Bridgewater Triangle

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A map of the Bridgewater Triangle

The Bridgewater Triangle is an area of about 200 square miles (520 km2) within southeastern Massachusetts in the United States,[1] claimed to be a site of alleged paranormal phenomena, ranging from UFOs to poltergeists,[2] orbs, balls of fire[3] and other spectral phenomena, various bigfoot-like sightings,[2][3] giant snakes[4] and thunderbirds.[4]

Location[]

Specific boundaries of the Bridgewater Triangle were first defined by cryptozoologist Loren Coleman (who coined the term) in the 1970s,[4] and then in his book Mysterious America.[5][2]

Historic places and landmarks[]

A 1902 postcard photo showing Profile Rock
  • Hockomock Swamp - Central to the area is Hockomock Swamp, which means "the place where spirits dwell."[2][1] English colonizers called it "Devil's Swamp".[2][6]
  • Dighton Rock - Also found within the boundaries of the Bridgewater Triangle is Dighton Rock, noted for its petroglyphs, carved designs of ancient and uncertain origin, and the controversy about their creators. In 1963, during construction of a coffer dam, state officials removed the rock from the river for preservation. It was installed in a museum in a nearby park, Dighton Rock State Park.
  • Freetown-Fall River State Forest - The Freetown-Fall River State Forest has reportedly been the site of various cult activity including animal sacrifice, ritualistic murders committed by admitted Satanists, as well as a number of gangland murders and a number of suicides.[7]
  • Profile Rock - The supposed site of where Wampanoag historical figure[3] Anawan received the lost wampum belt from Philip, legend has it the ghost of a man can be seen sitting on the rock with his legs crossed or with outstretched arms. Located within the Freetown-Fall River State Forest.[8][3]
  • Solitude Stone - An inscribed stone located near Forest Street in West Bridgewater which was found near a missing person's body. Also known as "suicide stone," the rock was found with the inscription: "All ye, who in future days, Walk by Nunckatessett stream Love not him who hummed his lay Cheerful to the parting beam, But the beauty that he wooed."[9]
  • Bridgewater State University - Several buildings and rooms on campus are alleged to be haunted by ghosts and other paranormal phenomena.[10]

Paranormal claims[]

Common to most of these areas is a mix of reported phenomena, that includes reports of:

  • Unidentified flying objects, often in the form of bright balls of light or large, unusual spacecraft.[10]
  • Unnatural animal sightings, ranging from unusual reports of animals that are not found within the area (such as panthers and bears) to more supernatural claims of giant snakes and enormous vicious dogs.[10][11]
  • Paranormal humanoids, including sightings of Bigfoot, ghosts, poltergeists, and shadow people.[10][11]
  • Thunderbird sightings: Giant birds or pterodactyl-like flying creature with wingspans up to twelve feet are claimed to have been seen in Hockomock Swamp and neighboring Taunton and Easton,[4] including a report by Norton Police Sergeant Thomas Downy.[10][1]
  • Cult activity, especially animal mutilations: Various incidents of animal mutilation have been reported, particularly in Freetown and Fall River, where local police were called to investigate mutilated animals believed to be the work of a cult. Two specific incidents in 1998 were reported: one in which a single adult cow was found butchered in the woods; the other in which a group of calves were discovered in a clearing, grotesquely mutilated as if part of a ritual sacrifice.[7]
  • Native American curses: According to one tale, Native Americans had cursed the swamp centuries ago because of conflict with Colonial settlers.[2][12] A revered object of the Wampanoag people, a belt known as the wampum belt, was lost during King Philip's War. Legend says that the area owes its paranormal unrest to the fact that this belt was lost from the Native people.[8][unreliable source?]
  • Pukwudgie: A creature from Algonquian folklore.[13] The local Wampanoag people consider them to be dangerous tricksters.[13] They have been especially associated with the Freetown State Forest within the Bridgewater Triangle.[4]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Historical Tidbits - Bridgewater". Bridgewater Public Library. 4 June 2003. Archived from the original on 6 June 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Muscato, Ross A. (October 30, 2005). "Tales from the swamp". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 4, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d MacQuarrie, Brian (2006-10-30). "The old haunting grounds". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 27 May 2007. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  4. ^ a b c d e Coleman, Loren (25 October 2013). "Monsters of News England". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 28 October 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  5. ^ Coleman, Loren (2007). Mysterious America : the ultimate guide to the nation's weirdest wonders, strangest spots, and creepiest creatures. New York: Paraview Pocket Books. ISBN 1-4165-2736-2. OCLC 123301073.
  6. ^ "Hockomock Swamp". Beyond the Bridgewater Triangle. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017.
  7. ^ a b Curtis, Mary Jo. "Can't see the forest for the deeds". South Coast Today. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008.
  8. ^ a b Balzano, Christopher; Weisberg, Tim (2 July 2012). Haunted objects : stories of ghosts on your shelf. Iola, WI: Krause Publications. pp. 33–34. ISBN 978-1-4402-2991-6. OCLC 794136544. Archived from the original on 5 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  9. ^ J., Vieira, Michael (2017-04-10). New England rocks : historic geological wonders. Conway, J. North (Jack North). Charleston, SC. pp. 66–67. ISBN 9781439660348. OCLC 993647007. Archived from the original on 2021-07-05. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  10. ^ a b c d e Hyman, Rebecca (October 2011). "Boo! The tricks of the 'Bridgewater Triangle'". Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  11. ^ a b Shaun Robinson (October 31, 2020). "'A paranormal Disney World': The Bridgewater Triangle has scares for everyone". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  12. ^ Tougias, Michael (1997). "King Philip's War in New England". The History Place. Archived from the original on 2007-10-26. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
  13. ^ a b "Pukwudgies, little people of the Algonquian tribes (Pukwudgie, Puckwudgie, Bagwajinini)". www.native-languages.org. Archived from the original on 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-07-05.

Further reading[]

Schultz, Eric B.; Tougias, Michael J. (2000). King Philip's War: The History and Legacy of America's Forgotten Conflict (1st ed.). Countryman Press. ISBN 978-0881504835.Coordinates: 41°56′N 71°05′W / 41.93°N 71.09°W / 41.93; -71.09

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