Freetown State Forest, The “Cursed” Woods Of Massachusetts
LEONARDO DASILVA/WIkimedia CommonsA panoramic view of Freetown State Forest, home to murder, UFOs, and cryptids.
In 1974, Ronald Reagan — then the governor of California — claimed to see strange orbs in the sky while flying over Freetown State Forest in Massachusetts. But this is just one of the many strange, spooky, and grisly things that have happened in this allegedly haunted forest over the years.
Located about an hour south of Boston, Freetown State Forest stretches across 5,000 acres and has been the site of several disturbing murders. In 1978, the body of 15-year-old Mary Lou Arruda was discovered tied to a tree in the woods (her murderer, James M. Kater, was sentenced to life in prison). In 1987, a homeless man was killed in the woods, and in 2001, two men were shot to death in Freetown State Forest. The woods have also allegedly been the site of Satanic activity, possibly linked to the “Fall River Cult Killings.”
Freetown State Forest has also been the site of untold physical and sexual assaults, suicides, attempted murders, animal mutilations, and ritualistic activities.
LEONARDO DASILVA/WIkimedia CommonsA rocky crag in Freetown State Forest, one of the most haunted forests in the United States.
But not only has Freetown State Forest been connected to grisly events like these, but it’s also purportedly home to cryptids, poltergeists, and other supernatural beings.
Rumor has it that Pukwudgies — cryptids from Native American lore — are known to wander the woods. If so, they aren’t alone. People have also claimed to see ghosts in the forest and, like Reagan, have spotted strange orbs of lights.
Some, however, claim that the forest’s haunted reputation is blown out of proportion.
“What we’ve really had to contend with here,” a park superintendent told local media in 1998, “is bad press.”
