Many buildings in and around Boston are rumored to be haunted. However, there’s one town 34 miles south of the city, that seems to have a disproportionate amount of paranormal activity.
Bridgewater is home to 26,563 people… rather, that’s the population if we’re counting those with a corporeal presence. It’s one of the points on what has been dubbed the “Bridgewater Triangle” by author Loren Coleman (who wrote “Mysterious America”). This two-hundred square mile swath of Massachusetts is a hotbed of inexplicable phenomena. In short, if it’s weird, otherworldly, or just downright creepy, then it’s been spotted in the Bridgewater Triangle. Some investigators believe the triangle connects Bridgewater with East Bridgewater and West Bridgewater, while others think the area encompassed is much larger.
Back in Colonial times, a previously clear sky glowed a sickly yellow for no obvious reason, for a full day. The event became known as "Yellow Day." As time went on, reports and legends became even stranger.
Advertisement
It’s not unusual for colleges to gain a reputation for being haunted, either because there are plenty of possible witnesses to paranormal occurrences there or simply because students enjoy a good ghost story. That being said, Bridgewater State University appears more haunted than most.
Multiple students have encountered a ghost on the fifth floor of Shea-Durgin Hall; it apparently has a penchant for furniture arrangement and – bizarrely – for stacking cans!
In addition to cable TV access, this hall boasts a spirit that tampers with shower water, abruptly changing it from scalding to freezing.
According to urban legend a student was once choked to death by her boyfriend in the hall, which resulted in another restless spirit. Students have complained of hearing raised voices, gagging sounds, and generally getting bad vibes around a particular room.
In 1924, a fire blazed across the campus, burning down several structures including Old Woodward Dormitory.
No one died in the fire, but this incident is thought to explain why students in Woodward Hall are disturbed by a ghost thumping on their doors and tripping the fire alarm.
Its name means "the place where spirits dwell" and its nickname is "Devil’s Swamp." Parts of Hockomock Swamp are in Raynham, Taunton, West Bridgewater, Easton, and Norton.
During the First Indian War, which raged from 1675 to 1676, the Wampanoag battled English Colonists in a war that claimed many lives, some of them lost in this very swamp. Mysterious glowing lights have been seen in Hockomock Swamp, as has a Bigfoot-like figure.
These are more than enough spooky happenings for one town, but the strange stories just keep coming. A restless spirit is supposed to lurk in a bathroom at the Old McElwain School…
…and there have been what some have claimed are unusually high suicide rates for inmates at Bridgewater State Hospital, a healthcare facility for prison inmates suffering from physical or mental illness.
So, what do you think? Do some places seem like hubs for paranormal activity? Have you ever had a strange experience in the Bridgewater Triangle? Let us know on the Only In Boston Facebook Page.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
