The Goatman

From the Creepy Cleveland Archives
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Contributed by Vil8tor@xxxxxx.com

This is the story as told to me over 20 somthin` yrs. fact or fiction is not known but the proof and the truth are out there. "In the mid 1800`s in KIRTLAND,OH ,after the Mormans left, there was a rich family named CROW that owned a huge plantation of sorts for this area, it was in the family for generations. DR. CROW, who lived there now with his wife and 2 hydrocephalic kids, was well liked in town. His kids' condition drove him insane, he became obsessed with it. He already had a "penitentary" on his property were he studied the criminally insane, why not study this too, so he was sent more kids with this from all over the world, the family grew. As time goes by the pressure on the doc got to be too much. He couldn't have kids, the kids at pen. were getting older and more unruly everyday and he turned to drugs and alcohol and much worse. In the spring of 1868 the doc was out in the northeast woods of his lands drunk and wandering when he came upon a place he didn't know and people he had never seen. They were pagans, worshippers of a blackgoat being, their families were servants and field hands for generations on local farms and estates and this was their ritual site. The doc was impressed and took part happily. If God couldn't help him the devil would. Over that summer the doc began to change he didn't care about anything except the "woods", he would disappear into the woods for days on end and the inmates at the penitentary were left alone and uncared for and at this time it is belived in a ritual in the GULCH he sold his soul to the GOATMAN. Now comes winter, the doc is never seen nor his wife, late one winter night the townspeople hear children crying on the wind in a brutal snowstorm and think its the kids at the institute. Storm breaks the next day folks go to investigate cries and are horrified by what they find. Of the 300 inmates at the "penitenary" 260 some had froze to death in the storm they hadn't been taken care of in weeks there was signs of torture and cannibalism and lots of demonic symbols and signs of rituals. DR.CROW shows up and demands the people leave. They do under heavy resistance. The doc then takes the remaining tortured and experimental kids home. Upon returning to town the story spreads. The townspeople demand this satanist freak be condemed so a lynch mob is formed and off to the "penitentary" they go. No one left there, so they burn it and head for the house. When they get there they bust in the doors and windows looking for CROW. What they find shocks them. CROW`s wife, long dead with her stomach cut out, lots of bodies of kids disfigured and experimented on and lots of satanic symbolism. This whips the mob into a frenzy and they find the doc and some of the melonheads in the cellar and they corner them there and lock them in and set fire to the house. As it burns more melonheads emerge from other rooms in the mansion and screams and cries fill the night air. The mob goes home. The next day in the light people return to the aftermath and find lots of little footprints in the snow around a small barn about 100yrds. Behind the remains of the mansion. Inside they find all the animals half-eaten and torn apart and lots of small tracks and tracks of large cloven hoofs leading out the back of the barn and into the northeastern woods. This is were the legend stops, but the stories just begin and those are for another time. Enjoy, VIL8TOR.

WEBMASTER NOTE: Shortly thereafter I recieved another email from VIL8TOR... the Melonheads story continues...

I grew up in Chardon, lived there for 18yrs., heard my first tales of the MELONHEADS in 4th grade at Maple school rushed home to tell my parents we had to move there were evil, nasty melonheads right over in Kirtland and they laughed themselves silly at my exspense. They grew up in Eastlake and had heard the legend when they were teens. This didn't stop me and my sister from being facinated and terrified for the better part of are childhood. My mom would threaten me with things like "be good or I`ll take you to the melonheads" and stuff like that and it would work I WOULD BE SO SCARED THE MELONHEADS WOULD GET ME, I WOULD BEHAVE! This also turned into a game for my parents called let's scare the shit out of the kids by taking the back way home from the great lakes mall at night thru the heart of melonhead country and pretend the car stalls or the headlights go out. HA-HA! Family fun of the 70`s, I LIVED FOR IT!!!! To be so scared of something as a kid it then turned to morbid curiosity and then obsession as a teen and young adult. I have always been into this legend and still am. I JUST NEVER LOOKED ON THE WEB FOR IT! The subject came up with me and some of my friends since childhood just the other day and I laughed and said I was gonna start a website for melonhead and goatman sightings and look at this here one is! I`ve put the legend together over years of stories told thru others to me , somethings change story to story, but that's what legends do, but some things stay the same. TRUTH BE TOLD! There was a "penitentary", still is in name ,"PENITENTARY GLENN" metropark and inmates froze to death there. All the lands owned by CROW are now owned by the metroparks and the HOLDEN ARBERATUM and most of it is private to keep people out!! There is a very evil place located in the woods to the northeast of melonhead lands in an area called the "gulch" were there is a ritual site, goatheads and faces carved beutifully into the rocks and an altar carved as well all do exsist, I`VE SEEN THEM WITH MY OWN EYES!!! AND THEY WERE NOT CARVED BY INDIANS, at least I dont think so!! In 30 odd yrs. I have never felt nor seen a more evil place than the gulch and the woods that surround it!!! It`s location is in another post, I will just say TREAD LIGHTLY - it`s private property, you will be arrested. BEWARE WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE!!! One of the scariest nights of my life took place on WISNER RD., down in the heart of GOATMAN land at the age of 20. Me and a friend were drunk and smoked up and out "doing research" when we had an experience I will never forget, but thats a tale for another night.
sincerely, Vil8tor