Ohio

Episode 23: Tales of Melon Heads

/ Samantha Engel / Leave a comment

Is there a group of small humanoids with bulbous heads living in the woods near Saugatuck, Michigan…and Cleveland, Ohio…and Newtown, Connecticut? Aaron and Samantha have a theory, so join our hosts as they investigate doctors without first names, buildings that may or may not have existed, and speak to the evils of turning those with medical conditions into monsters. Aaron and Sam get a bit angry this time. 

Time Stamps

Intro- 2:50
Michigan Melon Heads Overview- 4:22
The Felt Mansion and Junction Insane Asylum- 8:31
A Few More Issues- 12:15
Midway Break- 16:45
Melon Heads in Ohio- 30:40
And Now Connecticut…Really?- 43:25
Closing Thoughts and Lots of Concerns- 49:44

  • Image courtesy of The Grand Haven Tribune
  • This “Melon Heads” sketch is found all over the internet related to all three melon head stories. Image courtesy of wwmt.com

Further Readings

A bulk of our Michigan and Ohio research came from the the Weird Michigan and Weird Ohio books.

Find more information on the Felt Mansion here.

The New England Historical Society’s page on the Melon Heads can be found here.

Episode 14: The Circleville Letter Writer

/ Samantha Engel / 3 Comments

The mystery of the Circleville, Ohio letters is a tangled web of accusations and threats that Samantha and Aaron attempt to unknot in this week’s episode. They begin by outlining the basic chronology of the strange happenings that began in Circleville in 1972 and then move on to look into the way the story has been shared by news outlets, television shows, and podcasts. Why are we fascinated with true crime? What is it about this mystery, in particular, that has pulled Aaron down a weird dark rabbit hole? Are we all worried someone will find our secrets? 

Timestamps

Introduction- 0:00:40
The First Letters- 0:04:31
Letters Continue (And Signs!)- 0:10:37
Ron’s Death- 0:13:28
More Letters and a Gun (!)- 0:15:16
Midway Break- 0:18:01
Paul Freshour’s Arrest- 0:22:20
Freshour’s Appeal to the FBI- 0:29:43
The Weird Website- 0:34:00
Martin Yant Article (With More Letters!)- 0:36:25
Unsolved Mysteries- 0:40:50
48 Hours- 0:42:22
Whatever Remains Podcast- 0:47:17
Internet Forums and Why We Like True Crime- 0:56:32
United State Postal Inspection Service- 1:03:03
Final Thoughts (Finally!)- 1:05:51

Sources/Further Reading
48 Hours Episode

Strange Circleville Letters Website

Unsolved Mysteries