Moodus, Connecticut

Moodus is a census-designated place (CDP) in East Haddam, a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,263 at the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), of which, 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (0.69%) is water. Moodus is located within the Town of East Haddam.

The area is subject to earthquakes, with an intensity VI quake occurring in 1568,^[1] and numerous quakes being recorded from 1638 onwards.^[2][3] The largest earthquake recorded for Connecticut was an intensity VII quake on May 16, 1791 near Moodus.^[4][5]

History

Prior to its purchase by English settlers in 1662, the area around Moodus was inhabited by Native American Algonquians, three of which tribes are known: the Wangunks, the Mohegans and the Nehantics.^[6] The Native Americans called the area "Machimoodus", the place of noises.^[7]

Moodus is known for many local resorts that operated over the course of the early and mid twentieth century. Almost exactly between Boston and New York, the village drew guests from both cities who were enchanted by its rural atmosphere. One of the last resorts to remain in operation, Sunrise Resort, was purchased by the state of Connecticut in late 2008 to be incorporated into the adjacent Machimoodus State Park as a campground, and to protect "4,700 feet of additional frontage along the Salmon River."^[8]

The quaint village center, dubbed "Downtown Moodus", formerly located at the intersection of routes CT 151 and CT 149, was a popular destination for guests. However most of the village was razed after the citizens of East Haddam controversially voted in 1967 to accept urban renewal funding to build a new commercial district for Moodus a quarter mile east, along CT 149. East Haddam was one of the smallest towns in the United States to participate in the urban renewal program.^[9]

Demographics

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 1,263 people, 529 households, and 322 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 438.8 people per square mile (169.3/km²). There were 592 housing units at an average density of 205.7 per square mile (79.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.78% White, 0.40% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.79% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.

There were 529 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $52,188, and the median income for a family was $68,500. Males had a median income of $42,938 versus $33,214 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $32,475. None of the families and 2.4% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Attractions

Connecticut portal

Moodus has a long history of being a vacation spot, with many different resorts.^[11] The Amasa Day House Museum resides in a fine example of a rural Federal-style architecture house in Moodus.^[12]

Noises

Moodus is infamous in Connecticut for the strange noises coming from the woods which have been termed "Moodus noises",^[13] and are attributed to shallow micro-earthquakes.^[14][15] The noises can be heard most strongly from Cave Hill,^[16] located next to Mt. Tom^[17] and owned by the Cave Hill Resort.^[18]

In Legendary Connecticut, author David Philips asserts that the Moodus noises were the source of an indigenous religious cult important to local Native Americans. Local Algonquin chiefs (Sachems) would gather around Mt. Tom in order to experience the living presence of the god Hobomock. Pequot, Mohegan and Narragansett tribes participated in this cult, and according to local Alison Guinness, the Wangunks were involved as well.^[18] The Algonquins called the area Matchemadoset or Matchitmoodus meaning "the Place of Bad Noises," since Hobomock was considered an evil deity.^[19]

The Moodus noises were the basis for the otherworldly noises in H. P. Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror.^[20]

References

1. ^ "Moodus – East Haddam, Connecticut earthquake" United States Geological Survey
2. ^ Staff (1900) East Haddam: a brief history of its past and present (published a a supplement to the Connecticut Valley Advertiser vol. 30, no. 52) Connecticut Valley Advertiser, Moodus, Connecticut, OCLC 8838286
3. ^ Perry, Elwyn (1942) "The Moodus Earthquakes and the Cause of Earthquakes in New England" Earthquake Notes 13(1/2): pp. 401–404
4. ^ Historic Earthquakes: Near Moodus, Middlesex County, Connecticut, 1791 05 16" United States Geological Survey
5. ^ Grant, Ellsworth (2006) "The Moodus Earthquake 1791" Connecticut Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival Insiders' Guide, Guilford, Connecticut,pages 9–14, ISBN 978-0-7627-3972-1
6. ^ "About our Town: History" East Haddam, Connecticut
7. ^ Skinner, Charles Montgomery (1969) "Moodus Noises" Myths & Legends of Our Own Land Singing Tree Press, Detroit, Michigan, page 266 OCLC 19933; reprinted from the fifth edition of 1896 of J.B. Lippincott Company.
8. ^ Church, Diane (January 3, 2009) "Sunrise Resort bought by state, open to public" The Herald Press, archive here by Freezepage
9. ^ "Legacy of "Progress" Gone Sour" SimonPure Productions, LLC
10. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
11. ^ "The Resorts That Put the Mood in Moodus: When Moodus Became a Hot Spot for Vacationers" SimonPure Productions, LLC
12. ^ "Connecticut Landmarks – Amasa Day House, Moodus, Connecticut" Connecticut Landmarks
13. ^ Gates, Alexander E. And Ritchie, David (2007) "acoustics" Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes Facts on File, New York, page 1, ISBN 978-0-8160-6302-4
14. ^ "Seismic Detective Solves 'Moodus Noises' Mystery" Hartford Courant October 19, 1981
15. ^ Ebel, John E. (1989) "A Comparison of the 1981, 1982, 1986, and 1987–1988 Microearthquake Swarms at Moodus, Connecticut" Seismological Research Letters 60: pp. 177–184
16. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cave Hill
17. ^ There are three Mt. Toms in Connecticut and two in Middlesex County. This is the one at 41°29′45″N 72°28′40″W / 41.49583°N 72.47778°W / 41.49583; -72.47778, U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mount Tom
18. ^ ^{a b} Boudillion, Daniel V. (2009) "The Moodus Noises & Moodus Noise Cave"
19. ^ Philips, David E. (1992) Legendary Connecticut: Traditional Tales from the Nutmeg State (2nd edition) Curbstone Books, Willimantic, Connecticut, page ?, ISBN 1-880684-05-5
20. ^ Lovecraft, Howard Phillips (2001). S. T. Joshi. ed. The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Stories. Penguin Books. p. 411 – footnote 16. ISBN 0 14 21.8003 3. 

Coordinates: 41°30′10″N 72°27′00″W / 41.50278°N 72.45°W / 41.50278; -72.45