If you've never heard of puckwudgies, you probably don't live in southern New England. Many cultures all over the world have fairy and goblin legends of their own, and the Native peoples of southern New England are no exception. Puckwudgies are goblin-like creatures that are supposed to haunt the Freetown-Fall River State Forest as well as other forests and swamps in the region. They are described most often as little men with gray skin, although they are also said to take other shapes sometimes such as that of a porcupine-like creature.
Similarly to other types of goblins from around the world, puckwudgies are supposed to be both mischievous and dangerous. They can shoot at people with stone arrowheads (just like the Scottish fairies known as the Host) and they can control the will o the wisps or swamp lights, leading travelers off the path. The similarity between puckwudgie legends and Scottish fairy lore is quite striking, but there doesn't appear to have been any influence as such between the two- the two traditions developed independently.
People still claim to spot puckwudgies from time to time in the Freetown state forest, and they are also supposed to inhabit a nearby island. The legend of the puckwudgies is just one of the many legends associated with that area of Massachusetts, the region known as the Bridgewater Triangle. The Triangle is one of the most active “window areas” or paranormal hot spots in the United States, featuring every strange phenomenon you can think of from Satanic cults to UFOs.