Bridgewater Triangle
The Bridgewater Triangle refers to 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 UFO's to poltergeists and orbs, balls of fire and other spectral phenomena, various "bigfoot" sightings, giant snakes and "thunderbirds", as well as the mutilation of cattle and other livestock.
Location
Specific boundaries of the Bridgewater Triangle were first defined by paranormal researcher Loren Coleman in his book Mysterious America.[2] and said to encompass the towns of Abington, Brockton, Rehoboth and Freetown at the points of the triangle, and Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Whitman, Middleboro, Dighton, Berkley, Raynham, Norton, Easton, Lakeville, Seekonk, and Taunton inside the triangle. Similar claims have been made about an area in neighboring Vermont called the Bennington Triangle.
Historic places and landmarks
Hockomock Swamp - Central to the area is Hockomock Swamp, which means "the place where spirits dwell".[3]
Dighton Rock - Also found within the boundaries of the Bridgewater Triangle is the Dighton Rock.
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.[4]
Paranormal claims
Common to most of these areas is a mix of reported phenomena that includes reports of UFOs, mysterious animals and hominids,[5] ghosts and poltergeists, animal mutilations.
- UFO sightings: During the 1970s a number of UFO reports originated from the area of the Triangle, including an account by multiple witnesses at Joseph's Restaurant in Rehoboth in 1973, reports from two Boston radio reporters (channel WHDH) on March 23, 1979, and reported in the Sunday Enterprise.
- Bigfoot sightings: There have been several reported sightings of a bigfoot-like creature in the triangle, usually near the Hockomock swamp. Joseph DeAndrade claimed to see a half man and half ape creature entering the woods near the swamp in 1978. Local resident John Baker also reported seeing a large hairy beast in a river in the swamp while canoeing.[3]
- Thunderbird sightings: Giant birds or pterodactyl-like flying creature with wingspans 8–12 feet are claimed to have been seen in Hockomock Swamp and neighboring Taunton, including a report by Norton Police Sergeant Thomas Downy.[5]
- Mysterious lights: One of the most common phenomena observed in the area is "spooklights" or the will-o'-the-wisp, sometimes known as ghost lights, a phenomenon typically seen in boggy or swampy areas. Mysterious lights also appear along train tracks every January, and foxfire has often been observed within the swamp.
- 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.[4]
- Murders: Among the recorded homicides are over a dozen confirmed murders in the forest over 1978 to 1988.[citation needed]
- Mysterious tombs: When archaeologists excavated a burial ground located on Grassy Island in the Hockomock Swamp and opened the graves, the red ochre within the tombs mysteriously bubbled and dissolved. Photographs of the site would not develop. [6]
- Satanic Rituals: The Freetown-Fall River State Forest (within the Triangle) has been the site of several gruesome murders linked to admitted Satanists or otherwise consistent with Satanic Rituals.
- Indian curses: According to one tale, the Native Americans had cursed the swamp centuries ago because of the poor treatment they received from the Colonial settlers.[dead link][7]
- Ghosts: There are reports of people seeing various ghosts.
References
- ^ Bridgewater Historical tidbits
- ^ Mysterious America
- ^ a b Tales from the swamp – The Boston Globe
- ^ a b NewStandard: 11/1/98
- ^ a b Swamp monsters: Strange sightings are routine in the Bridgewater Triangle
- ^ Delabarre, Edmund Burke. A Prehistoric Skeleton from Grassy Island. American Anthropologist New Series, Vol. 30, No. 3, Jul. - Sep., 1928.. pp. 476–480.
- ^ http://www.historyplace.com/specials/kingphilip.htm
External links
- "Historical Tidbits", Bridgewater Public Library website
- "Tales from the Swamp", by Ross A. Muscato, The Boston Globe
- "The Old Haunting Grounds" Brian MacQuarrie, Boston Globe, October 30, 2006
- "Swamp monsters: Strange sightings are routine in the Bridgewater Triangle", Jean Porrazzo, Brockton Enterprise
- Can't See the Forest Through the Trees", Mary Jo Curtis, South Coast Today
- "Enigma of the Dighton Rock", American Heritage Magazine
