Dunwich is a fictional town created by the late Howard Phillips Lovecraft for his short story "The Dunwich Horror".
Overview[]
Located in the northeast American state of Massachusetts, Dunwich is one of the country’s oldest settlements, with no village in thirty miles even nearing its age. The region has many hills, several of which bear large stone columns of unknown origins. The most recently constructed building is a mill at the falls which, like much of Dunwich, has fallen to ruin. A notable point of this town is Sentinel Hill.
Population[]
Whilst the exact population of Dunwich is unknown it is undoubtedly small, with a number of extended families scattered haphazardly throughout the nearby countryside. Due to its remoteness, by 1928 the inhabitants have become somewhat degenerate and inbred (HPL: "The Dunwich Horror"); by the mid-1980s, they have become so isolated from the outside world that not even a resurrected Wilbur Whateley raises any unibrows amongst the locals (EXP: "Wilbur Whateley Waiting").
Notable Features[]
Sentinel Hill[]
One of the many strangely-rounded hills in the nearby countryside, Sentinel Hill is a place with a dire reputation. It is crowned by a circle of incredibly ancient standing stones, surrounding a rock shaped somewhat like a sacrificial altar.
It was atop Sentinel Hill that a group of men led by Professor Henry Armitage defeated the monstrous Dunwich Horror in 1928 (HPL: "The Dunwich Horror").
The Covered Bridge[]
While not actually a part of Dunwich, the covered bridge provides the means to cross a ravine on the only road into town. In the modern day, it has been neglected to such a degree that the bottom has fallen out of it (apparently caused by the weight of a crossing automobile which lies on the ravine bed below) rendering the bridge unusable (EXP: "Wilbur Whateley Waiting").
References[]
- "The Dunwich Horror" (HPL)
- "The Ancient Track" (HPL)
- "Wilbur Whateley Waiting" (EXP)
External Link[]
A Map of Dunwich, Massachusetts, at Cthulhu FIles