an Eastern Box Turtle in that vernal pool. No action is necessary by the Commission; this item was presented for informational purposes only.

They're doing animal surveying in the area so maybe they are a nature preserve. However, ribbon snakes and box turtles aren't exactly ... well, let's just say that I don't think it's a very good excuse for anything, because they are fairly common in this area.

I think that if there's a curse, it might be from the history of the founding families of the town. Or it could be because of the Wendigo, or any other Native American source.

Can curses be combined? Do you think the town is aware of this? Are they protecting the area to protect people who would go explore it?

Has anyone ever heard of a town being protected because it is cursed?

I did a little study on this place a while back. The upshot is that it's just a defunct old piece of property that has reverted to woodland again. There are only a few old stone foundations. Most of the access roads have been sold to private parties and the area around it is all land owned by residents. They really just don't want people running around in their back yards. Call it selfish but that's really the basic situation.

The dark entry road got its name from the fact that the road is covered by overhanging trees and is dark most of the time.

reply to post by badgerprints


The thing is that most nature preserves in CT are open to the public, and many of them do run right behind people's houses and that's just how it is.

I also don't see why this is cause for arrest. Fines, whatever, it's private property. But arrests? Almost constant surveillance? I've never seen anything like that for a nature preserve.

I think you may be right. But I also don't know. The other problem is that this land became "protected" long before many of those houses had been built.

EDIT- Please also remember that although you may have investigated the area yourself, there is currently no resource on ATS regarding Dudleytown. Feel free to add your information to this thread. I have provided, I feel, some of all sides to the story. So I'd just like all the theories and information to be present if someone else wants to make a decision for themselves.

[edit on 5/15/2009 by ravenshadow13]

That's really weird, you'd think that if there truly was some species that needed to be preserved, that either the state or the federal government would have control of the land and not a private company.

I wouldn't be surprised if something happened there that nobody wants to talk about, but what in the world could it be?

www.concord-sots.ct.gov...

Above is a link to the Secretary of State Connecticut wher the Dark Entry Forest is incorporated. It lists the names and business and residential addresses for the coprorate officers in case anyone here is inclined to make an inquiry of the owners of the forest. Looks like incorporation of Dark Entry Forest was in 1924. Maybe this info will be useful to someone who wants to research further.

Until Later,
Millionaire Mommy

reply to post by millionairemommy


Thanks millionaire! Good job. I think I had found that 1924 date for incorporation on another website, and I still have the phone number and P.O. Box standing by. I'm kind of nervous to poke around further.

But I agree. If they're trying to protect species, they should make it public and it should be owned by state or local or national government. It doesn't make much sense though since apparently people are applying for building permits there?

It's all kind of cloudy.