By Thomas D’Agostino

Mr. Andrade witnessed a bigfoot in 1978. He spied a huge strange-looking creature walking down a hill about two hundred feet in front of him. He described it as being over six feet tall, brown, and hairy. He could not see its face, as it was walking away from him. Since then he has recorded many accounts of the “Bridgewater Bigfoot.” He would later go on video describing his account and showing a representation of what he saw. It was not the first time he encountered the creature. While collecting firewood during a camping trip, he heard a very loud growl which he would later describe as sounding like “something from hell.”

His camp mates also heard the roar. Whatever it was, it was very close and gave them the impression it did not want them there. In all their years of camping in those woods, they never heard any such sound as that.

Three other campers pitched a tent in the woods near the swamp. Shortly after setting up camp, something threw a very large log at them, causing the party to vacate the premises. The next morning, they went back to fetch their gear and tried to lift the log that was thrown at them. All three had the most difficult time trying to hoist it off the ground. Whatever it was possessed immense strength to be able to catapult the massive piece of wood into the campsite. 

John Baker of West Bridgeport, Massachusetts witnessed the “bigfoot” monster in the early 1980s. While hunting in the swamp, he had the feeling someone, or something, was following him. He turned and saw a large hairy beast standing in the brush along the side of the water only a few yards from him.  The “thing” was tall, covered with hair, and smelled very badly. It turned and ran off into the woods. He has since searched for the creature, but has never come across it since that fateful day.

One of the oldest and amazing legends in New England pertaining to strange creatures is that of a small being called a Pukwudgie. Pukwudgie, or Puk-Wudjie, which roughly translates into English as “wild man of the woods” or “little wild man of the woods that vanishes.” These human-like little demons are deeply steeped into Wampanoag folklore and are considered the oldest and most dangerous mythical creatures in North America. Author, Educator and Historian Christopher Balzano hit it right on the nose when he stated “Large monsters are intimidating, but cannot fit under the bed, or in the closet, or in the corner of the room just beyond where the illumination hits. Small monsters can hide, sneak into thin cracks and slip out of sight.”

The Pukwudgie is known to do just that and more. The creature is described as being about two to three feet tall, covered in hair from head to toe, resembling the likes of a troll. They have the power to appear and disappear at will, lure people to their deaths, shape shift into various animals, shoot poison arrows and instantly create fire. Anyone who gets on the wrong side of a Pukwudgie is bound to meet with horrible circumstance.

According to Wampanoag legend, the Pukwudgies were very friendly and helpful to humans until the tribe, thinking they were a nuisance, had them rid from the area by the giant, Maushop. Some survived and remained in the area of the Bridgewater Triangle, wreaking havoc on those who crossed their path.

Stories of these evil fairies go as far back as the written word but, for some reason, were not well received until the early twentieth century when Elizabeth Reynard published The Narrow Land: Folk Chronicles of Old Cape Cod. Within this book are several Wampanoag legends, including that of the Pukwudgie. More recent accounts have flooded pages of books, daily, weekly and monthly publications and the internet.

Pukwudgies also use the souls of the dead to lure victims to their demise. One person followed a ball of light into the woods only to spot one of the diminutive demons trying to lure him in further. A few nights later, while in the same area, the same creature stalked the person while he sat in his auto. 

One of the more interesting warnings against the evil demons in recent times was the placement of a sign along Slab Bridge Road near the Freetown State Forest reading, “PUKWUDGIE XING.”

If you decide to look for Pukwudgies, be careful and do not annoy them. Many people in the area who have encountered one of the mystical creatures will tell you some things are often better left alone.