Moodus, Connecticut
Moodus is a village in the town of East Haddam, Connecticut, United States. The village is the basis of a census-designated place (CDP) of the same name. The population of the CDP was 1,413 at the 2010 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.
The area is subject to earthquakes, with an intensity VI quake occurring in 1568, and numerous quakes being recorded from 1638 onwards. The largest earthquake recorded for Connecticut was an intensity VII quake on May 16, 1791 near Moodus.
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. The Native Americans called the area "Machimoodus", the place of noises., because of numerous earthquakes that were recorded between 1638 and 1899. Loud rumblings, the “Moodus Noises,” could be heard for miles surrounding the epicenter of the quakes near Mt. Tom. The land, which is now Haddam and East Haddam, was purchased by settlers from the Indians in 1662 for thirty coats – worth about $100.
