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King Philip's War Synopsis

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The following is excerpted from "The History of Raynham," By Patrice White MASSASOIT WAS KING PHILIP'S DAD; WHEN HE DIED, THE WHITE MEN WERE SAD Massasoit, sachem of the Wampanoags, had established peaceful relations with the white men, and when he died, Massasoit' s sons Alexander (Indian name, Wamsutta) and Philip (Indian name Metacom or Pometacom) pledged to keep the peace. This was not easy, however, as the English and the Indians struggled for survival and land. At times Philip and his men felt humiliated by the English. The primary causes of the bloody conflict known asKing Philip's War go far back of the  outbreak of hostilities in 1675. It was undoubtedly inevitable, sooner or later. When Philip became sachem of the Wampanoags in 1662, it became evident that he was not likely to maintain the friendly relations with the English - so firmly established by his father. He was jealous of the progress of the settlers in occupation of the lands they

Small Towns, Big Murders: Bizarre Crimes of the Bridgewaters

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This is a photo of an actual grave of one of the Bridgewater Triangle's many murder victims. It was late on a cold Monday night in February, 2010 at the Bridgewater police station. And here in this quiet New England town, the scene looked more like a page out of a Stephen King novel than a Monday night at a small town police station. A man's face was smeared with blood, as were his hands. His clothes were drenched a deep crimson. "Do you need medical attention?" The police officers asked him. "No." The man answered quietly. "The blood is not mine." Earlier that night, 41-year old Brian Bellamy smashed a hammer through a window of his estranged wife's parents home and headed up the stairs possessed with rage. Bellamy's two year-old son was sleeping next to his wife, but that did not deter him from his evil and dastardly deed. Bellamy started bludgeoning his wife with the hammer. Hard, violent blows to her face and neck.

The Mystery of The Royal Wampum Belt of the Wampanoag

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 When the colonists explored the area south and west of Plimouth Colony, they found many abandoned Wampanoag villages. Much of the land around these ghostly vacant villages was littered with the skulls and bones of Wampanoag people who died from a devastating smallpox invasion brought to New England in 1617 by Captain John Smith. By the time the mayflower landed, the numbers of natives had been reduced to a "manageable" number. ​  A treaty of peace between the survivors of the Wampanoag tribe and Plimouth Colony lasted forty years. During that time, the innocence of the Wampanoag was lost when their land was taken from them under the guise of lies and misconception on the colonists' part. The first example of this, was the deed to Bridgewater, signed by Massasoit in 1649 for the equivalent of $35 in today's standards. The great chief thought he was merely granting permission for the colonists to use the very fertile 70 square miles sold unde

SEA SERPENTS OF THE SOUTH SHORE: A HISTORY OF DOCUMENTED AND REPORTED ACCOUNTS OF THE SEA CREATURES OF HULL AND SCITUATE

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Massachusetts lays claim as being the first state to document a sea serpent sighting. An Englishman by the name of Josselyn witnessed a creature “coiled like a cable upon a rock in Cape Ann“ in 1639. In August of 1817, the same area would be spotlighted when “The Gloucester Sea Serpent” was first sighted by local fisherman. The great creature was seen by locals almost every day that month. Books such as "Gloucester's Sea Serpent" by Wayne Soinim and “The Great New England Sea Serpent” by J.P. O’Neill chronicle the mass sighting. The subject of the Gloucester Sea Serpent was even the featured on an episode of Animal Planet’s “The Lost Tapes” in 2008. And in that same year, The Museum of Science held an exhibit about the legend.  Depiction of the Great Sea Monster of Gloucester.  While legends of sea monsters in the North Shore have been spotlighted in the media for years, the sea serpents of the South Shore have kept their secret locked up in the memor

The Bridgewater Triangle's Freaky Little Waterman's Bird Farm

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  Bob Waterman's unique brand of advertising stands on the side of the road off of Route 105 in Halifax.  Not paranormal--but far from normal--is a freaky little farm tucked away on Old Summit Street in Halifax, right off of haunted route 105. There are signs everywhere leading the way. They want you to come. The signs pointing to the farm are adorned with eye catching decorations like plastic snowmen and Santa Clauses. You follow the weathered signs and you arrive at what looks to be at first glance a place that's half Pee Wee's Playhouse and half house of horrors.      Dirty stuffed animals and dolls dangle by their necks from trees. Old spring rocking horses are everywhere. You ask yourself, what the hell is this place?   You feel like you are trespassing into the mind of a madman. You suddenly get the feeling you shouldn't be here. That's when the cutest old man welcomes you to his farm and asks you if you would

NBC1O's R.J. Heim Interviews Bridgewater Triangle UFO Witness, Jerry Lopes

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One of the strangest (and ironically most credible accounts) of all the stories of the Bridgewater Triangle is that of a UFO encounter in West Bridgewater at the off ramp of route 24 to route 106. Two men were on their way for a night out after a long day's work. Their destination was Raynham-Taunton Racetrack for some dinner and betting. The encounter took place on March 23, 1979. Stuck in traffic exiting the ramp, the men were shocked to see a "baseball diamond shaped" UFO right over their heads. One of the men claimed it was so close, he could have likely thrown a rock at it. This man was newsman Jerry Lopes, who was working at the time for WHDH radio (now WEEI 850 AM). His friend was also a newsman at the station, making the story these two witnesses had to tell one that people finally took seriously after weeks of area residents claiming to have seen low-flying UFOs. The story of Lopes' sighting was made famous by Loren Coleman, the "father" of the Br

Goodness Gracious...Great Balls of Fire!

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A rash of UFO sightings have been reported in 2011 in the Bridgewater Triangle...and beyond. Between the National UFO Reporting Center and MUFON, there have been 21 reports of the "fireballs" over the skies of Southeastern Massachusetts in the year 2011. Sightings from all over, with witnesses reporting almost the same experience: looking up at the sky and seeing orange or amber "fireballs." At first they look like stars. But these ones move. And dance. And divide. And disappear. Even morph into illusionary helicopters and planes...or sometimes more ships. Hundreds of such sightings have been reported wordwide in recent years. But there is no doubt that activity in our area is approaching an all time high. The first Bridgewater Triangle sightings of the fireball phenomenon was first reported to me back in January of 2011. Two young men watched two of them for over thirty minutes in the skies over East Bridgewater. The following year, I was contacted by another wit