Ghost town of Bald Mountain
March 14, 2012 11:55 AM   Subscribe

Doodletown, NY, from the Dutch "dood dal" meaning "dead valley" a ghost town since the 1960s, lies just an hour north of New York City in Bear Mountain State Park

Now a haven for hikers, the history of the town includes the 1777 trail (skip to the 4th heading), running through the old town center, which was used by the British on their march to take Fort Montgomery during the Revolutionary War.

Also notable as the location of the Edison Mine, established in the late 19th century as a source for iron.

Some claim that the name of the town was the inspiration for the song "Yankee Doodle Dandy" which the British purportedly sang while passing through the town, though others claim that the name of the song derives from the german "dudel", meaning a simpleton.

A couple of the town's cemeteries can still be found deep in the woods.
posted by aloiv2 (9 comments total) 15 users marked this as a favorite
 
Forgot to include this NYT article.
posted by aloiv2 at 12:01 PM on March 14, 2012


For those who think that "dood dal" sounds like something you'd order at an Indian restaurant, "dood" is cognate with "dead" and "dal" is cognate with "dale." Deathdale.
posted by Nomyte at 12:03 PM on March 14, 2012 [4 favorites]


Deathdale

aloiv2, Nomyte: Thanks for giving me a setting for my next Call of Cthulhu campaign.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:24 PM on March 14, 2012 [2 favorites]


My hometown in CT had a similar ghost town: Gay City. I used to love walking around the old foundations as a kid - I should maybe get back into that kind of stuff. Or at least read more about it on the web.
posted by Banky_Edwards at 12:36 PM on March 14, 2012


I would love to go with a legit archeologist to one of these sites and just start digging up old crap. There's got to be outhouse pits, etc. full of artifacts. And crap.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:45 PM on March 14, 2012


Reminds me a bit of Cades Cove
posted by HuronBob at 4:02 PM on March 14, 2012


Last month, I was hiking across the river from here (Breakneck Ridge, if you live in the area, is a badass climb -- the white trail is intense but not too long, and you're rewarded with a great view) and we saw signs for Doodletown. I snickered at the name but didn't really think about it after that. So, thanks for the reminder that I wanted to investigate. This now becomes my next Hudson Valley excursion.
posted by andromache at 9:56 AM on March 15, 2012


Pretty sure this is the Bear Mountain that was the inspiration for Bob Dylan's "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues."
posted by e1c at 12:44 PM on March 15, 2012


Deathdale contains the entrance to the portal to the abyss of Scarytown.
posted by LogicalDash at 6:29 AM on March 16, 2012


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