Dudleytown: Cornwall, CT Responds to Freedom of Information Request

If you've never heard of it, "Dudleytown" is a piece of land that rests in the sleepy town of Cornwall, CT. It's famous in Connecticut for the belief among many people that it is a creepy place shrouded in mystery.

Back in 2015, we published a blog about the mysterious Connecticut legend for the purposes of our morning show. Before we move on, here is some of the background I dug up at that point:

It's sometimes called, "The Village of the Damned," but the fact is, it never was a town to begin with. It was a portion of Cornwall occupied by a family named Dudley.

The story goes that the town was settled in the 1740s by a man named Thomas Griffis. He was followed soon after by Gideon Dudley, and many of the Dudley clan would subsequently follow him. According to legend, the founders of Dudleytown were the original descendants of Edmund Dudley, who was beheaded for treason back in England during the reign of Henry the VIII, and from then on, the family has said to be cursed.

Several residents of Dudleytown were said to have gone insane, with several committing suicide, and there were supposedly murders as well. Hikers have reported seeing orbs, and have gone on record saying there is little to no wildlife in the area.

Blah, blah, blah -- haunted town in New England. Here's what I think: It's the woods, there are rocks, sticks and trees. I'd be willing to bet there is nothing of interest happening there.

I honestly think that the way the Town of Cornwall responds to people interested in the area is what makes speculation run rampant, making people even more interested. We have reached out, we've talked to other members of the media who have reached out, and we have heard stories from curious listeners who have been dismissed.

It looks like a secret of some sort is being protected, and so it remains intriguing. With that, we picked the official Ethan and Lou Show investigation back up last week. I sent a blanket Freedom of Information Act request out to a handful of agencies who may have the information I was seeking. Here is the letter I wrote:

Forgive my line spacing, punctuation and grammar. I am excitable as it is, and I was inspired and ready to work. What I got back was an e-mail, a short one, sent from a mobile device. Here is the body of response:

Here's how I responded to that email. In our conversation, we went into exactly what we were hoping to get out of this experience. I think the phrasing in their response came off as defensive and this is making me more interested. That's human nature. Have a listen:

I certainly don't want to be a nuisance to the residents of Cornwall, the individuals who work for the town or the State Police. What I want, is for someone to say, "Enough is enough -- here is what the town knows about the property and the history." Then, they can invite the media in, one day, one time for a guided tour, show everyone around and be done with it.

They say you are only as sick as your secrets. Whether the town itself or the residents of Cornwall believe it or not, you are perceived as keeping a secret. I'm pretty sure there is no secret, you just look like you have one. Perception is reality and your reality is suspect. The fact that I was told not to go there in the first line of the response is ridiculous. I did not ask to go to the property and that is bad optics man.

Person 1 - "Hey can I borrow a pen?"

Person 2 - "DON'T GO IN MY BOOK BAG!"

Person 1 - (Internal dialogue) - "What the hell is in that book bag? I gotta get in that book bag."

#woods

#showusyourwoods

#openupyourwoods

#whatthehellareyouhiding