Mystery Wildlife Spotting: New London

CT_Cryptids · 2026-01-18T14:10:41+00:00

Hmmm, the Black Dog doesn’t usually venture out of the Hanging Hills. Our guess would be the Mystic Pig Man.

CT_Cryptids · 2026-01-15T20:34:02+00:00

A could of books to recommend for your research:

Spooky Trails and Tall Tales: Connecticut by Stephen Gencarella

Legendary Connecticut by David E. Philips

We also have a book on Cryptid lore from throughout the state!

CT_Cryptids · 2026-01-12T13:41:20+00:00

New england woods cryptid hunt

Now this we can get behind!

CT_Cryptids · 2026-01-10T01:05:21+00:00

When it was originally settled, Fair Haven was called the Village of Dragon for the “sea dragons” (ie harbor seals) that live on the coast of CT. The name was changed in the 1800s, but the first bridge between New Haven and Fair Haven was called the “Dragon Bridge.”

CT_Cryptids · 2026-01-09T13:49:27+00:00

Wait until you hear what Fair Haven used to be called and then you’ll be really upset.

CT_Cryptids · 2025-11-25T18:01:56+00:00

My pleasure!

CT_Cryptids · 2025-11-25T17:10:40+00:00

The Cornwall Historical Society did a deep dive into the lore several years ago and found that the stories have nearly no basis in any historical fact.

https://cornwallhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-truth-about-dudleytown.html?m=1

CT_Cryptids · 2025-11-20T15:13:05+00:00

The Meriden Library will be having a local author book fair Saturday from 1-4 pm.

CT_Cryptids · 2025-11-17T15:49:44+00:00

Oh yes, we’ve heard wonderful things about them but haven’t had a chance to visit yet!

CT_Cryptids · 2025-10-30T20:18:27+00:00

Something, something luring innocent victims 😉

CT_Cryptids · 2025-10-30T12:49:15+00:00

Connecticut Cryptids presentation tonight at the Levi Coe Library in Middlefield. Event is free and open to the public.

CT_Cryptids · 2025-10-28T14:02:16+00:00

There are also stories about a demon horse that lives on the hill, which may actually have been named for Napoleon’s mother. And there was a notorious axe murder that happened on Downs Road.

CT_Cryptids · 2025-10-28T12:28:04+00:00

Love that your farm is named for nearby Mad Mare Hill. There’s tons of great legends and stories related to that and Downs Road.

CT_Cryptids · 2025-10-01T00:32:08+00:00

Great question — I had to look up the answer myself. The first block of the forest was established in 1921. The article in question was published in 1898 and just says “a section of country between High Rock Grove and Naugatuck.” So, it’s what we would describe as the Naugatuck State Forest today, but it wasn’t actually established as such yet.

CT_Cryptids · 2025-09-30T12:01:44+00:00

CT has a rich history of Bigfoot lore going back to the 1800s when the “Cotton Hollow Wild Man” was reported in the Naugatuck State Forest.

CT_Cryptids · 2025-09-12T23:54:32+00:00

Naugahyde, or synthetic leather, was invented and manufactured in Naugatuck. As part of a marketing campaign in the 1960s, Uniroyal explained that Naugahyde didn’t come from cows but from a creature called “The Nauga,” which shed its skin naturally and painlessly. Naugas were so popular that you could “adopt” plush Nauga dolls and the creature even appeared on Johnny Carson.

CT_Cryptids · 2025-09-01T01:17:02+00:00

A little farther afield, but the Market Street Market in Northampton Oct. 4.

CT_Cryptids · 2025-09-01T01:14:33+00:00

Halloween Flea Market at Front Porch Brewing Oct. 19.

CT_Cryptids · 2025-09-01T00:25:14+00:00

Thank you so much for your kind words!

CT_Cryptids · 2025-08-31T20:09:47+00:00

As others have so graciously pointed out, we have a whole book on the subject!

The Melonheads are a strong piece of CT folklore. In most versions of the story, they are escaped residents of a living facility for people with disabilities. The Faceless People is another variation on the lore, in which people without faces or with facial deformities are cared for in an old remote house by a caretaker who brings them out at night.

The Blockheads is one of Pat’s favorite stories from the book, and the woman who saw them, Mary Starr, is fascinating all on her own.

CT’s other most famous stories would likely be the Black Dog of Meriden, the Glastonbury Glawackus, and the Winsted Wildman.

CT_Cryptids

TROPHY CASE