Haunchyville

Locals say that within the woods near Muskego, Wisconsin lives a conclave of little people, whose homes are built-to-scale and in the woods. In the mythical village is said to live an old man with albinism, who serves as their protector. Legend has it, if trespassers are caught, the unruly dwarves cut their legs from the knees down, so they are forced to live like one of them.{{cite book| title=Weird Wisconsin: Your Travel Guide To Wisconsin's Local Legends And Best Kept Secrets| publisher=Sterling| location=Milwaukee| isbn=978-0-7607-5944-8| pages=[https://archive.org/details/weirdwisconsinyo00godf/page/272 272]|url=https://archive.org/details/weirdwisconsinyo00godf/page/272| author=Godfrey, Linda| edition=1| author2=Hendricks, Richard| accessdate=25 February 2011| date=2005-04-07}}

According to the legend, after continuous exploitation of a number of circus dwarves, they revolted against their ring leader. After killing their master, they hanged him in a wooded area, after first cutting off his arms and legs. To avoid arrest, or even worse consequences from the circus community, the dwarves set out to create their own community, built exclusively for dwarves.{{cite web|last=LaRose|first=Eric|title=Tales from Wisconsin's Darkside|url=http://www.wisconsinosity.com/Waukesha/tales_from_wisconsins_darkside.htm|work=New book shows how weird Wisconsin really is|publisher=Eagle Herald|accessdate=25 February 2011|location=Marinette, Wi|date=2005-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718070101/http://www.wisconsinosity.com/Waukesha/tales_from_wisconsins_darkside.htm|archive-date=18 July 2011|url-status=dead}}

The story goes that an old man lives among the dwarves. He is said to wait at the end of Mystic Drive, shotgun in hand to ward off anyone trying to cause trouble to the dwarves.

The story also goes that he first met the group of dwarves as a child. As a young boy, he accidentally stumbled upon Haunchyville and, since he instantly treated them as equals, they sheltered the young boy and raised him as one of their own. As he grew up, he notoriously defended the dwarves, often resorting to violence.

In Punisher #16-17 (2002), Garth Ennis used the legend as basis for a two-part story in which "little people" formed their own mob and cut off their rival mobsters' legs from the knees down, as Haunchyville residents supposedly do to trespassers.

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book| title=Weird Wisconsin: Your Travel Guide To Wisconsin's Local Legends And Best Kept Secrets| publisher=Sterling| location=Milwaukee| isbn=978-0-7607-5944-8| pages=[https://archive.org/details/weirdwisconsinyo00godf/page/272 272]|url=https://archive.org/details/weirdwisconsinyo00godf/page/272| author=Godfrey, Linda| edition=1| author2=Hendricks, Richard| accessdate=25 February 2011| date=2005-04-07}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718070101/http://www.wisconsinosity.com/Waukesha/tales_from_wisconsins_darkside.htm Tales from Wisconsin's Darkside]
• [http://www.avclub.com/milwaukee/articles/dont-go-back-to-haunchyville,41933/ ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530072330/http://www.avclub.com/milwaukee/articles/dont-go-back-to-haunchyville%2C41933/ |date=2013-05-30 }}
• [http://www.wisconsinosity.com/Waukesha/waukesha.htm#attraction03 wisconsinosity.com ]

{{Urban legends}}

Category:Wisconsin culture

Category:Waukesha County, Wisconsin

Category:American urban legends

Category:Mythological places