It seems like everyone has a triangle these days. Of course, we’ve all heard of the Bermuda Triangle, and lately, there have been shows about the Alaska Triangle. There are also the Bennington Triangle, the Bass Strait Triangle (which is a little confusing because how can a strait be a triangle?), the Vile Vortices (I don’t think I even want to know), the Michigan Triangle, and the Romblon Triangle. Finally, the triangle of the day is one I just learned about— The Bridgewater Triangle.
I was watching the latest episode of “Kindred Spirits” this week, and they mentioned “The Bridgewater Triangle,” someplace I’d never heard of before. So, I looked it up (because you know that everything you find on the Internet is true), and what I found was VERY intriguing.
Wikipedia states, “The Bridgewater Triangle is an area of about 200 square miles (520 km2) within southeastern Massachusetts in the United States, claimed to be a site of alleged paranormal phenomena, ranging from UFOs to poltergeists, orbs, balls of fire and other spectral phenomena, various bigfoot-like sightings, giant snakes and thunderbirds. The term was coined by New England-based cryptozoologist Loren Coleman.”
That’s a busy triangle!
I also discovered that Loren Coleman was a neighbor…kind of…not really…well, he’s also from Illinois. Decatur, Illinois – only about a five-ish hour drive, so practically neighbors.
And, so you don’t immediately think he’s a kook – Coleman studied anthropology and zoology at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, then did some summer work in archaeology. He received a graduate degree in psychiatric social work from Simmons College in Boston. Coleman was admitted to the Ph.D. programs and took doctoral coursework in social anthropology at Brandies University and sociology at the University of New Hampshire’s Anthropology/Sociology Department.
He’s also the founder of the Cryptozoology Museum, a place that is definitely on my bucket list! He tweeted today that “after 6 months of working on this project, the nonprofit International Cryptozoology Museum has acquired 490 Broadway, Bangor, Maine – so he’s expanding!
Anyway, back to the Triangle.
Roadtrippers.com has actually divided the triangle into a road trip. What could be better than a road trip and creepy things, right?
The triangle is only 30 miles south of Boston. The towns that make up the points of the triangle are Rehoboth, Abington, Freetown, and, of course, Bridgewater. So, it’s not exactly a perfect triangle – more like a squiggly parallelogram.
It also includes the towns of Raynham, Brockton, Norton, and Taunton.
Here are some highlights from Roadtrippers:
“A few key dates to keep in mind with the Bridgewater Triangle: 1760 was the date for the very first “documented UFO report” in the entire world. It was sighted directly over the Bridgewater Triangle. Then, in 1908, local papers reported on another UFO sighting. Then in 1968, several witnesses allegedly saw a large orb floating in the trees in the woods of Rehoboth. Then in the 1970s, UFO sightings were frequently reported in area newspapers. In fact, in 1976, two UFOs were “seen” by witnesses to land along Route 44 in Taunton. A Bridgewater policeman also reported seeing a UFO in 1994 in the town of Raynham.”
“Next up, the ultra-creepy Hockomock Swamp, a 5,000-acre swamp smack dab in the western part of the Bridgewater Triangle. This is the largest swamp in all of New England. Home to a mysterious 8,000-year-old Native American burial ground, when discovered by archaeologists, their bodies disappeared upon excavation. The Wampanoag people called the swamp “the place where spirits dwell,” and after visiting, you might believe that yourself. There have been several bigfoot sightings in the swamp and several accounts of a large half-man, half-ape hairy creature prowling the area. There have also been reported sightings of a cryptozoological being called a “Thunderbird,” which is best described as a massive pterodactyl-like bird with a large wingspan, between 8 and 12 feet long.”
Civilwarghosts.com adds to the story of the Hockomock Swamp, “Near Hockomock Swamp, reports abound of Bigfoot sightings. Huge creatures, ape-like in appearances, skulking about.
Norton Police Sergeant Thomas Downy claims – and even filed a report – on the fact that he had witnessed a thunderbird. The mythical Thunderbird – a giant pterodactyl-like flying monstrosity with 12-foot wingspans are constantly being spotted in the area near Hockomock Swamp and neighboring Taunton.”
It also seems that the triangle has its own version of Resurrection Mary. Boston.com shares this information, “There is a stretch along Route 44 in Seekonk where the “red-headed hitchhiker” has become a phenomenon. Motorists have reported seeing a man with long, red hair and a full beard walking along the roadside, but when they stop to pick him up, the man disappears. Others have allegedly reported driving through the spirit and even having picked him up before his disappearance.”
And, if that isn’t enough for you, there is the abandoned Taunton State Hospital where, according to usghostadventures.com, the horror started well before things became paranormal. “Taunton State is a psychiatric hospital located in Taunton, Massachusetts. Now just a shell of one of Massachusetts’ haunted hospitals, the building opened its doors in 1854. Taunton State bore witness to hundreds of psychiatric patients and, more notably, a couple of notorious serial killers. Originally known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Taunton, it was the second of its kind in the state of Massachusetts. The hospital and surrounding facilities are located on a rolling 154-acre farm along the Mill River.
The complex itself was expanded several times to make room for more and more patients. At its largest, it was comprised of over forty structures. The main building, Kirkbride, closed in 1975, and after its demise, the rest of the buildings fell into a state of disrepair. Taunton State, like most psychiatric hospitals of the time, followed the Kirkbride design, which allowed the hospital and campus to act as a self-sufficient town, and structures were built to maximize exposure to natural light as well as air circulation. The building form itself was meant to have a curative effect.
Sadly, innocent people, such as veterans who sustained brain injuries and those with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Tourette’s Syndrome, were admitted to the hospital. Women who experienced anxiety and panic attacks, post-partum depression, and even fatigue, were also high on the list of those brought to the hospital.
Some of the ‘science’ used to ‘cure’ patients included mostly pseudo-sciences like Phrenology, which measured a person’s skull, dead or alive, to find patterns that the mentally ill shared. These ‘sciences’ continued at Taunton State Hospital well into the late 1940s, and the abuse carried on just as long. Solitary confinement, electroshock, and lobotomies were commonplace in hospitals of Taunton’s kind at the time.”
If that wasn’t enough, allegedly, parts of the hospital were used by satanic cults during the 1960s and 1970s. Now visitors often report being touched by non-living entities and will often find orbs on their pictures once they examine them after their visits.
As my friend from Boston might say, “Wicked Scary.”
Happy Friday!!!
Ok that’s all just too much in a small area!