Hoax Museum Archives
Hoax Museum Hall of Fame
|
The Legend of Midgetville
For Christmas I received a great book, Weird U.S.: Your Travel Guide to America's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets by Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman. Immediately I flipped through it to find anything about San Diego, and soon came across the legend of Midgetville. Midgetville refers to the legend of a town consisting of scaled-down houses built for little people. Midgetville is said to exist in various places throughout America. As Moran and Sceurman note, the most credible rumor locates such a town in Jefferson Township, New Jersey, on the former estate of circus mogul Alfred T. Ringling. There really is a collection of small-sized houses there that could conceivably have once been home to a colony of midgets. However, another very persistent legend locates a Midgetville in San Diego.
Moran and Sceurman don't go into much detail about the San Diego Midgetville, but I realized that I had heard this legend before (my wife had also heard it). This is how it goes: back in the 1930s a group of little people who had made a lot of money in Hollywood appearing in movies such as The Wizard of Oz supposedly came down to San Diego and built a collection of miniature houses on Mt. Soledad where they could live in comfort together. But of course, nobody seems to know exactly where on Mt. Soledad this group of small houses was or is, though everybody has heard of a "friend of a friend" who once accidentally found the houses (though this FOAF can never remember how to get back there).
Determined to find the houses, I did a google search and came across an article from 2003 written by Kenneth Smith for the Daily Aztec detailing his own efforts to track down San Diego's fabled 'Munchkin Houses'. After many false starts, he finally discovered that they were most probably "a group of four cottages on Hillside Drive in La Jolla... built by famed architect Cliff May." Although no midgets or little people were ever known to live in these houses, Smith says that, "The houses do indeed have smallish features, accentuated by an optical illusion. The steep road that passes them makes them seem even smaller than they actually are." Unfortunately only one of the four cottages remains standing, but Smith provides directions to find it: "take Hillside Drive from Torrey Pines Road. The house will be on your left-hand side. Look for the crazy midget handwriting." He also mentions that if you peek through the window (the house is unoccupied) you'll see "cobblestone-like tiled floors and a little round fireplace."
Of course, I had to see this for myself, even if no colony of Wizard-of-Oz midgets had ever lived there. So on New Year's Day I convinced my wife to accompany me on a search for the Munchkin House. The results were mixed. It was no problem finding Hillside Drive, but as it turns out Hillside Drive is fairly long. We were driving up and down it (as a line of cars formed behind us) wondering 'exactly which house on the left did he mean.' None of the houses leaps out at you and screams 'Munchkin House.' But finally we settled on one house that we figured must be it: Seventy-Four Seventy-Seven Hillside Drive. It had small windows and a small door. Plus, the address written beside the door looked a bit like 'crazy midget handwriting' (though I think Smith was joking about this). Ignoring the 'No Trespassing' sign (even though part of the legend of Midgetville is that the midgets who live there fiercely defend their land from the Bigs), I peeked through the window and saw the cobblestone-like tiled floors and a little round fireplace. So I think I found the Munchkin House, though I'm not 100% sure. It's certainly not anything that would catch your attention if you weren't specifically looking for it since it's really not that small, which made the trip a bit disappointing. But the weird thing is, I've already forgotten how to get back there.
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
Page 1 of 13 pages 1 2 3 > Last »
This story sounds like Haunchyville near Milwaukee WI. The difference is in Haunchyville the midgets are supposed to get mad and chase you away with axes and pitchforks.
Posted by Mark M. in Milwaukee, WI on Sun Jan 02, 2005 at 06:05 PM
This sounds like a legend in San Antonio, Texas about a place called Midget Mansion. As I recall, and it's been over 20 years since I heard the story so I've forgotten plenty, is that a house was built by a local oil baron in the mid 1920s. He hired midgets to act as servants and housekeepers and built midget sized passages so they would stay out of sight of guests. The house people say was the mansion was torn down about 15 years ago to make way for an apartment complex so tracking down the truth would be difficult.
Posted by Reinstag on Sun Jan 02, 2005 at 07:03 PM
On the photo of the "No Trespassing" sign, there is a piece of paper with printing or writing on it attached to the sign. What did it say? Do you have a close-up or can the existing picture be enlarged?
Thanks
Posted by skeptic53 in Seattle on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 12:41 AM
Thanks
Even though the end was a disappointment, I think there's enough material for a quirky road movie in this extended narrative. All you need is to add some odd encounters with roadside freaks along the way - you've already got a boy and a girl - and perhaps an open-topped Chevrolet. Perhaps you could be chased by mobsters, or something. And you've got plutonium in the boot of your car. Yes.
Posted by Ashley Pomeroy on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 05:47 AM
"A video camera has been installed to watch you and your dog! If your dog defecates here we will unleash a gang of murderous midgets upon you. Turn back now, Mr. Big!"
Posted by Larry in California on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 09:16 AM
I live near Gibsonton, Florida. Famous for it's retired Circus performers, equipment, and the like. My husband's great-grandmother lives there. She was a contortionist w/ a circus (not sure which, but the majority of the people in the area are from Ringling), her daughter was some sort of show-girl. They're both retired & living in a trailer park there. The lobster-hand family lived there for a while...we used to see them all of the time. Ever since the murders though, you don't see them as much. Either they left...or just don't like to get out. There are these little empty lots everywhere that hold out-of-use funnel cake carts, merry-go-rounds...you name it, it's there during the off season!
http://www.gibtown.com/town.htm -or-
http://www.culturallyflausa.com/path/region.php?region=3&page=11
Posted by Maegan in Tampa, FL - USA on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 09:34 AM
http://www.gibtown.com/town.htm -or-
http://www.culturallyflausa.com/path/region.php?region=3&page=11
These little towns or tiny towns are everywhere. I was driven by one by a friend after a few brews. All I saw was a small house. The same story, angry little people yelling at you and chasing you off. This one was in Vienna Va.
Posted by Oscar in Virginia on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 11:12 AM
Why do you want to stalk little people? Don't you think they already get enough grief as it is?
Posted by Craig on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 12:04 PM
My husband's great-grandmother says that there is some sort of Little People's Associate...sort of like PETA, but for little people (I think little people is the actual preferred term...).
Posted by Maegan in Tampa, FL - USA on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 12:07 PM
Santa Barbara (Montecito) supposedly has a whole street of miniture mansions for "little folk". I need to find out the street name again & can't remember if they hate or enjoy the tourists?
Posted by sbnature in sb ca on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 12:07 PM
When she was a young girl, my mother attended the Texas Centennial Exposition of 1936 (it was the 100th anniversary of Texas declaring independence), which was held at Fair Park here in Dallas.
Among many memorable features of this extravaganza, there was a "midget town," or was it "midget village"? This was a group of houses built to a miniature scale, and the fair organizers hired a few dozen very small people to live in them, and basically be on public display, during the course of the fair. I'm not sure what was supposed to be so amusing about these people except that they were small, but I guess (I hope, anyway) they were well paid for their time.
My Mom told me all about this and other wonders when I was a pre-schooler, but I have since seen it mentioned in histories of the Texas State Fair (which is still held every year, but without the freak shows of old).
Of course, this was a temporary "Midgetville" built as a deliberate tourist attraction, not any kind of permanent settlement.
After the 1936 Exposition, it is said that many of the same performers went on to play Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz movie (which was made in 1939, if I remember correctly). I doubt that any of them made huge amounts of money at it, though. Remember, this was the Great Depression, and there wasn't exactly a surplus of jobs for people of very diminutive stature, and it was also the era when movie studios were all-powerful and regarded actors as pretty much interchangeable.
Posted by Big Gary C in Dallas, Texas on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 04:10 PM
Among many memorable features of this extravaganza, there was a "midget town," or was it "midget village"? This was a group of houses built to a miniature scale, and the fair organizers hired a few dozen very small people to live in them, and basically be on public display, during the course of the fair. I'm not sure what was supposed to be so amusing about these people except that they were small, but I guess (I hope, anyway) they were well paid for their time.
My Mom told me all about this and other wonders when I was a pre-schooler, but I have since seen it mentioned in histories of the Texas State Fair (which is still held every year, but without the freak shows of old).
Of course, this was a temporary "Midgetville" built as a deliberate tourist attraction, not any kind of permanent settlement.
After the 1936 Exposition, it is said that many of the same performers went on to play Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz movie (which was made in 1939, if I remember correctly). I doubt that any of them made huge amounts of money at it, though. Remember, this was the Great Depression, and there wasn't exactly a surplus of jobs for people of very diminutive stature, and it was also the era when movie studios were all-powerful and regarded actors as pretty much interchangeable.
That house looks pretty much like a run-of-the-mill southern California house to me. No tiny little door, tiny little mailbox, tiny little furniture, half-size stairs, or the like.
Posted by Big Gary C in Dallas, Texas on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 04:33 PM
I have actually lived in houses smaller than this!
Posted by Myst on Mon Jan 03, 2005 at 06:36 PM
Thanks for writing this article and posting the pictures! I'm a native San Diegan and have been hearing the stories about "Midget Land" (at least that's what people I know call it) since high school. I've even tried going there a few times. The urban legend states you have to pass 4 bridges or the like. I'd sworn I found it once, but wasn't really sure and could never find it again. It's been years and the directions are still hidden in my car somewhere (even though they don't really take me to the same place I thought it was). Anyway, me and a friend mine had recently gotten "curious" again... and I'm just thankful someone's actually taken pictures! THANKS you've saved me a tank of gas!
i have heard of a "midget town" in downey, california. i have friends that swear they have been there. i finally got the directions out of them, and even located it on a map, where this place is supposed to be, but they say its closed off by a chain marked "private property" and that i wouldnt be able to get in anyway. i still wanna try though.
Posted by Lex in los angeles, california on Sun Jan 16, 2005 at 10:39 PM
I'm also a native San Diegan, but frankly, I have never in my life heard stories about Midgitville until now. Maybe if I'm ever up in that area I'll go drive by myself.
Posted by Razela in San Diego, CA on Sat Jan 22, 2005 at 09:30 PM
There is one in Fort Worth, Texas. It consists of about 4 minature houses, a minature church and minature stables. It's on the estate of a mansion that came up on the market last year. The little houses had air-conditioning and appeared to be recently occupied.
My uncle had told me about several years back. Complete with the aggressive little people living there. I didn't believe him, but when the place came up on the market, sure enough there it was just like he had said.
Posted by Joe in Arlington TX on Tue Feb 08, 2005 at 09:15 PM
My uncle had told me about several years back. Complete with the aggressive little people living there. I didn't believe him, but when the place came up on the market, sure enough there it was just like he had said.
I LOVE LITTLE PEOPLE
Posted by jojotigerlily in Connecticut on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 11:18 AM
Let's get small...
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Mon Feb 14, 2005 at 11:36 AM
Page 1 of 13 pages 1 2 3 > Last »