Bridgewater Triangle: Bermuda of the Northeast

A Shape in the Shadows

Recently a couple of your New England correspondents, Jeb included, got together for a couple of libations. As the beer started flowing, so did the conversation, and that conversation flowed to a strange place. That strange place was the Bridgewater Triangle just south of Boston.



Over the years that are a number of supernatural phenomenon that has been observed here. There have been Bigfoot sightings, UFOs, poltergeists, and other manner of spectral activity in this narrow triangle in southeastern Massachusetts. Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman coined the term Bridgewater triangle back in the 1970s in their book Mysterious America. In addition to the recorded activity, there are quite a few points of interest in the form of historic places and natural landmarks.

Profile Rock



Profile Rock is reminiscent of The Old Man of the Mountain back when he was still standing strong in the White Mountains. In 2019 a large chunk of Profile Rock broke off, but the above image from a 1902 post card shows what it looked like in its prime. Local Wampanoags believed that this rock was created in the image of Chief Massasoit, who was a close friend to the early Pilgrims!

Solitude Stone



The solitude stone is another stone landmark found in the Bridgewater Triangle! On this stone is inlaid the following 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."



Doesn’t that sounds lovely? At first glance it sounds like a nice poem revering nature, but it has a darker history than the inscription suggests. The engraving was done in 1852 by Reverend Timothy Otis of Winslow, Maine. It wasn’t even discovered until 1962, under tragic circumstances. Evelyn Packard had gone missing, and her body was found near the stone 3 days after her disappearance. Some speculate that she was driven insane by paranormal experiences in Hockomock Swamp (more on that later). They say she was driven to suicide, and further investigation revealed another suicide in 1880 of a man named John Crane.

Is there something about Reverend Paine’s poem? Or is it the surrounding area that inspires madness?

Hockomock Swamp

“Hockomock” is an Algonquin term that roughly translates to “place where spirits dwell”. This swamp was a native burial ground with a litany of stories involving paranormal activity. Some say that Ms. Packard was driven insane by the things she witnessed in this swamp, and this madness led to her suicide at Solitude Rock.



The Hockomock, or sometimes called Hobomack, was the chief deity of death and disease to the Wampanoag. They were said to be comprised of human souls of the dead, and known to congregate in these areas.

In modern times, other supernatural sightings have been documented in this stretch of swamp. John Baker, a veteran fur trapper from the area, saw a familiar sounding creature while out in his canoe one night. One winter night, he was out laying muskrat traps when he heard a loud crash and rumble from the nearby wood line. When he looked over he saw a large hair beast that “smelled like a skunk: musty and dirty”.

The “Skunk-ape” of Florida also has this description. Is it possible a migration pattern brought this beast up to the Bridgewater Triangle?

Pukwudgie

Finally, one more creature that has been spotting in the Bridgewater Triangle, the Pukwudgie. The stories of these fellas go back to the Wampanoag folklore, and expand from Massachussets all the way up to Prince Edward Island and Indiana.



They used to be friendly to humans, and were said to be shapeshifters that could appear and disappear at will. Which sounds awfully familiar if you ask me. One thing is clear though, they are no longer friendly to humans. They are openly hostile according to folklore and should be actively avoided.

No known sightings have been documented in modern times, but who knows what you can find if you go out and look for it!

At the end of the day, you don’t have to travel all the way to Bermuda to find something supernatural or unexplained. I would have never guessed that a nexus of activity could be found right under my nose.

Keep an eye out for the unusual, and let us know if you find anything out there!

Keep on squatchin!