The Bridgewater Triangle

You might be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn’t heard of the Bermuda Triangle, however, there is a triangle of paranormal activity that is just as mysterious on land that it may be safe to say outside of locals not too many know about it.  This being the Bridgewater Triangle, an area in southeastern Massachusetts in which the points of the triangle encompass the towns of Abington, Rehoboth, and Freetown.  Several other towns fall within this triangle including Dighton, Taunton, and of course, Bridgewater.  The Triangle has long been known as a mysterious, heavily active area going as far back as 1760 when UFO sightings were reported.

Being that I am a lifelong New Englander, I’ve heard various stories about the Triangle.  As a paranormal enthusiast for as far back as I can remember, it was always exciting to know that so much activity was really just a mere few miles away.  The Triangle pretty much covers the spectrum of the paranormal.  There have been numerous reports of ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot, Thunderbirds, and much more.   While certainly there have been investigations by numerous investigators over the years, the Bridgewater Triangle remains somewhat known outside certain circles.  Perhaps it just has never been as publicized as other key hauntings, but as mentioned this place has quite a lot to offer and is worth some recognition.

There are two notable cases that have always stood out in my mind: the ghost hitchhiker of Route 44 and the Bigfoot sightings near Hockomock swamp.  These are two of the more well-known incidents in the Triangle.  For a more in depth look at the history of the Triangle and some alarming reports of various encounters check out the video Inside the Bridgewater Triangle (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3557575337298655145#).

The ghost hitchhiker perhaps one of the more famous paranormal incidents to emerge from the Bridgewater Triangle.  Typically he is described as a man with red hair and wearing a plaid shirt.  He is often seen along Route 44 from Seekonk to Rehoboth.   While there have been numerous claims of sightings, one sighting in particular is rather chilling.  A woman reported a man fitting the ghost hitchhiker’s description appeared out of nowhere and with no time to stop, she ran over him.  She had immediately stopped her vehicle and jumped out to investigate only to find that on one was there.  Moments later she returned to her car, quite shaken but able to continue on.  As she drove, minutes later the same thing happened.  The hitchhiker appeared out of nowhere and once again she hit him.  This time did not exist her car but instead unrolled her window.  She saw nothing just like before.  Unlike the previous incident though she heard sinister laughing that sounded like it was a mere few feet from her car.  The women immediately sped away.

The Hockomock Swamp, often referred to as the “Devil’s Swamp,” is a vast wetland in southeastern Massachusetts.  Here there have been countless reports of Bigfoot sightings.  The most notable involving Joseph DeAndrade back in 1978.  While exploring the Clay Banks section of the swamp, DeAndrade caught a glimpse of a creature that strongly resembled Bigfoot walking slowly into the brush.  DeAndrade formed the Bridgewater Triangle Expedition Team with two friends in hopes of spotting Bigfoot again this time armed with rifles and cameras.  Unfortunately they never encountered Bigfoot again.  Over the years there have been many other sightings although there have been no record of humans being harmed by the creature.

To this point I haven’t actively investigated this area although I’ve spent time there and passed through on many occasions.  My renewed interested in the Bridgewater Triangle brought on by having some down time to do research on local paranormal hot spots will likely give me the nudge to investigate more thoroughly.  Paranormal activity exists just about anywhere although maybe not in as much of an assortment as the Bridgewater Triangle but still it’s out there.   I hope others will take it upon themselves to seek out these local paranormal gems where they live and investigate these mysteries.

Jen Blaney

Jen Blaney is a publishing, editing, and writing professional based out of Boston, MA.