Intro
Massachusetts has its fair share of strange stories—Bigfoot in the woods, ghosts in old houses, and UFOs zipping through the sky. But there’s one creature that stands out for being both unsettling and oddly overlooked: the Pukwudgie.
These small, human-like beings have deep roots in Wampanoag folklore and, according to some locals, might still be hiding in the forests of southeastern Massachusetts today—particularly in the eerie region known as the Bridgewater Triangle.
What Exactly Is a Pukwudgie?
In Wampanoag tradition, Pukwudgies were once friendly to humans—but that relationship soured over time. Today, they’re more often described as tricksters or even dangerous beings.
Most accounts describe them as standing about 2 to 3 feet tall, with grayish skin, large noses and ears, and sometimes even quill-like spines on their backs. Legends say they can turn invisible, shape-shift, and use magic to lure people off cliffs or fire poison-tipped arrows from the shadows.
According to Andrew Warburton, traditional stories often show them as group-dwelling spirit beings—but modern encounters tend to involve a lone, cryptid-like creature, deep in the woods and not particularly pleased to see you.
Modern Sightings in the Bridgewater Triangle
Most recent Pukwudgie sightings center around the Bridgewater Triangle, a roughly 200-square-mile stretch of southeastern Massachusetts that includes the Hockomock Swamp and the Freetown-Fall River State Forest—places already steeped in strange phenomena.
The Joan Encounter
One of the most well-known modern stories comes from a woman named Joan, who was walking her dog through the forest in the 1990s when she spotted a short, gray creature watching her from behind a tree. It had glowing green eyes, a vaguely human shape, and disappeared just as quickly as it appeared.
Over the next few days, she saw the same figure again—this time near her home. Joan’s experience was later documented by Christopher Balzano in his book Dark Woods, which chronicles decades of paranormal reports in the area.
More Than Just One Story
Joan isn’t alone. Hikers have reported catching glimpses of something small darting between trees, or hearing odd rustling and chatter with no clear source. Some describe a feeling of being watched, sudden waves of fear, or even strange smells they can’t explain.
Warburton notes that many of these people had never even heard of Pukwudgies before their encounters—making it less likely that they were imagining something they’d already been primed to see.
Local Lore Goes Mainstream
By now, the legend has taken such deep root in the local culture that in 2017, the Freetown Police Department leaned into it with an April Fool’s Day post: a photo of a fake “Pukwudgie Crossing” sign. It was a joke, sure, but it showed just how much the creature has become part of the region’s identity. The story was later picked up by The Yankee Express.
What Are People Actually Seeing?
No one knows for sure. Some say it’s folklore, evolving with the times. Others think these sightings could be misidentified wildlife—like a porcupine seen upright, or a small predator moving in the dusk.
But researchers like Balzano point to the consistency across witness accounts—the glowing eyes, the size, the behavior, the almost intelligent presence. And many of the people he interviewed had no reason to make it up.
Whether it’s a trick of the mind, a real cryptid, or something else entirely, the story keeps popping up—again and again.
Final Thoughts
The Pukwudgie may not be as famous as Bigfoot, but it’s arguably more disturbing. It’s ancient folklore, sure—but it’s also part of something that feels very real for the people who’ve seen it.
So if you’re ever out hiking near Freetown State Forest or wandering through the Hockomock Swamp at dusk, keep your eyes low to the ground. You might not see anything at all.
Or you might see something staring back.