The Origin of the Howell Melon

Since 1960, Howell has been home to the Melon Festival, which showcases the Howell Honey Sweet Melon from our very own backyard. There have been many interpretations about the origins of the Howell Honey Sweet Melon, many of which hold the ring of truth. What we know for a fact is that August "Augie/Gus" Schmidt, a local horticulturist, was the proclaimed party responsible for the original seeds that spawned the Howell Melon. We also know that there were originally only four farmers, Stanley Knight, William Wiltse and Howard & Harry Dankers (1). But where did the seeds come from?

One story, which was published in 1979 in the Howell Melon Cookbook, suggests that Schmidt found the melons by accident while eating at a restaurant in Hicksville, Ohio. He obtained the seeds and then spent the next 30 years cross pollinating and testing different strains until he ultimately found the strain we have today (2). Since then, there have been several statements from the original farmers refuting the statement that there was any experimentation on the seeds. Mrs. Stanley Knight very strongly argued that this was not the case: “No one ever did that. I know that was spoken about, but that’s not true. Each year they would select the best melons and save the seeds from the best melons [for planting], but that is all. There was no experimenting” (3).

In an effort to disprove the circulating stories, Willard Wiltse, an original farmer, decided to set the record straight. In a letter published in the Livingston Daily in 1963, and again in 1987, Wiltse states that Schmidt befriended a man named Richardson, who’s brother was a melon farmer in Ohio. Richardson’s brother noticed one of his melons looked different from the rest, and tasted different. After saving the seeds and cultivating only the best from each crop, he ultimately created the Honey Rock Melon (4). Confirming this, is a Special Bulletin from Michigan State University, published in 1958, which states that Watt Richardson from Hicksville, Ohio is responsible for the Honey Rock (5). The melon given to Richardson’s brother would eventually become the Howell Honey Sweet, which, according to Wiltse, was planted by Schmidt in 1925. The melons were first planted by Dankers, and then later by Wiltsie, Knight and Dankers’ brother (6). 

In another view of the story, Gerald Knight, son of one of the original farmers, Stanley Knight, in 2022 claimed that the origin of the melon came from his father and his friends. In their high school days during the 1920s, they frequented a farm where the farmer had a brother in Indiana who sent him melons. According to Knight, his father and his friends worked at a local greenhouse where they planted said melons (7). While at first glance this story deviates from the above stories, upon further research, this version corroborated the one told by Wiltse. In his letter, Wiltse states that he worked for Schmidt at the time of the planting in 1925, along with Dankers (8). While he doesn’t explicitly state that both Dankers brothers and Knight worked there also, we can infer that they spent a great deal of time there in order to be “on the ground floor” of the melon planting. Additionally, Hicksville, Ohio borders Indiana and depending on where the person telling the story is from, it may be referred to as Ohio or Indiana. And finally, according to Knight, it was a farmer named Tony who gave them the melons (9). In Wiltse’s story,  the Richardson in question does not have a first name, so it is entirely possible that it was Tony. 

Regardless which of these stories is true, there are similar elements that link the stories. August Schmidt was undeniably the man responsible for pioneering the Howell Honey Sweet. Stanley Knight, William Wiltse and Howard & Harry Dankers are the four original planters, and their legacy continues through their families. Sometimes the origin of the thing doesn’t matter as much as the legacy it has left behind. And what better legacy than a festival celebrating a melon that bears the name Howell?

1. “11th Howell Melon Festival August 27, 28, 29 - 1971 Booklet, Howell, Michigan,” Howell Area Archives Digital Archive, accessed October 30, 2023 here.
2. “Howell Melon Cookbook , Howell, Michigan - 1979,” Howell Area Archives Digital Archive, accessed October 30, 2023 here.
3. Fabian, M. (1981, August 19). The Melon Is Born... In Ohio?. Daily Press & Argus archive from 1843-2023. Livingston Daily Press.
4. The Melon That Put Howell on The Map. Daily Press & Argus archive from 1843-2023. (1987, August 19). Livingston Daily Press. 
5. Michigan State University. Agricultural Experiment Station. Special bulletin - Michigan State College, Agricultural Experiment Station, Section of Forestry. East Lansing, Mich.: Agricultural Experiment Station. Available through HathiTrust.
6. The Melon That Put Howell on The Map.
7. Alvord, P. (2022, July 2). Gerald Knight shares the story of the Howell melon after he’s chosen as Grand Marshal. Livingston Daily Press & Argus.
8. The Melon That Put Howell on The Map.
9. Alvord, P. (2022, July 2).