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41-623: (Redirected from Dudley Town ) Dudleytown may refer to: Dudleytown, Connecticut , a ghost town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Litchfield County, Connecticut in the Town of Cornwall, United States Dudleytown, Indiana , an unincorporated place in Jackson County, United States Dudleytown Historic District , Guilford, Connecticut, United States Dudley Town F.C. ,

82-561: A 1993 interview with Playboy, actor Dan Aykroyd referred to Dudleytown as the "most haunted place on earth". In the same interview, he mistakenly stated that Dudleytown was in Massachusetts. The 1999 movie, The Blair Witch Project , about a haunted forest, prompted increased interest in the allegedly haunted village. This increased the frequency of incidents of vandalism. The owners of the Dudleytown's property have closed it to

123-650: A bright light rise from the Housatonic River, then found themselves inside "what appeared to be an airplane hangar," where they saw creatures that "resembled large insects." Supporters of the family erected a memorial to the incident at the Old Covered Bridge in Sheffield, Massachusetts , in 2015. The 5,000-pound memorial was removed by the town in 2019. The incident featured in a 2020 episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix . Historically,

164-577: A football club in the West Midlands, England [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dudleytown&oldid=1112727293 " Category : Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

205-987: A source of power for paper, iron, textiles, and electricity industries. At Great Barrington , a grist mill built by David Ingersoll in 1739 used the river for power. The paper industry grew using the river's power from circa 1800. The river was dammed with the advent of industry. In 1900, there were 30 dams on the river in Pittsfield. Many have been removed, but many remain, such as the Woods Pond dam in Lenox, Columbia Mill dam in Lee, Willow Mill dam in South Lee, Glendale dam in Stockbridge, and Rising Pond dam in Great Barrington, Massachusetts . Five dams impound

246-462: Is a popular whitewater paddling destination beginning at Falls Village, Connecticut , and continuing to Gaylordsville . Most of the river is quickwater and Class I whitewater with long sections of Class II-III whitewater. A deadly and extreme Class VI resides at Great Falls in Canaan (Falls Village) and is most likely not able to be paddled. The most dangerous and difficult section that is navigable

287-544: Is also known as the Housatonic Valley Region. The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area is a designated National Heritage Area consisting of an 848-square-mile (2,200 km ) area in the watershed of the upper Housatonic River, extending from Kent, Connecticut , to Lanesborough, Massachusetts , including eight towns in Connecticut and eighteen in Massachusetts. The Housatonic River

328-641: Is among the finest for trout in the eastern United States. The most popular area for fly fishing is in Litchfield County, Connecticut , between the dam at Falls Village and Cornwall Bridge . The Appalachian Trail follows the river along this section from the Bulls Bridge covered wooden bridge near Kent to Falls Village. As U.S. Route 7 runs along the Housatonic River Valley between Pittsfield and New Milford, it crosses

369-464: Is by Bulls Bridge, with Class V whitewater. There are several minor and major dams along the river that form lakes. Most notable are two lakes in Connecticut, Lake Zoar , which borders Monroe , Newtown , Oxford , and Southbury , and Lake Lillinonah . Both lakes are major water-sport recreation outlets for the surrounding towns. Two of the three lakes formed by the dams are used for rowing by clubs, schools, and to host regattas . Lake Lillinonah

410-541: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Dudleytown, Connecticut Dudleytown is an abandoned settlement, located in a valley known as the Dark Entry Forest, in northwestern Connecticut in the United States , best known today as a ghost town . Due to vandalism and trespassers, the site is not open to the public. Since the mid-1920s,

451-566: Is the Housatonic's largest tributary with a contributing watershed of 312 square miles (810 km ). Candlewood Lake is a pumped storage facility which is replenished when water is pumped into it from the Housatonic during times of non-peak electrical consumption; the water is then allowed to flow back into the river during peak times to generate electricity. The Greater Danbury metropolitan area in Western Connecticut

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492-871: Is used by the GMS Rowing Center and is host to the GMS Regatta. Lake Housatonic is used by the Yale University Crew Team at the Gilder Boathouse and by the New Haven Rowing Club . It is also host to the Derby Sweeps & Sculls and the Head of the Housatonic . The Housatonic River is also a popular fly fishing destination. Fly fishing on the Housatonic River has been compared with western rivers and

533-645: The Cornwall Bridge neighborhood of Cornwall . It was located in a valley, known as the Dark Entry Forest, due to the shadows caused by the mountains surrounding the village and access road. The town's abandonment has meant that barely any ruins of the original township survive. During the early 20th century, old farms in Cornwall were sold to New Yorkers seeking a better life in the countryside, including Dudleytown, which has been privately owned since 1924 by Dark Entry Forest, Incorporated. The land surrounding

574-540: The Schaghticoke tribe , who still hold a portion of the former reservation on the west side of the Housatonic River, in what is now called the town of Kent . English settlement of the northern Housatonic Valley began in 1725 in Sheffield, Massachusetts . By 1734, Mohicans established the Indian Town of Stockbridge, which grew over 15 years but then failed, with land pressures increasing. The river has been

615-537: The West Cornwall Covered Bridge . Reinforced with present-day materials, both bridges carry normal vehicle traffic, albeit in only one direction at a time. The third bridge, Old Covered Bridge located in Sheffield, Massachusetts , was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1998; it is now open only to foot traffic. Lydia Sigourney 's poem The Housatonic is in her volume, Scenes in my Native Land, 1845, where it accompanied by descriptive text on

656-873: The Williams River (in Great Barrington ), Green River and Konkapot River (in Ashley Falls ). Crossing south into Connecticut, the Housatonic's major tributaries are the Blackberry River (in Canaan ), Salmon Creek (below Falls Village ), Ten Mile River (above Gaylordsville but originating in New York), Still River (south of New Milford ), Shepaug River (at the Bridgewater and Southbury border), Pomperaug River (at Southbury ), and Naugatuck River (in Derby ). The Naugatuck River

697-445: The 1910s, drawing his text from a poem of the same name by Robert Underwood Johnson . The town of Stockbridge is located in southwestern Massachusetts. The river enters Stockbridge on the east side of town before turning south toward Connecticut. There was a 1962 American nuclear weapon test of the same name ; several such tests used Native American words as codewords. In 1969, nine-year-old Thom Reed and his family claimed to see

738-538: The 1930s, New York's Skidreiverein Club spent their winter weekends skiing on trails they built in the area; in the summers, they canoed down the Housatonic River . Horse riding camps for children were also held on the site. Dudleytown is said to be haunted. A local rumor that has been frequently shared on the internet alleges the founders of the town were descended from Edmund Dudley, an English nobleman who

779-608: The Berkshires and into western Connecticut , and empties into the Long Island Sound between the cities of Stratford and Milford , forming a border between Connecticut's Fairfield County and New Haven County , respectively. It includes 83 towns. For most of its extent the watershed is just to the west of the watershed of the lower Connecticut River , and to the east of the Hudson River Basin . Near

820-609: The Housatonic River and its Naugatuck River tributary hosted the southernmost spawning runs of the Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). The Salmon Creek tributary of the Housatonic River may have been named for this salmonid , which can reach up to 30 pounds (14 kg). From circa 1932 until 1977, the river received PCB pollution discharges from the General Electric (GE) plant at Pittsfield, Massachusetts . The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated

861-591: The Pittsfield plant and several miles of the Housatonic as a Superfund site in 1997, and ordered GE to remediate the site. EPA and GE began a cleanup of the area in 1999. Most of the PCBs used in the United States during this period were made by Monsanto . Aroclor 1254 and Aroclor 1260, made by Monsanto, was a primary contaminant of the pollution in the Housatonic River. Although the water quality has improved in recent decades, and some remediation has taken place,

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902-539: The coast, smaller watersheds border it: on the east the Quinnipiac River and Wepawaug River watersheds, and on the west the Norwalk River , Saugatuck River , and Pequonnock River watersheds. The river's total fall is 1,430 feet (440 m) (959 feet (292 m) from the confluence of its east and west branches) to Long Island Sound. Its major tributaries in Massachusetts are (heading downstream)

943-467: The confluence with the Still River . The hat manufacturing industry of Danbury, Connecticut , which operated from the 19th to the mid-20th century, was the source of most of this mercury pollution, from mercury nitrate used in the felting process. In the 21st century, the mercury remains in the river sediment and flows downstream, especially during storm events. High mercury levels are measured in

984-447: The contaminated areas south of Pittsfield had continued for many years since the initial Superfund site designations, involving GE, EPA, local governments, citizen groups and other stakeholders. In February 2020 EPA announced a settlement agreement involving GE, EPA and most of the concerned parties, to remove contaminated sediment from the river. Highly contaminated soil would be removed and shipped to federally approved facilities outside

1025-493: The deed by which a group of twelve colonists called "The Proprietors" captured the land now called Sherman and New Fairfield as "Ousetonack". Samuel Orcutt , a 19th-century historian, explained the term's pronunciation as "more properly...Howsatunnuck" and also noted an early spelling in the form of "Oweantinock". Prior to the 18th century, the river was alternatively known as the Pootatuck River. Accounts differ on

1066-423: The land occupied by the village has been maintained by philanthropists as a private land trust , who worked to reforest the land after decades of agricultural use. Only a few traces, such as cellar holes, remain of the original village. Due to rumors of ghost activity beginning in the 1980s, the village site has been subject to frequent vandalism, and the owners have since closed the land to the public. Dudleytown

1107-483: The origin of this name, with some claiming that Pootatuck is an Algonquian term translating to "river of the falls" while others relate the term was eponymous, reflecting the name of the tribe that had their principal village along the river in the area of Newtown, Connecticut . "Pootatuck River" eventually came to refer a lesser tributary in the Housatonic watershed which empties into the Housatonic River at Sandy Hook, Connecticut . The river passes through land that

1148-582: The permit appeal. Following the EAB ruling, EPA has continued to design the new PCB disposal facility and has conducted public meetings in 2022. Two citizen groups appealed the EAB decision to the First Circuit Court of Appeals , and in July 2023 the court rejected the plaintiffs' challenge. The Connecticut segment of the river is polluted with mercury levels far beyond background levels, starting at

1189-461: The public. • Portlock Housatonic River Indigenous people began using the river area for fishing and hunting at least 6,000 years ago. By 1600, the inhabitants were mostly Mohicans and may have numbered 30,000. The river's name is derived from the Mohican phrase "usi-a-di-en-uk" , translated as "beyond the mountain place" or "river of the mountain place". It is referred to in

1230-641: The river and its neighbourhood. The United States Navy named a ship for the Housatonic River. The USS  Housatonic has the distinction of being the first ship in history to be sunk by a submarine, the Confederate vessel CSS H.L. Hunley , in 1864. Inspired by the river during his honeymoon, the American classical music composer Charles Ives wrote "The Housatonic at Stockbridge" as part of his composition Three Places in New England during

1271-566: The river continues to be contaminated by PCBs. Between 2005 and 2018 GE completed remediation and restoration of the 10 manufacturing plant areas within the city, and continues to conduct inspection, monitoring and maintenance activities. Additional remediation is planned for the downstream polluted areas of the river. The highest concentrations of PCBs in the Housatonic River are found in Woods Pond in Lenox, Massachusetts , just south of Pittsfield, where they have been measured up to 110 mg/kg in

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1312-594: The river in Connecticut to produce hydroelectricity : the Falls Village , Bulls Bridge, Shepaug , Stevenson and Derby dams. The last three dams form a chain of lakes: Lake Lillinonah , Lake Zoar and Lake Housatonic, from New Milford south to Shelton . Three wooden covered bridges cross the Housatonic River. Two are in Connecticut: one known as Bull's Bridge , which spans the river between Gaylordsville and Kent , and another at Cornwall , known as

1353-553: The rumors. Records have shown the land was originally occupied by the Mohawk Nation , as sacred ground. The village's decline has instead been attributed to its distance from clean drinking water and unsuitable soil for cultivation. One confirmed case of suicide of a village resident took place in New York state rather than within Cornwall. Since the 1990s, police in Cornwall have responded to numerous cases of vandalism. In

1394-483: The sediment at the outflow delta of the Housatonic River into Long Island Sound . The Housatonic River watershed drains 1,948 square miles (5,050 km ) in western Connecticut and Massachusetts and eastern New York. The Housatonic rises from four sources in far western Massachusetts in the Berkshire Mountains near the city of Pittsfield . It flows southward through western Massachusetts through

1435-415: The sediment. About 50% of all the PCBs currently in the river are estimated to be retained in the sediment behind Woods Pond dam. This is estimated to be about 11,000 pounds of PCBs. Former filled oxbows are also polluted. Birds, such as ducks, and fish that live in and around the river contain significant levels of PCBs and can present health risks if consumed. Negotiations regarding how to clean up

1476-640: The state, while less-contaminated soil would be placed in a new specially designed landfill in Berkshire County. Following a public comment period, EPA issued a permit in December 2020 for the final cleanup phase. In 2021 two of the citizen groups that were parties to the settlement filed an appeal of the permit, criticizing the design of the planned landfill. In February 2022 the US Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) denied

1517-434: The village site is today closed to the public. In promoting the land trust to investors, a March 1924 prospectus for the Dark Entry Forest stated: "This society is planned to promote forestation, to run a wood mill, to promote conservation of bird, animal and wildflower life, and to afford a playground for you and your children and your children's children." Soon after acquisition, the owners planted thousands of trees. During

1558-630: Was beheaded for treason during the reign of Henry VII . From that moment on, the Dudley family was placed under a curse which followed them across the Atlantic to America. This curse is blamed for instances of crop failures and mental illness, as well as several purported violent deaths in the village. Local historians have found no genealogical link between the Dudley family of Cornwall and the English nobleman and noted many other factual inconsistencies in

1599-469: Was converted from forest to farm land. Families tilled the land for generations. Located on top of a high hill {all other references say it was in a valley}, Dudleytown was not ideally suited for farming. When more fertile and spacious land opened up in the Midwest in the mid-19th century, and as the local iron industry wound down, Cornwall's population declined. The village was located a few miles south of

1640-473: Was formerly occupied primarily by native people of Algonquian lineage, typically living in villages of two to three hundred families housed in hide wigwams. These native inhabitants burned the forests along the Housatonic Valley in the autumn to keep the underbrush down, a practice which was customary throughout Connecticut prior to European settlement. One notable native was Chief Squantz of

1681-453: Was never an actual town. The name was given at an unknown date to a portion of Cornwall that included several members of the Dudley family. The area that became known as Dudleytown was settled in the early 1740s by Thomas Griffis, followed by Gideon Dudley and, by 1753, Barzillai Dudley and Abiel Dudley; Martin Dudley joined them a few years later. Other families also settled there. As with every other part of Cornwall, Connecticut, Dudleytown

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