One of the oldest states in the country, Connecticut boasts a rich history dating back to the colonial period, as well as a long tradition of urban legends and ghost stories. In Connecticut, many urban legends resurface during the Halloween season. An urban legend is a humorous or horrifying story shared as though it were true, according to britannica.com. These legends have grown especially popular during October, as their eerie and suspenseful nature complements the Halloween season. The most famous legend to date is the Melon Head Legend, according to geaugamapleleaf.com.
Because of its eerie history, Connecticut is often referred to as the “haunted state.” People consider two locations in the state, Hartford’s Mark Twain House and Norwalk’s Sheffield Island Lighthouse, to be the most haunted places in the United States (US). Additionally, many of the urban legends that originate in Connecticut are especially chilling, according to ctinsider.com. For example, a few of the most popular myths include the legend of the Melon Heads, the Black Dog of the Hanging Hills, and the Glawakus. Each legend involves supernatural creatures and has a warning or mysterious element to it, according to ctpost.com
The legend of the Melon Heads tells the story of small, deformed people with large swollen heads who live hidden in the woods. In one version of the story, they were once children under the care of a doctor named Dr. Crow, who attempted to help them before his death, leaving them to fend for themselves in the forest. A darker version states that Dr. Crow performed cruel experiments on them until they rebelled, killed him, and fled into the woods. People claim these unnatural people still appear to unlucky visitors today, according to geaugamapleleaf.com.
The legend of the Black Dog of the Hanging Hills tells the story of a silent black dog that haunts the cliffs of Meriden, Connecticut. According to the tale, seeing the dog once brings joy, twice brings sorrow, and the third sighting foretells death. Many hikers, including a geologist and his colleague in the 1890s, have met mysterious fates after encountering the spectral animal. Their stories have kept the legend alive for centuries, according to i95rock.com.
Lastly, the legend of the Glawackus began in 1939 in Glastonbury, Connecticut, when a strange creature described as part bear, dog, and cat took the blame for killing pets and livestock. Reports of strange howls and mysterious attacks terrified locals, earning it comparisons to the Chupacabra, a popular Latin American legend about monstrous creatures that attack animals and consume their blood. Although sightings of the Glawkus resurfaced briefly in 1950, many believe the culprit was a wild animal, such as a fisher cat. Today, the true identity of the Glawackus remains a mystery, according to ctpost.com. Dr. Cristina Baptista, Upper School English Teacher, Chair of Committee on Community and Belonging, and Perspectives Advisor, explained her take on urban legends.
“Urban legends indulge the part of our imagination that longs for excitement, fear, and an adrenaline rush,” Dr. Baptista said. “Often, these legends are anchored in some element of truth, but it has become contorted, twisted perhaps from the realistic to the sensational with time, and perhaps the eagerness all storytellers have of hooking their audience with a few shocking moments.”
Featured Image by Elin Eaton ’27
