Mt. Everett, Massachusetts, nestled in the Berkshires, might not seem your typical place to have a Mass Mystery. The picturesque mountain is part of the stunning landscape that comes aglow as summer's sunset turns to autumn's dawn.
At first glance, the mountain might seem quite ordinary. Save a few rattlesnakes that live there (the Massachusetts State Reservation page offers the warning to stay away from them not only for their dangerous bite, but the fact they are protected) and the potential for bear sightings, the mountain might look rather typical. It stands slightly over 2,600 feet, has trail that goes to the top that is less than a mile, and is has a pond nearby (Guilder Pond) that is a beautiful picnicking area.
Yet, first glances can always be misleading, and the mountain does have a fascinating mystery at its top (again, if you go, be aware there could be snakes). There, amid the cool temperatures (which are probably 6 to 8 degrees cooler then the base) are a nest of scrub pines. But, these are not your typical scrub pine. They are dwarf scrub pine, that stand about three feet tall at most. They a like a giant's bonzai tree park, waiting to be explored.
The scene at the top is a sight to behold. But, what strangeness caused this? No one exactly knows, but harsh conditions on a mountain top, cooler temperatures, and openness to space are all considered the most possibilities. It is difficult to age these trees as well because of their stunted growth.
They are a spectacular find and a testimony to the unique growth that exists in Massachusetts.
Don't have time to safely check it out....then look at the two links below.
Link to state site
Link to scrub pine pictures
MASS MYSTERIES WEBSITE: This website is dedicated to the history and mysteries of Massachusetts. Established in 2012, it seeks to provide entertaining and informative stories about Massachusetts.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Recent Bigfoot sightings In Massachusetts
Unseasonably warm winters. Cool beginning to the summer. All may have conspired to make it the perfect weather for....Bigfoot.
Based on posts on Bigfoot websites, 2012 has been a big year for the Bigfoot. Several people have claimed to have spotted the creature. You might be surprise. When people think of Bigfoot, they think of the wild woods of the Northwest, the thick forests of the Appalachian. Few people ever think of Massachusetts as a home to the legendary creature.
However, Massachusetts has been the locale of several Bigfoot sightings. The western forests around the Berkshires and the surrounding forests of northern New England have made the region a home to many Sasquatch sightings since the first people settled here long ago.
According to a variety of sites, here are a few places where Bigfeet have been spotted before 2012:
• Plum Island - in 1978, several people heard, then caught a fleeting glimpse of a hairy creature that was walking upright
• Bridgewater - this tiny southeastern town is home to many farms as well as the mysterious Hockomock swamp. There have been several sightings of a creature in this region since the earliest people inhabited the region.
• Washington, Massachusetts - in 1983, according to the newspaper the Berkshire Eagle, two men having a campfire near Lake Felton, heard strange noises and noticed the silhouette of a creature of a six or seven foot creature. One of the men, familiar with bears, was sure it was not a bear and walked toward it....but the creature took off into the woods.
• Leominster State Forest - in 2010, a man and woman hiking in the woods hiking in the woods were startled when they heard a grunting noise coming from the brush. Nearby, they found some deep and large footprints of a creature that was clearly very large and human-like that appeared to have been chasing a deer.
• Route 2 - the western part of route 2 connects Massachusetts to New York. The scenic road encompasses what was known as the old Mohawk Trail. According to many reports, there have been a variety of sightings of the hairy guy on this road.
Want to know more about Bigfoot's exploits in the Bay State?
Check more out for yourself at these sites
Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization
Based on posts on Bigfoot websites, 2012 has been a big year for the Bigfoot. Several people have claimed to have spotted the creature. You might be surprise. When people think of Bigfoot, they think of the wild woods of the Northwest, the thick forests of the Appalachian. Few people ever think of Massachusetts as a home to the legendary creature.
However, Massachusetts has been the locale of several Bigfoot sightings. The western forests around the Berkshires and the surrounding forests of northern New England have made the region a home to many Sasquatch sightings since the first people settled here long ago.
According to a variety of sites, here are a few places where Bigfeet have been spotted before 2012:
• Plum Island - in 1978, several people heard, then caught a fleeting glimpse of a hairy creature that was walking upright
• Bridgewater - this tiny southeastern town is home to many farms as well as the mysterious Hockomock swamp. There have been several sightings of a creature in this region since the earliest people inhabited the region.
• Washington, Massachusetts - in 1983, according to the newspaper the Berkshire Eagle, two men having a campfire near Lake Felton, heard strange noises and noticed the silhouette of a creature of a six or seven foot creature. One of the men, familiar with bears, was sure it was not a bear and walked toward it....but the creature took off into the woods.
• Leominster State Forest - in 2010, a man and woman hiking in the woods hiking in the woods were startled when they heard a grunting noise coming from the brush. Nearby, they found some deep and large footprints of a creature that was clearly very large and human-like that appeared to have been chasing a deer.
• Route 2 - the western part of route 2 connects Massachusetts to New York. The scenic road encompasses what was known as the old Mohawk Trail. According to many reports, there have been a variety of sightings of the hairy guy on this road.
Want to know more about Bigfoot's exploits in the Bay State?
Check more out for yourself at these sites
Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
60th Anniversay of he Salem UFO
During the summer, residents from across the nation flock like crazy to the Halloween capital of America (although Amoka, Minnesota might have something to say about that) - Salem, Massachusetts.
Salem is the home of quaint restaurants, a lovely waterside, a summer funspot called Salem Willows, and lots of tourist attractions. However, it is also home to one of the most unusual UFO sightings in history.
The UFO story itself is not without a lot of controversy. The year was 1952 and UFOs were big business in America. Just 5 years earlier, the UFO flap began as Kenneth Arnold first reported chasing a flying saucer while piloting a plane. From that time on, UFOs have been the topic of interest in the world.
In that summer 60 years ago, on July 16, Shel Alpert, a US Coast Guard Seamen was on duty at the Winter Island Coast Guard Station. While manning the weather room, Alpert noticed some strange lights outside the window, not far from the station. According to reports, there were four lights in formation near what is now the Salem power plant. The lights seemed to dim and brighten while Alpert was on duty. He had a camera nearby and snapped the picture of the eerie lights. The picture is a classic and has been voted one of the most famous UFO pictures of all time. Chances are you've seen it, but if not, here is a link below.
Salem UFO picture
What Alpert saw to this day remains a mystery. Alpert was pretty convinced the lights were real. The government investigated the incident and it appears a conundrum occurred. To this day, the results of the investigation remain inconclusive. According to local lore, the original reports said the lights could not be explained, yet the official report now is that the lights were caused by the reflection of lights in the office off the window. When the picture was snapped - the government explained - it was just a mirror of the lights behind Alpert.
To this day, no one knows what happened in Salem in 1952, yet the picture lives on in UFO books and on websites. There are many who believe the government's official story is just as hollow as the light bulbs hanging in the office that day. No matter what the source of the lights, they remain one of Massachusetts most famous mysteries and it happened 60 years ago this year.
Salem is the home of quaint restaurants, a lovely waterside, a summer funspot called Salem Willows, and lots of tourist attractions. However, it is also home to one of the most unusual UFO sightings in history.
The UFO story itself is not without a lot of controversy. The year was 1952 and UFOs were big business in America. Just 5 years earlier, the UFO flap began as Kenneth Arnold first reported chasing a flying saucer while piloting a plane. From that time on, UFOs have been the topic of interest in the world.
In that summer 60 years ago, on July 16, Shel Alpert, a US Coast Guard Seamen was on duty at the Winter Island Coast Guard Station. While manning the weather room, Alpert noticed some strange lights outside the window, not far from the station. According to reports, there were four lights in formation near what is now the Salem power plant. The lights seemed to dim and brighten while Alpert was on duty. He had a camera nearby and snapped the picture of the eerie lights. The picture is a classic and has been voted one of the most famous UFO pictures of all time. Chances are you've seen it, but if not, here is a link below.
Salem UFO picture
What Alpert saw to this day remains a mystery. Alpert was pretty convinced the lights were real. The government investigated the incident and it appears a conundrum occurred. To this day, the results of the investigation remain inconclusive. According to local lore, the original reports said the lights could not be explained, yet the official report now is that the lights were caused by the reflection of lights in the office off the window. When the picture was snapped - the government explained - it was just a mirror of the lights behind Alpert.
To this day, no one knows what happened in Salem in 1952, yet the picture lives on in UFO books and on websites. There are many who believe the government's official story is just as hollow as the light bulbs hanging in the office that day. No matter what the source of the lights, they remain one of Massachusetts most famous mysteries and it happened 60 years ago this year.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Rolling uphill in Greenfield
Summer is a fun time to visit many places in Massachusetts. But, one of the weirdest places you can visit is just past the Shelburne Bridge on Route 2 right after the Route 2 overpass in Greenfield. There, a strange phenomenon happens. If you put your car in neutral, hold on tight....you appear to be rolling uphill!
The place is called Gravity Hill and many tourists come to the spot to see the strange occurrence (note: it is recommended that you use hazard lights/four way flashers when you do it).
The car will roll up to 50 feet heading what appears to be an uphill position.
Before you get too freaked out, there is a natural explanation for the ability to defy gravity. It is simply an optical illusion. The surrounding landscape makes the spot appear to be an uphill slope. But, in actuality, you are really rolling downhill....the land around you makes it appear otherwise.
To learn more, check out this photo on the following website:
Check it out the next time you are there....just make sure to do so at your own risk.
The place is called Gravity Hill and many tourists come to the spot to see the strange occurrence (note: it is recommended that you use hazard lights/four way flashers when you do it).
The car will roll up to 50 feet heading what appears to be an uphill position.
Before you get too freaked out, there is a natural explanation for the ability to defy gravity. It is simply an optical illusion. The surrounding landscape makes the spot appear to be an uphill slope. But, in actuality, you are really rolling downhill....the land around you makes it appear otherwise.
To learn more, check out this photo on the following website:
Check it out the next time you are there....just make sure to do so at your own risk.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Black Cats of Massachusetts
In recent years, the stories of mysterious black cats, a common theme in the southern and western states, has become more common in New England during the past three decades. When I went to school, I had a teacher mention and encounter with a black cat in New Hampshire.
But, now it appears they have moved to Massachusetts.
In 2011, in western Massachusetts, Kevin Sloan happened to be outside when he noticed a strange creature walking in the woods. Link to story
While looking at the creature, it appeared to look like a cougar. Though cougars are thought to be extinct in this region, it is possible that some type of black cougar cat hybrid has returned to the region. After all coyotes were once thought to be extinct in the region, and have returned. And, in 2009, a gray wolf was found in Massachusetts after years of being thought gone.
The presence of these mysterious cats has puzzle crytozoologists. What they are is still not clear. Loren Coleman, preeminent crptozoologist (he runs the great site Cryptomundo) has investigated sightings and has found no clear evidence as to what the creatures are....but in many cases, he has found they are just misidentified creatures. Monster Quest, the TV show, did a special on black cats, and found in many cases they are large feral cats that are misidentified.
What was seen by Sloan is still unclear. The Massachusetts Department of Wildlife saw the evidence that he gathered, including pictures of prints, and concluded it is not a mountain lion....which several people also believe these cats to be.
What are these black cats? Stayed tuned.
But, now it appears they have moved to Massachusetts.
In 2011, in western Massachusetts, Kevin Sloan happened to be outside when he noticed a strange creature walking in the woods. Link to story
While looking at the creature, it appeared to look like a cougar. Though cougars are thought to be extinct in this region, it is possible that some type of black cougar cat hybrid has returned to the region. After all coyotes were once thought to be extinct in the region, and have returned. And, in 2009, a gray wolf was found in Massachusetts after years of being thought gone.
The presence of these mysterious cats has puzzle crytozoologists. What they are is still not clear. Loren Coleman, preeminent crptozoologist (he runs the great site Cryptomundo) has investigated sightings and has found no clear evidence as to what the creatures are....but in many cases, he has found they are just misidentified creatures. Monster Quest, the TV show, did a special on black cats, and found in many cases they are large feral cats that are misidentified.
What was seen by Sloan is still unclear. The Massachusetts Department of Wildlife saw the evidence that he gathered, including pictures of prints, and concluded it is not a mountain lion....which several people also believe these cats to be.
What are these black cats? Stayed tuned.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Dighton Rock
If you travel down Route 24 in Massachusetts, you will notice signs that mention Dighton Rock. If you have never seen Dighton Rock, you are missing an unusual piece of Massachusetts history.
Dighton Rock is a rock that sits in the city of Taunton. A boulder really, it was probably deposited during the last Ice Age, when glaciers grooved the landscape and left many remains, which are still seen scattered throughout the land.
The early settlers to the land were the first to wonder about the rock. It is unusual because there are strange carvings on the rock that baffle people to this day. No one knows where the carvings came from, but they are petroglyphs - a word and symbol type of language.
In 1680, Reverend John Danforth was one of the first to investigate the rock. He made the earliest known records of the inscriptions on the rock. Famed puritan leader Cotton Mather, who described the rock as a mystery in 1690 (ironically the same year as the Salem Witch Trials) and believed that they had been inscribed before the colonists arrived).
To this day, many theories abound as to where the carvings come from. They include:
Native Americans - they may have carved the symbols on the rocks. Most historians believe this to be true.
Norse - some historians believe that runic carvings are found throughout the land and attribute this to early Norse settlers. There are many who believe Leif Ericson's Greenland was indeed Massachusetts. The idea that Dighton Rock is Norse is a natural connection
Portuguese - some historians suggest early Portuguese explorers came to New England before the Papal decree in the 16th century made it a "Spanish" region.
Phoenicians - some historians believe that early Phoencians explored North America. Dighton Rock might be - in their mind - Phonecian.
Chinese - other historians believe that the Chinese explored North American in 1412. While most theorizes place the Chinese in California and the west coast, author Gavin Menzies suggested in 2002 that the rock might be Chinese in origin.
Dighton Rock is a rock that sits in the city of Taunton. A boulder really, it was probably deposited during the last Ice Age, when glaciers grooved the landscape and left many remains, which are still seen scattered throughout the land.
The early settlers to the land were the first to wonder about the rock. It is unusual because there are strange carvings on the rock that baffle people to this day. No one knows where the carvings came from, but they are petroglyphs - a word and symbol type of language.
In 1680, Reverend John Danforth was one of the first to investigate the rock. He made the earliest known records of the inscriptions on the rock. Famed puritan leader Cotton Mather, who described the rock as a mystery in 1690 (ironically the same year as the Salem Witch Trials) and believed that they had been inscribed before the colonists arrived).
To this day, many theories abound as to where the carvings come from. They include:
Native Americans - they may have carved the symbols on the rocks. Most historians believe this to be true.
Norse - some historians believe that runic carvings are found throughout the land and attribute this to early Norse settlers. There are many who believe Leif Ericson's Greenland was indeed Massachusetts. The idea that Dighton Rock is Norse is a natural connection
Portuguese - some historians suggest early Portuguese explorers came to New England before the Papal decree in the 16th century made it a "Spanish" region.
Phoenicians - some historians believe that early Phoencians explored North America. Dighton Rock might be - in their mind - Phonecian.
Chinese - other historians believe that the Chinese explored North American in 1412. While most theorizes place the Chinese in California and the west coast, author Gavin Menzies suggested in 2002 that the rock might be Chinese in origin.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The Real Home of Witches
You have probably grown up thinking that the real home of witches was Salem, Massachusetts. After all, the trials are actually called the Salem Witch Craft trials.
However, what you may not know is that the trials did not occur in what is known as Salem. Nay, the real witch city to visit is Danvers, Massachusetts. Now, during the witchcraft hysteria, it is important to point out that Danvers was known as Salem Village. It was a subsection of Salem Town (the current Salem) and a more rural version at that.
At the time of the trials, there was a definite division between the people of town and village. In fact, many of the people accused of " witchcraft" were villagers. The rift between the town and village grew. After the trials were over and time passed, the village wanted to separate itself from the negative history created by the trial and the disdain people had for the Town....so it became Danvers (exactly where the town got its name is lost to history).
So the next time you visit the Witch City, don't forget the real witch city - Salem. There you will find sites, monuments, and houses (including the Rebecca Nurse house as well as three other houses from the time of the trials) that are all testimony to the witchcraft legacy.
However, what you may not know is that the trials did not occur in what is known as Salem. Nay, the real witch city to visit is Danvers, Massachusetts. Now, during the witchcraft hysteria, it is important to point out that Danvers was known as Salem Village. It was a subsection of Salem Town (the current Salem) and a more rural version at that.
At the time of the trials, there was a definite division between the people of town and village. In fact, many of the people accused of " witchcraft" were villagers. The rift between the town and village grew. After the trials were over and time passed, the village wanted to separate itself from the negative history created by the trial and the disdain people had for the Town....so it became Danvers (exactly where the town got its name is lost to history).
So the next time you visit the Witch City, don't forget the real witch city - Salem. There you will find sites, monuments, and houses (including the Rebecca Nurse house as well as three other houses from the time of the trials) that are all testimony to the witchcraft legacy.
Welcome
Welcome to the Mass Mysteries blog. This website is dedicated to the mystery and history of Massachusetts. A particular focus is on the legends, lore, and unexplained of Massachusetts.
Founded in part in 2007 by my wife (Melissa) and me (Chris), and contributed by our family members, we seek to help others learn about the history and hijinks of the Bay State. We hope you learn a lot about Massachusetts and enjoy your stary.
Founded in part in 2007 by my wife (Melissa) and me (Chris), and contributed by our family members, we seek to help others learn about the history and hijinks of the Bay State. We hope you learn a lot about Massachusetts and enjoy your stary.
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