Urban Legends of the United States. Part 12

1. The misfortunes that have occurred in the haunted place of Dudleytown, Connecticut, dating back to the 1700's, are so numerous and terrible that it has earned the nickname "Village of the Damned." The land was settled by the Dudley family in 1740, and it supposedly came with a curse—the Dudley Curse. Legend has it that the Dudley's were descendants of Edmund Dudley, beheaded in 1510, and John Dudley, beheaded during the reign of Lady Jane Grey. John's son, Guildford, was betrothed to Lady Jane but was also later executed. It was said that the family was cursed, and when they settled the tract of land known as Dudleytown, unspeakable things began to occur. The now completely deserted town is said to have been home to many suicides, disappearances and even demonic activity that have given rise to several urban legends. The site is no longer a public area due to vandalism and trespassers, and visitors are ticketed or towed if caught. While its abandonment is attributed by some to social and economic factors, such as declining mining and poor farming conditions, it is most popularly blamed on the alleged curse. Yet it is still attracting ghost hunters despite being private property. Would you risk a ticket to investigate this spooky town?

2. The Ridge Home Asylum was a real facility that opened in Arvada, Colorado in 1912, but it's become an urban legend because of its history. It reportedly housed patients who were horribly mistreated—some of whom weren't even mentally incapacitated in any way, but had just been forsaken by their families. Beginning in the 1940's and 1950's, reports of underfunding and overcrowding began to emerge from the asylum, as well as reports of abuse, including forced sterilization. Though it was closed in 1991 and demolished in 2004, people say they can still hear the screams and see the apparitions of former patients on the grounds. Do stories of patient abuse in any type of health institution make you angry?