It is officially spooky season, and I can’t be more excited! Usually, I try to keep things art, antique, or history related but not today my friends… As someone who grew up in Massachusetts it’s time to go on a tangent about the Bridgewater Triangle! Have you ever heard of it? If you’re local, you should!
The Bridgewater Triangle totally encompasses or partially hits Taunton, Brockton, Raynham, Berkley, Dighton, Easton, Norton, Mansfield, Middleboro, Swansea, Fall River, Freetown, and the Bridgewaters. Since one of those places is my hometown, I can confirm strange things do happen around here, and I have had my fair share of scary encounters alongside my family and friends! I’m not the only one who can testify to the paranormal in the triangle, either. Eyewitnesses have reported mysterious sightings as far back as colonial times, and before that, the local Native American tribes revered and feared the area for its powers.
Think of the Bridgwater Triangle as like the Bermuda Triangle, the only difference being this triangle is land bound. Things reported to occur in the area include UFO sightings, bigfoot, ghosts, shadow people, poltergeists, thunderbirds, pukwudgie, talks of curses, and of course cult activity. If you haven’t heard of thunderbirds, they are massive pterodactyl like creatures with wingspans up to twelve feet, while pukwudgie are associated with Algonquian folklore and the Wampanoag consider them to be dangerous tricksters that can shapeshift and vanish at will.
There are a few locations in the Bridgewater Triangle to check out if you’re in the mood for a spooky jaunt this season. Profile Rock is located in Freetown State Forest, and at this location it is said that the Wampanoag historical figure Anawan can be seen sitting on the rock with arms outstretched. Mayflower Hill Cemetery is a somber place to wander and read tombstones of locals who died young, while the grounds of Taunton State Hospital are a somber place to wander and think about all the locals who suffered there. Of course, you shouldn’t miss the dark sights and smells of Hockomock Swamp and Lake Nippenicket, either!
Not that you necessarily have to go looking for the paranormal to experience it; You could be minding your own business within the Triangle’s boundaries and something supernatural could happen. I had an uncle who claimed he was frequently visited by an old woman in black that sat at the end of his bed, and friends of mine that lived in the town center would be visited by the “Red Lady,” who would speak to them and reach out through air vents. Another friend always had a dark shadow in the corner of her room that wouldn’t go away even if direct light hit it. My sister had an experience when driving at night with a friend; they became lost and turned down a side road only to be cut off by a deer, nearly missing a massive pothole. She pinned the location, and they found their way home, but when they came back the next morning there was no road, and no way for them to even drive between the trees to the location they pinned!
I also experienced a strange ghostly encounter with my siblings when Pokémon Go came out. As we walked our street at night catching Pokémon, we noticed something strange beneath a streetlight. When we got closer, whatever it was didn’t move. We stopped and all came to the same conclusion that it looked like a pair of legs. Just legs! I’ll admit we were scared and obviously got the heck out of there! When we looked back to make sure nothing was following us… whatever it was had disappeared.
So, if you want to try and scare yourself or your friends, forget Salem… The Bridgewater Triangle is much closer and may be even more shocking!
