Abandoned Fairy Village

e1savage (Atlas Obscura User)

Nestled into the woods at the end of a service road, in view of a major interstate highway in Connecticut, is the crumbling ruins of a fairy village. Forgotten by most, and overlooked by the rest, the “Little People Village” of Waterbury, Connecticut, slowly sinks back into the forest.

You can see a stone cliff with tiny houses carved into the side as well as a giant throne. Evidence of a lush garden once planted here is scattered around, as the plants and flowers have overgrown their beds and both the gardens and fairy houses have assimilated into the forest. It is a beautiful and haunting place that leaves visitors feeling like they just had a surreal experience.

Many local myths have arisen over why these tiny houses were created. Some rumors say that a woman from the nearby town of Middlebury went mad and claimed she was being vexed by little fairies, demanding that her husband build them a village so they would live far away from her and leave her in peace. Another story is that a man named William heard the voices of the elves, who demanded that he build them a village. After doing so, they still tormented him until he took his own life. Locals say if you go out on the night of a full moon you can hear the sounds of the elves laughing at the trick they played on him.

Still others claim the miniature village was a roadside tourist attraction, which is the most likely answer. It is very close to the main road, which was once a trolley line. It’s likely the attraction was quite popular for a while and then was abandoned when the major highway was built. What is left today is a haunting echo. The tiny fairy houses are lost and crumbling in the woods, where they greet visitors on a well-walked path. While some litter can be found, the location is more or less without graffiti or other trash.

Know Before You Go

This location does not have an address and is both very easy to get to and mildly difficult to access if you are driving there in a car. The closest place to park is Maggie McFly’s (a restaurant). To access the fairy village, find Old Waterbury Road. At the end of this road is an old access road that is now more of an overgrown trail. You cannot drive down the access road, and there are signs saying you cannot park on Old Waterbury Road or risk being towed. They don’t want people parking there to walk to the village.

While not restricted or illegal, the town doesn’t make it easy to access the area because they are worried about vandalism and misuse. You will need to walk along the service road until you see giant power lines and the highway in front of you. Once you pass under the giant power lines keep to the left going into the woods down a well-walked trail. Depending on the time of year the path is usually pretty visible. Go towards the crumbling main large human-sized hut. On the other side, you will find the cliff throne and some of the best-preserved fairy houses. There are several houses in various states of crumbling ruin scattered throughout the forest, but be careful if you stray from the trails; there is a lot of poison ivy.