Freetown-Fall River State Forest
Encyclopedia
The Freetown-Fall River State Forest (more commonly shortened to Freetown State Forest) is a large tract of forest
land located in Freetown
and Fall River, Massachusetts
. It is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
and operated by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Its headquarters
is located in Assonet, Massachusetts
.
, a granite
outcropping which local Native Americans
believe to be the image of Chief Massasoit
. Also in the forest is a 227 acre (0.91863722 km²) Wampanoag reservation.
The Civilian Conservation Corps
worked on the property in its early years. A statue was dedicated in honor of the program and its efforts in the forest in September, 2002.
The forest is home to the annual "Fun Day in the Forest" event sponsored by the Friends of the Freetown-Fall River State Forest. For a number of years, it also served as the course for the Big Bang Mountain Bike Race, a benefit event for the Independence Day
events in Freetown
.
In November, 1978, the body of Mary Lou Arruda, a 15-year-old cheerleader abducted from Raynham, Massachusetts
that September, was discovered tied to a tree in the state forest. James M. Kater of Brockton
, previously convicted of kidnapping in 1967, was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Arruda in 1979. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
overturned the verdict, and he was convicted again in 1986. The verdict once again overturned; he was retried in 1992, with that attempt ending in a mistrial.
In 1980, while investigating another local murder, police had been approached by individuals who claimed to have witnessed Satanic cult
activity within the state forest. These reports would have bearing on the fourth Kater trial (1996–2000) which ended with the conviction upheld. In the 1996 trial, the defense charged that police had withheld information relating to the alleged Satanic cult activity, which it claimed could have provided an alternative to Kater.
Three more murders were subsequently related to the state forest. In 1987 a transient drifter mistaken for an undercover
police officer
was murdered in the forest, and in 2001 two men were found shot to death on Bell Rock Road, which runs through the forest connecting Assonet and Fall River. Two assaults were also reported: a Fall River
man in 1991 and a teenager from New Bedford
in 1998.
Other incidents include hazardous waste
dumping (1996), reports of aggressive abandoned dogs (2006), and reports of an escaped emu
wandering the forest (2006).
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
land located in Freetown
Freetown, Massachusetts
Freetown is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,870 at the 2010 census.Freetown is one of the oldest communities in the United States, having been settled by the Pilgrims and their descendants in the latter half of the 17th century. The town once included...
and Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
. It is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and operated by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Its headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
is located in Assonet, Massachusetts
Assonet, Massachusetts
Assonet is one of two villages in the town of Freetown, Massachusetts in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. An original part of the town, Assonet was settled in 1659 along with the city of Fall River, then a part of Freetown. It rests on the banks of the Assonet River...
.
History
The majority of the land was acquired over twenty years beginning in the 1930s. The forest sits on over 5400 acres (21.9 km²) of land and includes Profile RockProfile Rock
Profile Rock, also known as the Old Man of Joshua's Mountain, is a 50-foot high granite rock formation located in Freetown, Massachusetts just outside Assonet village and near the Freetown State Forest....
, a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
outcropping which local Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
believe to be the image of Chief Massasoit
Massasoit
Massasoit Sachem or Ousamequin ,was the sachem, or leader, of the Pokanoket, and "Massasoit" of the Wampanoag Confederacy. The term Massasoit means Great Sachem.-Early years:...
. Also in the forest is a 227 acre (0.91863722 km²) Wampanoag reservation.
The Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
worked on the property in its early years. A statue was dedicated in honor of the program and its efforts in the forest in September, 2002.
The forest is home to the annual "Fun Day in the Forest" event sponsored by the Friends of the Freetown-Fall River State Forest. For a number of years, it also served as the course for the Big Bang Mountain Bike Race, a benefit event for the Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
events in Freetown
Freetown, Massachusetts
Freetown is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,870 at the 2010 census.Freetown is one of the oldest communities in the United States, having been settled by the Pilgrims and their descendants in the latter half of the 17th century. The town once included...
.
Fires
The Freetown State Forest has suffered fires on several occasions. In September 1980, a fire burned approximately 230 acre (0.9307778 km²) of woodland adjacent to and in the state forest over the course of a week. Fires in 1988 and 1991 burned an estimated 100 acres (404,686 m²) each, while a fire in March, 1976 destroyed an estimated 500 acres (2 km²). The last major fire occurred on April 30, 2001, when fire destroyed between 90 and 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of the forest. Most of the fires were put out on April 30, while small fires continued into May 1.Crimes and incidents
The Freetown State Forest has been the location of several crimes and incidents. Due to these events, the forest has become associated with the so-called "Bridgewater Triangle."Bridgewater Triangle
The Bridgewater Triangle refers to an area of about within southeastern Massachusetts in the United States. claimed to be a site of alleged paranormal phenomena, ranging from UFO's to poltergeists and orbs, balls of fire and other spectral phenomena, various "bigfoot" sightings, giant snakes and...
In November, 1978, the body of Mary Lou Arruda, a 15-year-old cheerleader abducted from Raynham, Massachusetts
Raynham, Massachusetts
Raynham is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,739 at the 2000 census. It has one village, Raynham Center.-History:...
that September, was discovered tied to a tree in the state forest. James M. Kater of Brockton
Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...
, previously convicted of kidnapping in 1967, was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Arruda in 1979. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:...
overturned the verdict, and he was convicted again in 1986. The verdict once again overturned; he was retried in 1992, with that attempt ending in a mistrial.
In 1980, while investigating another local murder, police had been approached by individuals who claimed to have witnessed Satanic cult
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
activity within the state forest. These reports would have bearing on the fourth Kater trial (1996–2000) which ended with the conviction upheld. In the 1996 trial, the defense charged that police had withheld information relating to the alleged Satanic cult activity, which it claimed could have provided an alternative to Kater.
Three more murders were subsequently related to the state forest. In 1987 a transient drifter mistaken for an undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
was murdered in the forest, and in 2001 two men were found shot to death on Bell Rock Road, which runs through the forest connecting Assonet and Fall River. Two assaults were also reported: a Fall River
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
man in 1991 and a teenager from New Bedford
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
in 1998.
Other incidents include hazardous waste
Hazardous waste
A hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. According to the U.S. environmental laws hazardous wastes fall into two major categories: characteristic wastes and listed wastes.Characteristic hazardous wastes are materials that are known...
dumping (1996), reports of aggressive abandoned dogs (2006), and reports of an escaped emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
wandering the forest (2006).
External links
- Trail map (GIF)
