Beth covers the supernatural hotspot of the Bridgewater Triangle. Wes offers another contender for the worst job in history: the Groom of the Stool.
Show Notes:
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...
W: I’m Wes
B: and I'm beth
W: and welcome to where our minds wander, all you fellow wanderers!
W: We hope everyone enjoyed our longer episode last week - we thought we’d go with another longer one tonight as well, and see how it goes!
B: Well, we kind of had to, because the topic I’m covering tonight is so big, I wanted to do it justice by covering as much of it as I could.
Speaking of topics - we were so into the topic of mediums last week that we recorded a bonus episode for all of you. You can find it in our premium content wherever you listen to us and we'd appreciate it if you’d check it out!
W: It's only 3 dollars and that's the lowest our hosting platform would allow us to go but if you're interested like Beth said check it.
W: And while you’re checking that out, if you could leave us a five star review and a comment, that would be great, too! We appreciate the feedback and it helps more people find us.
So with all that out of the way let's see where Beth's mind wandererd for this episode.
B: There’s the Bermuda Triangle. There’s the Bennington Triangle. And then there’s the Bridgewater Triangle. Take your pick - all three of the B’s have had strange occurrences within their perimeters for years. But it’s the Bridgewater Triangle that might win out for having the most variety of what many would consider paranormal stuff.
So that is my topic for tonight.
Located in southeastern Massachusetts, the triangle's three points are the towns of Freetown, Rehoboth, and Abington, with an area of about 200 square miles. Interestingly - Fall River- where Lizzie Borden lived, isn’t that far outside the triangle’s area.
What people claim to encounter there is, like I said, varied. UFO sightings are common, most often in the form of balls of light - although actual discernible craft are also reported. There are uncommon animal sightings- as in, animals that don’t live in the area are frequently spotted - like bears and panthers. But there are also reports of giant snakes, bigfoot, thunderbirds, and pukwudgies. Hauntings are common in the triangle, from shadow people to poltergeists. Animal mutilations were tied to cult activity back in 1998 and there are even tales of native American curses.
W: The bridge water triangle has everything you could want.
But when you consider the history of this area - it isn’t hard to see why so many paranormal things seem to happen there.
So - to really understand the area, we have to go back to 1665. A portion of the triangle is covered by the largest freshwater swamp in Massachusetts, spanning 17,000 acres - which the Wampanoag people named “Hockomock” which means “the place where spirits dwell.” It was the early colonists who dubbed it the “devil’s swamp.”
During the late 1600s, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, and Connecticut were in the throes of the First Indian War, also known as King Philip's War. To sum it up briefly - in Massachusetts, after the death of the Wampanoag Chief Massasoit, his son became chief. His name was Metacomet but he adopted the name “Phillip” because his father was an ally to the Mayflower pilgrims. But by the time Metacomet was in charge, the colonists had gone back on their word numerous times and continuously broke treaties. For their part, the angered Native tribes across all 4 colonies often retaliated with raiding parties. The tensions escalated into an all-out war, and all in all, almost 5000 people died - although that number may be way lower than the actual number. It’s estimated that between 2000 and 3000 were killed in the Native population and 2800 colonists were killed. But we know from history that numbers are often under-reported…
Anyway - Metacomet was sequestered in a natural rock cave in his final days, in the woods of what is now Norton, Mass. He was killed by one of his own men and then later beheaded by colonists. It’s in and around this cave - despite the housing development within walking distance - that people report strange goings-on. Most common are orbs of light that seem to dart in between trees. But then there’s also many reports of phantom fires - campfires in the distance that disappear when curious hikers get too close. They often hear beating war drums as well.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
To begin with, there are several large boulders in the triangle that are shrouded in mystery. In Freetown, there is a 50 foot-high rock that looks eerily like a human face. The Wampanoag people considered it sacred and that it resembled Chief Massasoit. Known as Profile Rock, the area immediately around it has been the site of strange happenings for centuries. Hikers have claimed to hear faint disembodied voices, almost like chanting, before coming across what looks like warriors dancing around the rock, only to vanish from sight. Others say the apparition of a man with outstretched arms sits on Profile Rock - again, only to shimmer and vanish. And there are reports of strange orbs of light flitting around the rock face and then whizzing off between the trees.
But still others are a mystery because of their strange inscriptions.
One inscribed boulder was discovered in the riverbed of the Taunton River way back in 1680 - and it might be the most famous of the enigmatic boulders. Known as Dighton Rock, it weighs about 40 tons. It’s slightly slanted in shape and has 6 sides - but it’s about the size of a small car, at 5 feet high, nine and half feet wide, and 11 feet long. So you might be wondering what’s so interesting about a river rock? Well - it’s covered in ancient petroglyphs that no one can figure out. The first time anyone recorded what was on the Dighton Rock was back in 1680, when an English colonist named Rev. John Danforth made a drawing of the petroglyphs. His drawing is now in the British Museum. In 1690 Cotton Mather described the petroglyphs in his book The Wonderful Works of God Commemorated. The glyphs are made up of lines, geometric shapes, humanoid figures and writing.
Theories on who made the markings have been bounced around for centuries, including Native Americans, which makes sense since we know Native Peoples lived there. There is one glyph that is similar to another one that was found in Eastern Vermont, but the rest of them aren’t similar at all to any known Native glyphs.
Other theories are that they are ancient Phoenician, Norse, Portuguese, or Chinese - but again, no one has been able to prove any direct correlations between the glyphs on Dighton Rock and those cultures.
But that’s not all when it comes to strange boulders in the triangle. In the
middle of a pine forest, in East Bridgewater, surrounded by trees and other rock outcroppings, another special boulder blends easily into the natural landscape. But when the sun hits it just right, a long carved inscription becomes visible. It says, “I wish may here remain.When yon brick shaft, on leafy Sprague, Overlooks no more the plain. And let the trees around it grow to stripe its sides with shade, As on the quiet August days, When I these letters made.
The poet who left the inscription on the unassuming rock also included the date, 1862, and it’s believed that the message was carved by a Reverend named Timothy Otis Paine. Now, Paine was well-educated in poetry, oriental languages, freemasonry, and Egyptology. In fact, at one point, he was considered to be the leading Egyptologist in the United States. The letters are so perfectly and evenly spaced, it must have taken an incredible amount of time and skill to carve them. The question is: why? Why would he carve such a long verse into a boulder in the middle of the woods?
And the funny thing is - it’s not the only one! In West Bridgewater, there’s a second carved boulder. It was found at the base of an old wooden bridge, where it was hidden for nearly 100 years. It reads, “All ye, who in future days, Walk by Nuckatesset stream, Love not him who hummed his lay,Cheerful to the parting beam, But the Beauty that he wooed, In this quiet solitude.”
Because of the inscription, this easier-to-find boulder has been nicknamed “Solitude Stone.” But again, no one knows why Rev Paine was inspired to carve it.
So - there are at least four interesting, if not downright mysterious rocks in the Bridgewater Triangle. Well, for history buffs like me, who also like a bit of mystery, it’s enough for me to think a place is cool - but the rocks are just one teeny tiny part of the strange happenings.
Because the Bridgewater Triangle also has more than its share of cryptids.
To start off, people have claimed to encounter giant snakes and red-eyed dogs but there are bizarre reportings of actual known animals being spotted in the triangle that don’t belong there - like bears and panthers.
W: Animals that don't belong there That's rather odd.
Two boys in 1988 didn’t see a panther or giant snake or red-eyed dog. Remember - all of the Bridgewater Triangle area was once home to the Wampanoag tribe, and several of the cryptids witnesses have seen seem to fit right in with Wampanoag legends.
While walking through the swamp, the two boys came across a pair of giant, three-toed footprints. When they looked up, they saw a massive creature. It was as tall as a man, with human-like features, but it also had massive wings. The creature, which could only be some kind of incredibly huge bird, took off, and so did the boys - they were so scared that they ran straight home. When they told people about it, of course they were laughed at, and pretty much everyone said it was nothing more than a great blue heron. The boys insisted that it most definitely was NOT.
But then people began to recall another story - this time, by a police officer, Sgt Thomas Downey, from back in 1971. Downey actually filed a report about what he had seen. He said he was driving home along Winter Street in Marshfield when he suddenly saw a huge creature standing by the swamp. He said it looked like a bird, but it stood over 6 feet tall. He said it resembled a massive black pterodactyl. When other officers arrived at the scene, they too, found strange, three-toed footprints. This giant bird man - because witnesses have said it appears to have man-like features as well as a 12-foot wingspan - might possibly be a thunderbird.
W: I find the whole birdlike thing creepy as all hell. other than owls or ducks I don't care for birds they just make me feel uneasy.
In Native American legend, Thunderbirds are so massive that they are said to create a sound like thunder when they beat their wings, and lightning shoots from their eyes. They have been known to attack humans when angered. The Wampanoag tribe did have their own Thunderbird myths and beliefs - so it’s interesting that witnesses have been spotting what could be one for the last 50 years.
But thunderbirds aren’t the only Native American based cryptid potentially living in the Bridgewater Triangle - witnesses have also claimed to have encounters with pukwudgies.
The triangle doesn’t just include the Hockomock swamp , it also contains the 5,441 acre Freetown State Forest - and, apparently, some Puckwudgies. And they are NOT as cute as they sound! Also prevalent in Wampanoag legend, puckwudgies are said to be a race of troll-like creatures. They stand 3-4 feet tall and have hairy gray skin and large ears. They kind of look like a cross between a porcupine on two feet and a gremlin. They’re known for causing mischief and can appear and disappear at will. They can create fire and shoot poison arrows and attack with short knives and spears. Or they throw sand to blind their enemy. Oh, and they also like to lure humans to their deaths, usually by pushing them off cliffs!
Legends abound about Puckwudgies - including the former site of an 18th century sawmill that once stood in Easton, Mass. The mill was owned by John Selee and the historic marker there states that his son, Nathan, was a wizard who ran the mill all night long by satanic imps he had conjured. Those “imps” were puckwudgies.
So you might be inclined to think that they are just myth- but they’ve actually been encountered in the triangle by some pretty credible witnesses. One man, named Bill Russo, told a pretty chilling tale about his encounter. He said he was walking his dog in the town of Raynham, after his midnight shift at the Raynham Ironworks.
His dog, which was a rottweiler/german shepherd mix, suddenly began “shaking like a washing machine.” He immediately started to hear a strange chant that sounded like “Keer. Keer. Ee Wan Chu.”
Bill didn’t see anything at first, but then, under the glow of a streetlamp, he could make out what he thought was a child in a Halloween costume. The child was only 3 or 4 feet tall and had an almost teddy-bear appearance, with a potbelly. But then he realized it couldn’t be a child in a costume, because its eyes were too big for its head and it started motioning to him with its arm.
Samantha, his dog, was struggling to get away from the creature - so Bill turned and went home. It was only later that it dawned on him - the strange creature might have been saying, “Come here, we want you.”
W: Well that certainly could be what it was saying. Sounds pretty close.
So- to sum up so far: strange rocks, some with ghostly apparitions nearby, possible thunderbirds, and puckwudgies. But that’s not it!
In the 1970s, residents near the Hockomock swamp started seeing a seven foot tall hairy creature running through their backyards. A woman in West Bridgewater looked out her window one day to see this hairy bi-pedal creature eating a pumpkin right in her garden. Convinced it was nothing more than a bear, police officers began staking out the area. On April 8, 1970, two officers in a cruiser were parked near the swamp. The back end of their car was lifted right off the ground and then let go, crashing back down to the ground. The officers spun around as quickly as they could, just in time to catch sight of a very large, very hairy, bi-pedal creature running away from their headlights.
In July of 1979, an official report came in from Plymouth County by a witness who said that for three nights in a row, between 2 and 3 am, they heard god-awful screaming coming from the woods behind their house. It didn’t sound like any animal they knew. They could also hear branches snapping and what sounded like something very very large coming closer to their house. Too scared to investigate, they wondered if it was a Bigfoot.
There have been more recent bigfoot reports, and one of them that I looked at from 2009 was pretty compelling. In it, the person making the report said a federal agent was also present at the time of the incident. It was January and snow covered their yard. Several family members were at the same house and it was a child who discovered massive footprints in the snow. When they followed them, they seemed to lead from trash can to trash can across several neighboring yards. I looked at the photos the witness included with the report - and, they are, without a doubt, the perfect “Bigfoot” track - like, they look exactly like what a bigfoot track would look like. The man used his own boot as a comparison, and they’re twice the size of his foot.
And where there’s bigfoot sightings, there’s UFO sightings - and of course the Bridgewater Triangle has those, too!
Interestingly, the UFO sightings in the area go back as far as 1760! In 1908, a sighting made the local newspapers. Then, in the 1960s, the sightings really took off (no pun intended!)
Over the span of two hours, one night in 1966, three separate groups of witnesses spotted objects in the sky glowing with different colored lights. One group said an object with amber glowing lights passed over their car before taking off. At the same time, another group of people in a car said they saw an oval object with red and orange lights hovering over the road. It took off with incredible speed when a car came from the other direction. The third group claimed the object was covered in red flashing lights and they could hear a high-pitched whistling sound.
The reports of strange lights and unidentified flying objects span all across the 1960s and crop up again in the late 90s. But the most interesting and most recent report I found, (all of these came through MUFON, by the way) happened in November of 2015. The witness and their brother were on Rt 24, passing the Taunton Mall exit when they both spotted a single bright light hovering over the highway in the northwest. The light didn’t move, even as they got closer to it (which would make me think that it was a planet) but then a second light appeared. This one was pulsating. After a few seconds of this second light appearing, the first one just blinked off, like it was turned off by a switch. They tried to keep their eyes on the second pulsing light, but they lost it in the tree line. Now - I’m sure they didn’t think it was just a planet and a star and that it wasn’t cloud cover that made the first light disappear. And since it was collected and validated by MUFON, I thought it was pretty cool.
Now- back to where I started - with hauntings. Profile Rock is just one place where spirits seem to dwell in the Bridgewater Triangle. Watch any ghost hunting show and they inevitably visit a home or business or cemetery within the 200 mile area, because ghosts are pretty much everywhere.
They run the gamut, too - from what could be urban legend to actual poltergeists. The urban legend end starts on Route 44 between Sekonk and Rehoboth. Drivers will be tooling along when they come across a lone man walking down the road. He’s wearing a red flannel shirt, dirty jeans, and boots. But the most distinguishing feature is his long red hair and bushy red beard. Sometimes he puts his thumb out for ride, but other times he doesn’t. Either way, you don’t want to stop. Because those who have, say he will get into the back seat without a word. If they ask where he is headed, he will just point straight ahead, silently. Quietly at first, the hitchiker will begin to giggle, of all things. Then, his laughter will rise into maniacal cackling. Most drivers will instantly become unnerved and pull over, demanding he get out. And he does - sort of. He simply looks at them with his soulless dark eyes and vanishes. In some cases, the driver doesn't even pull over, and the creepy apparition simply disappears out of the backseat.
It’s a creepy version of the hitchhiker legend - whether you believe it or not.
But there are more documented and proven ghosts in the area.
Take the abandoned Taunton State Hospital for instance. Opened in 1854, it was originally called the Taunton Lunatic Asylum, taking in all manner of people, from the truly mentally ill to the destitute. It eventually grew to be 40 buildings, including staff dorms, a chapel, a bakery, a theater, and a separate laundry. The original buildings were gorgeously gothic, with circular balconies and breezeways. But- it was an asylum - which we all know means that patients were subjected to all of the horrendous “treatments” used by most psychiatric hospitals of that time - the lobotomies and ice water baths.
In 1936 Governor James Curley visited the compound and said, “Some wards I visited were horrible places to put animals in, let alone human beings. It has been known for one nightgown to be swapped among three persons during the 24 hours.”
The main part of the hospital shut down in 1975 and it, along with the rest, has fallen into ruin. But people soon began seeing some unnerving things.
There is an elderly man who is often seen walking in the grass around the buildings while banging, screaming and moaning can be heard in the woods just at the property’s edge. Hazy images of people, like another elderly man, are often seen on the third floor of the Goss Building, shimmering in and out of sight. It doesn’t help that people have broken into the basement to draw cult and satanic symbols on the walls - creating legends that it was the hospital staff themselves who were practicing occult rituals.
I always feel bad when we talk about State hospitals or we see them on TV- because I know people suffered and I just hope that when curious people go to these places to investigate that they are being respectful and have empathy for what people went through.
A lighter side of ghostly activity seems to take place at the Hornbine School, an adorable little one-room schoolhouse that operated from 1862 until 1937. It’s the cutest little building, painted white. When you see it online, it’s hard to imagine that at one point, there were 49 students there up through Grade 9!
Residents who currently live by the school have claimed that when the school (which is now a museum) is shut for the day, they still hear voices coming from inside, as if lessons are still going on. Some have even sworn to see movement inside, and when they get a closer look, it’s clearly a teacher and students, dressed like it's still the 1800s. At recess, some of the children’s spirits have been witnessed playing in the grass.
And that’s just three - there are countless more, including cemeteries, businesses, and private residences. We could spend an hour or two just diving into those!
But to be fair - even if ALL of this stuff is just misidentified animals and imaginations run wild, it is pretty interesting that the Bridgewater Triangle area (which is huge) has so many different and strange things being reported.
And I think it’s pretty wild that for over 300 years, residents have been experiencing so many different things there - or at least, they believe they have. Many believe that it all ties back to the history - that the native tribes were forced off their land and their myths and legends have come alive to mess with future inhabitants.
Or - their myths and legends were based in a reality we don’t fully understand - and what has always been there will continue to be there.
Hey, Did you know?
Some of our favorite boxed food and beverages really were named after actual people: Duncan Hines, Captain Morgan, Chef Boyardee, Oscar Mayer, Marie Callender, Sara Lee, Ghirardelli and Guinness to name a few.
But some are not: Dr. Pepper for example - although I doubt anyone falls for that one. But what about: Francesco Rinaldi, Lorna Doone, Juan Valdez and Betty Crocker? They're entirely fake and the creation of advertising geniuses.Who Da Thunk It?
B: what are you talking about tonight?
W: So, I came across this interesting little article that I was originally thinking we could use as one of our “Who Da thunk Its” -
but then I started looking into it a little deeper - and well - I may have a brand new contender for one of the worst jobs in history -
B: oh cool! What is it?
W: the Groom of the Stool.
B: ok….well, that's sounds intriguing!
W: So The original article I found said that In July 1184, 60-100 nobles met in Germany at St. Peter’s church to try and settle some pretty nasty political disputes.
Unfortunately, with the amount of people that gathered inside the church the floor just couldn't handle the weight of that many people and it gave way plunging the nobles down into the open latrine in the basement.
All but three of the nobles died but there weren’t any records that indicated whether they died from the impact or whether they drowned in the cesspit.
Now Im assuming it was from the fall but I'm sure some of the nobles who happened to be the first to go in were crushed by the weight of the others on top of them and probably drowned in the cesspit.
Either way it had to be a pretty disgusting way to go.
So This kinda got me thinking about Medieval nobles and their bathroom situations and then I thought about that infamous scene in Game of Thrones - when Tyrion killed his father when he was on the crapper - and it all rolled downhill from there.
B: literally- shit rolls downhill!
W: So in one of our past episodes we talked about the sin-eater and I talked about the plague doctor.
I thought that could have been the worst job in history but perhaps The worst job in history might just be the Groom of the Stool.
Or - then again on the other hand maybe it really wasn't that crappy after all.
I'll leave up to all of you Wanderers to decide for yourselves.
So The first mention of a Groom of the Stool dates back as far as the mid 1400s, with a little poem that was written to help new grooms understand their jobs:
It goes a little something like this.
See the privy-house for easement be fair, sweet, and clean;
And that the boards thereupon be covered with cloth fair in green;
And the hole himself, look there no board be seen;
Thereon a fair cushion, the ordure no man to vex.
Look there be blanket, cotton, or linen to wipe the nether end,
And ever he calls, wait ready and prompt,
Basin and ewer, and on your shoulder a towel.
Not a poem I've ever heard of before but I guess it makes it's point.
B: no, it never really caught on a a nursery rhyme!
W: From what I found in my research it was King Henry the 8th who really liked his bowel movements to be attended to with some gusto.
And when we say “Groom of the Stool”, the “stool” being referred to isn’t the actual well, poop of the King,
but the chamber pot.
Generally, it was a box made of the finest timber with a hole in the top.
It would be draped in velvet (which, I would think, would be hard to clean, but anyways he probably didn't care because he wasn't the one who would have to clean it.)
Anyways
Inside the wooden chamber box would be a pewter chamber pot.
The Groom of the Stool was responsible for carrying this chamber box or stool, from palace to palace and then room to room, in case his King needed to go while on the go.
He also had to carry water, towels, and a wash bowl.
His first duty was to help the King undress - which was a big deal, since they wore a lot of layers.
His second duty was to make note of the King’s bodily reaction to specific food he had eaten and to keep track of his diet so he could report it to the King’s physician.
He would demand privacy for the King while the whole process was unfurling and he would then help the King get dressed again.
Now, there’s some debate as to whether or not the Groom of the Stool actually had to wipe the Kings butt.
I guess it can be assumed that it was quite possible in some instances.
There have been 49 recorded Grooms of the Stool tending to the English King between 1524 and - wait for it - 1901.
Yes - Prince Edward was the last monarch to have an official Groom of the Stool as recently as 1901.
Mad King George must have really had some stomach issues - he employed nine Grooms of the Stool during his reign.
But there was one year, 1722-1723, when the position was vacant. So…not really sure what was going on there… I couldn't find anything in my research as to why.
But if you look over the list, something becomes immediately apparent -
ALL of the Grooms of the Stool were noblemen themselves.
2nd Earl of this, 1st Earl of that… which seems odd, since you wouldn’t expect a nobleman to tend to the bathroom needs of the King.
But that’s exactly what happened and it was done for good reason.
Bathroom time is private.
Or, at least, it should be - and it was back then, too.
So who better to have prolonged, private moments with the King than other high-ranking noblemen?
War secrets could be shared, political movements could be discussed, treaties could be debated.
It was a major political position, to be honest.
And so men who filled the position actually coveted it because it included other privileges besides just recording a King’s bowel movements.
The Groom of the Stool was often given keys to the King’s private bedchamber.
In Sir Anthony Denny’s case, for example,
he held a gold key tied with a blue lace ribbon for Henry the 8th’s private quarters.
Denny became privy (ha!) to all kinds of things about Anne of Cleves and knew how King Henry felt about her way before their marriage was annulled.
He also was given permission to use Henry’s official stamp - so he ended up with way more political power than you’d initially expect.
Some of Henry’s Grooms also ended up his treasurer - so they had power over the money, too.
But it could also get you killed - especially if you were seen as sympathetic towards any of Henry’s other wives.
One groom, Henry Norris, was beheaded just like Henry’s wife Ann Boleyn.
And Grooms of the Stool were also feared.
They held the King’s ear (not rear) and could persuade him, or guide him, or insinuate all kinds of things that could get other people excommunicated or killed.
Queens also had Grooms of the Stool, although they weren’t called that.
They were referred to as “Lady of the Bedchamber” but their role was essentially the same.
(is that why women always go to the bathroom together?)
B: well, we do use that time to talk about whatever guy we’re with - so in a way, yeah kind of!)
W: Eventually the title “Groom the Stool” became “Groom of the Stole” - and the job centered more around dressing and undressing the King, being in charge of the royal garments, that sort of thing.
So what about the last Groom of the Stool?
James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn served as a Lord of the Bedchamber to the Prince of Wales from 1866 to 1885.
Then in 1886 he became Groom of the Stool until 1891.
He was incredibly powerful - taking on prestigious political roles for his entire life, including roles in Parliament and high sheriff He was also elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ireland (so, the Freemasons) as well.
So depending on how you look at it - what sounds like a really crappy position might have been anything but.
B: I feel like anyone who has had to change baby's diapers kind of had the job!
B: as always, you can check our sources in our show notes for more information.