NEW ENGLAND PARANORMAL RESEARCH

Joe DeAndrade thinks the swamp may be the habitat of a creature yet to be identified. In 1978, DeAndrade, then 24, was standing on the shore of Clay Banks, a pond in Bridgewater near the swamp. His back was to the water.

''I was standing there, and for some reason I had to turn around," DeAndrade says. ''It was a chill or something inside me.

''And I turned around, and there, off to the right, maybe 200 yards away, there was this -- well, I don't know what it was. It was a creature that was all brown and hairy, like a big apish-and-man thing. It was making its way for the woods, but I didn't stick around to watch where it was going. I ran for the street."

He has never figured out what it was he saw. Not long after his encounter, the Bridgewater resident organized expeditions in search of the Bigfoot-like creature. Equipped with cameras and rifles, the searchers trekked deep into the Hockomock Swamp two or three times. They found not a trace of the beast.

About five years after DeAndrade saw his creature, another local resident reported seeing something similar.

John Baker, a veteran fur trapper, was about a mile from his West Bridgewater home, on a canoe in a river in the swamp, laying muskrat lines on a winter night. Paddling along in the quiet, Baker heard a loud crash and rumble of an animal in the nearby woods. Frozen with fear, he saw a large hairy beast slog into the river and pass within a few yards.

''I knew it wasn't a human because when it passed by me I could smell it," Baker said in an interview in 1998. ''It smelled like a skunk: musty and dirty."

Baker, who died in 2001, always maintained that he could not identify what he saw, but that in his more than 30 years of trapping in the swamp, he never saw such a thing before or since.

Is there a natural explanation for the unnatural or supernatural in the Hockomock Swamp? (written by globe newspaper)

Hmm...the creature sounds a bit like a Roux-Ga-Roux to me.

Very interesting!

 Hi.myself and a friend walked across the swamp.It was a drought year and we started out by scouting for deer hunting.It was august,hot and drought conditions.We started on route 24 at the gate with the big power lines.We searched close by first and discovered someone was growing pot plants there.The plants where gone,but the wells they dug,the shovels,five gallon buckets and miracle gro, was still there.It was a drought year,so they had to dig wells for water and use buckets,to pull it up.

 So we continued on and set out to cross the swamp,no compass,no maps,nothing besdides the sun.As we headed for what we believed was a pond on the other side of the swamp.Lake nippenicket.As we traveled along we went through a cedar (think they where cedars) swamp area.They where so thick,as we went into them the sun grew dark.The lower branches on them looked dead,but where unbreakable and they got thick.Soon it was hard just to get through them,but we made it through them,cut up and sore.

 It was time to get back on track to the lake (no more detours just to see).As we went along my buddie and hunting partner bass (from whitman now pelham NH) was leading and we now came across some grass (no idea what it was) that was at least10 feet or taller and thick.We basiclly had to swim through it,all of a sudden bass stops,turns towards me and puts his finger on his mouth (shhhh).I didn't move a muscle,just strained to look ahead.After a few minutes i tapped him and mouthed what?He looked at me and said  RAPTORS.He had me for a minute.

 We moved on and out of the tall grass (cane looking stuff) and towards the lake again.It wasn't to long before we where walking on what we thought was the bottom of the swamp lots of green growth,but dry.We stopped for a break,drink and a smoke,as we kneeled down,we started to sink.We looked around us and realized that we where sinking down,just the growth where,we were standing.I found a stout stick and started to stick it into the ground,thru the growth.To my startelment,the stick went thru the growth,a carpet of living material interwoven like a carpet,in different directions and very strong,thank god,bass is a BIG BUY.We mighta fell thru if it was weaker.I stuck the stick thru the growth and tried to hit bottom,i couldn't.It was at least as tall as i was and wasn't hitting bottom.The water was shooting up because of our weight and a puddle was forming.So we moved on and the puddle followed us,we where walking not on the bottom,but a carpet of living growth.We soon ditched the puddle and moved on and ahead to the lake,as we recongined.

 Nothing special,different terrains,growths,grasses and then we saw it.A island in the middle of the swamp.He went right to it and sat down,there was a ring of rocks like a fire ring and a few others to.We figured someone canoed out there when it had water visible in it.We got up and started to search the island and saw about 30 deer takeing off from the island.We got ready to move on the the lake when i spotted a musket,a old musket.It was in rough shape but non the less it was a old musket gun,as we looked around more we found old shoes,real old shoes.i poked around them i found a pair of glasses.They where old also and wire framed only.Not of any modern type glasses,we gathered it up and said we'd pick it up on the way back,plus search some more.I think we found a place the patriots hid in.A island in the swamp,with camp fire rings,muskets,shoes and eye glasses,i thought of the hardness they went through,and maybe,some died there to.It was a special place,i don't think anyone has ever been to,before us.

 We moved on and towards the lake again,nothing special to talk about,tired,hot,hungry and can't wait to jump in the lake.We made it there was the lake.Were on the backside of it, near a pump house.So we strip down and jump in,after ten minutes we get out and get dry, then dressed.

 We are heading back now and i can't wait to get to the island again.We never found the island.We came back,faster then when we went out,but somehow we never saw the island.We looked around really good,but couldn't find it again.Sun started to set so we headed back.We came out right where we started,but somehow missed the island.

 I have walked many swamps in communistchusetts,long before gps's and maps where readily available.I have never gotten lost (except once) and it was a blizzard that blewup out of no where.It was a whiteout for 5 hours.I still found my way out,it was nine pm when i got out,i was soaked,half frozen and probally would of died,had i not made a lean to and fire.I aslo hunt many of those swamps and other states to.'

 I know what animal shits what,otherwise,i can tell by the animals shit,what kind of animal they are and what they have been eating.I often find cats teeth and claws in the cocyotes shits.They will come to your doorstep at 4 am and look for kitty who's waiting on your doorstep to get in,when you awake.I watch them go,house to house looking.I know what scat looks like (bear shit) and any animal that lives in the eastern half of the usa.

 During out trip back through the swamp,we found some shit that wasn't from any normal animal.It was a cross between human shit and scat.Mm let me explain,it looked human,like someone had been eating steaks and it was hardlike (but newly shit out) and at the same time it was scat like at the other end and full of eaten berries,twigs and green swamp moss.Besides that,it was a lot and no toilet paper to be found.I was wishing i had some kind of container.

 So i assumed someone was living in the swamp,eating meat and vegitation.There where human size foot prints in the living growth of carpet,but nothing stood out like it woulda in sand or mud.

 We allways planned on going back there,with water in the swamp and a canoe.It's been at least twenty years now and i havn't been back yet (destination procastination).This time when we do go back,we will be,well armed, gps's,maps,compasses,food,more water and might stay out for a weekend.Yes,we will be bringing some seroius firepower,night vision and  game cameras.The firepower,most likely will be used,only if we run into some growers with an attitude.

 I've been told there's a moose,bear and fisher cats there now.Time will tell.I hope to find that island again and spend a night on it,not to mention searching the area good.

 I'm on facebook,jim perry

I lived in Raynham (the Bulls Eye of the Bridgewater Triangle) for many years, yet had never heard of the curse or weird happenings until late one night when I encountered and spoke with the 'Bridgewater Bigfoot'. The memory of the meeting still haunts me after decades.

I heard the thing before I saw it. "Eee wah chu. Eee wah chu!!!", it kept repeating.

I have filed a full report in an article on Hubpages. I hope you will follow the link, read it and then comment. I am trying to find someone else who has seen the strange, hairy potbellied humanoid swamp creature.

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Bridgewater-Triangle-Far-Worse-Scarier-than-the-Bermuda-Triangle