The Melon Heads is a legend that comes out of Holland, Michigan. It tells of a brood of hydrocephalic (water on the brain) children living in the woods of the Saugatuck area. Their medical condition causes them to have huge, swollen heads. The story tells of a hospital in the area that was treating these children long ago. The hospital had to close, and the children having nowhere to go, were released into the wilds of Holland (scary…). People for decades have told this tale. Namely teenagers growing up in that area during the 1960’s and 70’s and parents looking to scare their children into good behavior.
Reader Submission June 2010
"Last year, me and some of my friends at Hope College decided we wanted to go to the Allegan County Woods in Hamilton in search of the Melonheads. On our first night there, we went back on a path for about a mile and came to an opening where there seemed to be a foundation of a building still there, but the building was gone. On the walk back to the opening, there was a sign hanging over the path but it was too faded to make out any of the wording. On the first night we did not experience anything too out of the ordinary that we didn't think we couldn’t explain by animals or other sorts. We went back the next night and it was raining mixed with some lightning. Me and two other guys were leading the group down the path and about a half a mile into our walk, there was a lightning flash and all three of us saw the same exact figure of a human about 4 and a half feet tall with an abnormally large head standing in the middle of the clearing that we had gone to the night before. We three kind of slowed down for a minute and the next thing we knew, we heard a huge crash in the woods to the left of us. We immediately turned and ran back to the cars."
SHAMELESS PLUG!!! To read more about the Melon Heads and other Michigan legends and ghost stories, pick up the book, "Ghosts & Legends of Michigan's West Coast" by Amberrose Hammond of Michigan's Otherside. Click on the book to buy your copy today!
Internet Rumors About the Melon Heads!!!
One thing about legends and the Internet is how mixed up things start to become. I've been seeing certain postings and articles about Dr. Crow (part of the Ohio Melon Heads story) being connected with the Felt Mansion. The legendary Dr. Crowe is in no way connected to the Felt Mansion in Saugatuck, Michigan. Dr. Crow is part of the northern Ohio legends and as far as anyone can tell, is also a made-up figure.
The Melon Heads strike again! This version was shared by a Michigan resident.
This legend has made it's way up to my neck of the woods too. A little different though. In southwest Michigan the Melon Heads are said to be located behind the Cook Nuclear plant in Bridgman.
It has two different stories of how they got to be there. The first is that there was an insane asylum in the woods before the power plant was built and there was a fire that burnt the asylum to the ground and the melon heads escaped and have been living in the wild ever since.
The other story says that there was a group of people that lived behind the plant in the woods. After exposure to the radiation, they began to have water swelling of the brain, and out of embarrassment and shame they stayed in the woods to be left alone by the public to live their lives. The nuclear plant and all surrounding property has been closed off to the public since the 9/11 attacks, but you used to be able to drive back into the woods and explore. It was a big past time for teenagers to scare the bejesus out of themselves and their dates. I have been told that the whole area back there is like a maze, and unless you know the area well, it is very easy to get lost in. I suppose that just adds to the scare factor. So I would say that the Melon Heads from my area are just urban legend. But it always makes for interesting conversation, especially when talking with those who have been there and claim to have seen one.
Check out the website www.creepyclevelnd.net for accounts of Melon Heads in Ohio.