By Thomas D’Agostino

Within the Freetown/Fall River State Forest, many strange occurrences related to King Philip’s War and the Wampanoag people that once called the area home can be witnessed. The forest covers over 5,000 acres within the city of Fall River, the town of Lakeville and one-third of Freetown. The publicly-owned preserve has over fifty miles of unpaved roads and trails. The forest is also home to a 227-acre Wampanoag reservation. Author and historian Christopher Balzano has written extensively on the area called the Bridgewater Triangle and the Freetown Forest which lies within the triangle.

What can be seen on occasion in different areas of the woods are what witnesses call phantom fires. When the beholder of the phenomenon investigates, they find that the fires give off no sound, smoke or heat. The glow of the fire is contained to a small area above the ghostly flame. As soon as they appear, they vanish, leaving no trace of a blaze in the spot. In some cases, the woods are so thick or difficult to navigate that it would be improbable or senseless to set up a camp in the particular spot where the fire is seen.

Many believe the phantom fires are a residual haunt, a moment in time recorded long ago and replaying when the conditions are right. The fires are replays of the past when Indigenous people camped on the land. They tend to appear randomly within the forest, giving the illusion that someone or something has set up camp for the night.

One of the most haunted places within the Freetown State Forest is a rocky outcropping called Assonet Ledge. The cliff one sees today was mostly formed by the Fall River Granite Company in the 1800s. For years, local youths have used it as a gathering place for parties. Not so for the Wampanoags, who shunned it due to the negative energy surrounding the precipice. It is not recorded how much of a ledge or rocky outcropping existed before the company began quarrying, but there had to have been some sort of cliff for them to discover and commence digging the granite from the earth. The presence of an existing ledge of some sort gives credence to the Wampanoags relating the fear of a ledge before the company began taking the granite from the area.

Shadow people are often seen in the surrounding forest. Reports of hideous-looking creatures flitting among the trees and brush have scared many a visitor to the preserve. Some people who climb to the top of the Assonet Ledge report a very heavy feeling of sadness suddenly overcoming them. The feeling becomes so intense that they are compelled to leap off the edge to their possible demise.

Several people have died from falling over the ledge or drowned in the waters below. Some who have taken the plunge claim they were pushed by an unseen force—which may be a mystical creature called a Pukwudgie, known to entrance people to the top of the cliff before pushing them over. Pukwudgies are small creatures of Indigenous lore. They can appear and disappear at will. They reside predominantly within the area called the Bridgewater Triangle, where they remain mostly unseen. Many people in the region of the triangle, either residing there or visiting, have witnessed Pukwudgies roaming about. They are said to be very dangerous. When seen, do not approach or attempt to communicate with them, as they will surely lure you to your death.

One of the main theories about why the ledge may hold such negativity dates to King Philip’s War. Many of the Natives, knowing that capture by the English meant torture, dishonorable death or being sold into slavery, chose to climb to the top of the ledge and jump off rather than face the indignity of surrender.

To this day, visitors roaming the area of the ledge hear what sounds like war whoops and see the ghosts of warriors moving about the trees and rocks of the ledge. The area where the state forest sits is obviously magical, whether it be positive or negative energies permeating the land. Legends, haunts and strange tales abound in the forest. It is obvious the Indigenous people were aware of the unworldly powers the woods held—and still do.