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Massillon is a city in Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately west of
Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...
, south of Akron, and south of Cleveland. The population was 32,146 at the 2020 census. Massillon is the second largest incorporated area within the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area, which includes all of Stark and Carroll counties and had a population of 401,574 in 2020. The city's incorporated area primarily resides in the western half of Perry Township, with portions extending north into Jackson Township, west into Tuscarawas Township, and south into Bethlehem Township. The village of
Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
borders the city to the south.


History


Port of Massillon

The original settlement of
Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...
was founded in 1812 by Thomas Rotch, a
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
originally of
New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...
, and
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
. James Duncan of New Hampshire first settled in Kendal before recording the plot for Massillon on December 6, 1826. Duncan, known as the city's founder, named the town after
Jean Baptiste Massillon Jean-Baptiste Massillon, CO (24 June 1663, Hyères – 28 September 1742, Beauregard-l'Évêque), was a French Catholic prelate and famous preacher who served as Bishop of Clermont from 1717 until his death. Biography Early years Massillon wa ...
, a
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
Catholic bishop, at the request of his wife. The town plat was established along the east bank of the Tuscarawas River, which was the surveyed route for the Ohio and Erie Canal being constructed to connect Lake Erie with the
Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
. The canal section spanning from Cleveland to Massillon was completed in 1828. Among the leading merchants were the Wellman brothers Hiram and Marshall. Marshall Wellman was the grandfather of the American author Jack London. Massillon quickly became a major port town along the canal route, known as the Port of Massillon, following the canal's completion in the 1832. The first telegraph lines would reach Massillon in 1847, and the Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad would extend its rails to Massillon in 1852. Massillon incorporated as a village in 1853. In 1868, Massillon incorporated as a city when the populated reached 5,000.


Ohio Women's Convention

The Ohio Women's Convention met at Massillon, Ohio, on May 27,1852. The president of the convention was
Hannah Tracy Cutler Hannah Maria Conant Tracy Cutler (December 25, 1815Alexander Street Press. Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600–2000''Author Details: Cutler, Hannah Maria Conant Tracy, 1815–1895''. Retrieved on May 28, 2009. – February 11 ...
. The meeting was held in Massillon Baptist Chapel.Sarah Miller Little
A Woman of Property: From Being It to Controlling It - A Bicentennial Perspective on Women and Ohio Property Law, 1803 to 2003
16 Hastings Women's L.J. 177 (2005).
Attendees voted to establish the
Ohio Women's Rights Association Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
(OWRA), which held its first meeting the following year in Ravenna.


C. M. Russell & Company

The C. M. Russell & Company, formed in 1848 by Charles. M. Russell and his brothers, Nahum Russell and Clement Russell, manufactured threshing machines and other agricultural implements in Massillon. The company began producing train cars in 1852 and incorporated in 1864 as Russell & Company Inc. In 1884, Russell & Company began producing its famed steam traction engines and quickly became one of the largest producers of industrial and agricultural equipment. A merger with the Griscom-Spencer company in 1912 created the Griscom-Russell Company. Griscom-Russell produced heat exchangers for the United States Navy during World War II. The company closed in 1962.


Massillon Bridge Company

The Massillon Iron Bridge Company was founded by Joseph Davenport in 1869 after moving to Massillon from Boston to work at the C. M. Russell & Company. Davenport also invented and built the first locomotive "cowcatcher" and cab in Massillon. The company incorporated in 1887 as The Massillon Bridge Company. The Massillon Bridge Company designed and built steel truss bridges up through the mid-1900s, many of which stand today.


Massillon State Hospital

The Massillon State Hospital for the Insane opened in 1898 on 240 acres of land given to the state of Ohio for the purpose of constructing the hospital. The hospital was established by Ohio governor William McKinley. By 1950 there were 3,100 patients in the hospital. Today it is known as Heartland Behavioral Healthcare.


Forest City Motor Car Company

The Forest City Motor Company was founded in Cleveland in 1906 but relocated to Massillon that same year. Forest City produced approximately 1,000 of their Jewel automobiles in Massillon between 1906 and 1909. The name of the company was changed to the Jewel Motor Car Company but the company eventually ceased production in 1909.


Steel Era

Although steelmaking and fabrication is found throughout its history, some say Massillon's steel age didn't start until 1909, when the first sheet of steel was rolled at the Massillon Rolling Mill Company. Massillon Rolling merged into the Central Steel Company in 1914, and lit its first open hearth furnace in 1915. Central Steel eventually became known as the Central Alloy Steel Company. In April 1930, Central Alloy merged with Republic Steel, becoming the third largest steel company in the world, with its Massillon operations employing nearly one-half of the city's workforce by 1959. This included other Massillon divisions like Massillon Union Drawn Steel and its
stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...
division Enduro Stainless. In 1984 Republic Steel was purchased by
LTV Steel Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) was a large American conglomerate which existed from 1961 to 2000. At its peak, it was involved in aerospace, airlines, electronics, steel manufacturing, sporting goods, meat packing, car rentals, and pharmaceuticals, am ...
. Enduro closed in 1985, and it and other stainless plants went through several ownership changes over the following 15 years. The main Republic facilities on the southwest side of Massillon closed by 2002.


Massillon Steel Joist

Stanley Macomber Stanley Macomber (November 26, 1887 – May 15, 1967) was an American inventor. He designed and patented the open web joist floor system, and founded the Massillon Steel Joist Company of Massillon, Ohio, and the Macomber Steel Company of Canton, Oh ...
designed the open-web steel joist in 1921 while working for Massillon's Central Steel Company. Macomber left Central Steel and founded the Massillon Steel Joist Co. in 1923. His open-web steel joist, patented in 1924, was known as the Massillon Steel Joist. Macomber's invention was a revolutionary assembly of steel joists with a top slab used to support of floors, ceilings and roofs. The basis of Macomber's steel joist design is still used today. Stanley Macomber was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 2011.


Lincoln Highway

Lincoln Highway, the first U.S. highway to run from coast to coast, was envisioned in 1913 and followed Main Street through the center of Massillon. Main Street was eventually renamed Lincoln Way in recognition of the new highway. In 1928, the federal government renamed Lincoln Highway to
U.S. 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...
. A controlled access freeway was constructed in 1971, bypassing U.S. 30 around to the city's most southern part. The old Lincoln Highway that runs through Massillon and Canton was reassigned as State Route 172.


Little Steel Strike

Massillon was a site where one of the most tragic instances of anti-union violence in the history of the United States occurred. The Steel Workers Organizing Committee began an attempt to organize workers at Republic Steel in the spring of 1937, following the unionizing of workers at the country's two largest steel companies US Steel and
Jones & Laughlin Steel The Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation began as the American Iron Company, founded in 1852 by Bernard Lauth and Benjamin Franklin Jones, a few miles (c 4 km) south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. Lauth's interest was bought in ...
. In retaliation, Republic Steel expelled over 1000 union supporters at plants in Canton and Massillon. On May 26, the union eventually called for all workers at Republic Steel, Youngstown Sheet and Tube, and
Inland Steel The Inland Steel Company was an American steel company active in 1893–1998. Its history as an independent firm thus spanned much of the 20th century. It was headquartered in Chicago at the landmark Inland Steel Building. Inland Steel was an i ...
(together known as Little Steel) to strike in response to the treatment of workers in Massillon and Canton. On the night of July 11, 1937, a car failed to dim its headlights as it approached a police barricade near a picket line at one of the Massillon plants. City police assumed the worst and without warning opened fire with rifles and shotguns. Police then used this infraction to raid a peaceful crowd that was gathered in front of the union headquarters. Police pumped tear gas canisters and opened fire into the fleeing crowd. Joined by National Guardsmen, the police destroyed the union hall and arrested every suspected unionist they could find. Three men were killed and hundreds were injured during this incident. Ohio Historical Marker #18-76 was erected in 2004 in front of the Massillon City Hall in memory of the Little Steel Strike of 1937.


Coxey's Army

Jacob S. Coxey, Sr. Jacob Sechler Coxey Sr. (April 16, 1854 – May 18, 1951), sometimes known as General Coxey, of Massillon, Ohio, was an American politician who ran for elective office several times in Ohio. Twice, in 1894 and 1914, he led "Coxey's Army", a grou ...
, sometimes known as General Coxey of Massillon, was an American politician who ran for elective office several times in Ohio. He twice led Coxey's Army, in 1894 and 1914, consisting of a group of unemployed men that he led on marches from Massillon to Washington, D.C., to present a "Petition in Boots" demanding that the Congress allocate funds to create jobs for the unemployed. Although his march failed, Coxey's Army was an early attempt to arouse political interest in an issue that grew in importance until the Social Security Act of 1935 encouraged the establishment of state unemployment insurance programs. Jacob Coxey was elected mayor of Massillon in 1931 and served one year.


Geography

Massillon is at (40.7967, 81.5214), along the Tuscarawas River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The following residential neighborhoods are located in and around the city: Amherst Heights, Belmont, C.H.A.R.M, Charity Rotch, Chestnut Hills, Clearview, Colonial Hills, Columbia Heights, East Brookfield, Elms Acres, Greenwood Acres, Kendall Heights, Lawndale, Mayflower Village, Moffitt Heights, New England, Oak Ridge, Perry Heights, Raynell, Sippo Heights, University Village, Walnut Hills, Wellman, West Brookfield, West Park, St. Andrews Golf Estates and Westadaro


Demographics


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 31,325 people, 12,677 households, and 8,328 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,870.3 people per square mile (722.1/km2). There were 13,567 housing units at an average density of 810.0/sq mi (312.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.18% White, 9.39% African American, 1.60% from two races or more, 0.96% Hispanic or Latino, 0.34% from other races, 0.25% Asian, and 0.23% Native American. There were 12,677 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,734, and the median income for a family was $41,058. Males had a median income of $32,021 versus $22,327 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,633. About 8.3% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.


2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 32,149 people, 13,140 households, and 8,268 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 14,497 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.4% White, 8.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population. There were 13,140 households, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.1% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 40.1 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.1% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.


Economy

While no longer home to the large steel plants of the 20th century, the following businesses are headquartered or otherwise prominent in the city: * Ameri Cold Logistics * Aqua Ohio (incorporated 1926 as the Massillon Water Service Company) * A.R.E. * Campbell Oil (Headquarters) * Crown Cork & Seal * Fresh Mark Inc. (Headquarters) * Greif Brothers * The Health Plan *
Heinz The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six conti ...
Frozen Food Co. * Massillon Cable TV, founded 1965 * Midwestern Industries (Headquarters) * NFM Welding (Headquarters) * People's Cartage * Republic Steel * R.W. Screw * Shearer's Foods (manufacturing and headquarters) * Sugardale (pork products) * Tower Industries *King Machine and Tool Company (Est. 1979) Massillon has a central business district along Lincoln Way stretching from approximately State Route 21 to Wales Road. There are a few shopping areas, notably Towne Plaza, Amherst Shopping Center, Mayflower Shopping Center, Massillon Marketplace and Meadows Plaza.


Government

The city is governed by an elected mayor and city council. There are seven council positions representing the city's six wards and three at-large council positions. Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry ( D) Massillon City Council *President of Council- Claudette Istnick ( NP) *Ward 1 - Mark Lombardi ( R) *Ward 2 - Jim Thieret ( R) *Ward 3 - Michael Gregg ( R) *Ward 4 - Jill Creamer ( D) *Ward 5 - Megan Starrett ( D) *Ward 6 - Linda Litman ( D) *At-Large - Ted Herncane ( D) *At-Large - Ed Lewis IV ( R) *At-Large - Nancy Halter ( R) The Massillon municipal court system serves all residents in western Stark county located in the cities of Massillon, Canal Fulton and Bethlehem Twp, Jackson Twp., Lawrence Twp., Perry Twp., Sugar Creek Twp., Tuscarawas Twp., Villages of Beach City, Brewster, Hills and Dales, Navarre and Wilmot.


Education


Public schools

The city is served by the following public school districts: *
Massillon City School District Massillon City School District is a public school district serving students in the city of Massillon, Ohio, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a c ...
* Jackson Local School District * Perry Local School District * Tuslaw Local School District Additionally, the R.G. Drage Career Technical Center of the
Stark County Area Vocational School District Stark County Area Vocational School District is a school district located in Stark County, Ohio, United States. It operates the R.G. Drage Career Center located in Massillon, Ohio Massillon is a city in Stark County, Ohio, Stark County in the ...
is located in Massillon and serves all students in the Massillon/Western Stark County area.


Private schools

There are three private schools located in Massillon.
Massillon Christian School Massillon Christian School is a private Christian school in Massillon, Ohio. It is a ministry of the Massillon Baptist Temple. About MCS Massillon Christian School (MCS) is a private co-ed Independent Baptist Independent Baptist churches (so ...
, operated by the Massillon Baptist Temple, has students in grades kindergarten through 12. There are also two parochial elementary schools, both of which are affiliated with the Holy Cross Academy system and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown: St. Barbara School, for grades kindergarten through eight, and St. Mary School, for preschool through eighth grade.


Attractions


Massillon Museum

The Massillon Museum was established in 1933 in order to preserve the city's rich history. The museum was accredited in 1972 by the American Alliance of Museums and is currently located downtown in the historic Gensemer Brothers Dry Goods building. The museum's collection encompasses approximately 100,000 objects in 94 categories, 60,000 photographs, and 18,000 archival and reference documents. The Immel Circus is one of the museum's most interesting collections. The 100-square foot miniature circus contains 2,620 pieces: thirty-six elephants, 186 horses, 102 assorted animals, ninety-one wagons, seven tents, and 2,207 people. Most of the pieces were hand-carved by Dr. Robert Immel of Massillon using tools from his dental practice.


Lions Lincoln Theatre

The 1915 landmark movie theatre, designed by Guy Tilden, was saved from demolition by the local
Lions International The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquarte ...
club in 1982. The theatre is thought to be one of the oldest purpose-built movie houses in the country still in operation. One of the theatre's two arc-lamp 35mm projectors was replaced by a digital projector in 2013. Today the theatre hosts community events, and screens classic and second-run movies on weekends. The stage also hosts live theatre. In 1989, the play ''
Dear Mother and All ''Dear Mother and All'' is a play written by American playwright Sandra Perlman. It is based on letters between 18-year-old American Charles Vernon Brown, his family, friends, and other members of his hometown of Massillon, Ohio, dating from his en ...
'', a World War I play based on letters of Massillon native Charles Vernon Brown and his friends and family, debuted at the theatre.


Spring Hill Historic Home

Spring Hill Historic Home Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...
is the home of Thomas and Charity Rotch, the founders of Kendal, Ohio (the precursor to Massillon). In 1973, the home of the Rotch-Wales families was turned into a historic home and opened to the public. Today, they focus on the Underground Railroad work that Thomas and Charity did while living in the house. The house is a member of the Ohio Friends of Freedom Society, and became a site on the National Park Service's Network to Freedom in 2006. Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of their Underground Railroad history is a letter written by George Duncan, a freedom seeker who was still on the run, to Thomas and Charity. George trusted the Rotches to help reunite him with his companion Edy, who was waiting for safer passage before escaping herself. George's letter is one of only a few written by a formerly enslaved person while they were still on the run.


Ohio Military Museum

The Ohio Military Museum is operated by the Ohio Society Of Military History and is home to thousands of artifacts and tributes to the men and women of Ohio who served in the armed forces. The museum moved to the MAPS Air Museum in 2016.


Parks and recreation

The City of Massillon Parks & Recreation Department operates a recreation center, senior center, and 35 parks and open spaces. Massillon's municipal golf course, The Legends of Massillon, opened in 1995. The City maintains the Stark County section of the Sippo Valley Bike & Hike Trail, leading trail users to Dalton in Wayne County. The Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail also passes through the city.


Football

Football has long been one of the most prominent contributions to the culture of Massillon.


Professional football

While the first players known to be paid to play football are believed to have played for club teams in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, perhaps the first great professional football rivalry was between the Massillon Tigers and
Canton Bulldogs The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football Leag ...
from 1903 to 1906 and 1915 to 1919. This rivalry predates both the NFL and the aforementioned rivalry between the Massillon and Canton high schools which continue to use the nicknames of these early professional teams. The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) web site includes articles about the early years of this rivalry, as well as articles about the history of football through the 1970s.


Massillon Tigers

The name Massillon is most notably associated with the Massillon Washington High School football team, the Tigers. Distinguished Massillon alumni include former Ohio State University, Cleveland Browns, and
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
coach Paul Brown, and former Ohio State University player and former
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
All-Pro linebacker Chris Spielman. The Tigers are historically one of the winningest high school football teams in the United States, second only to Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Georgia. Along with the Canton McKinley High School Bulldogs, the Tigers represent one half of what many consider to be the greatest high school football rivalry in the nation. Both Massillon and their fierce rivalry with Canton are subjects of the 2001 documentary film ''
Go Tigers! ''Go Tigers!'' is a documentary film created about the Tigers of Massillon, Ohio. It is about the football team, the city, and its rivalry against the Canton McKinley High School McKinley Senior High School is a public high school in Canton, ...
''.


Paul Brown Tiger Stadium

The construction of Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon was completed in 1939 through the Works Progress Administration program. The stadium currently holds 16,884 people and is named after former Tiger player and head coach Paul Brown. Besides being the regular season home of the Massillon Tiger Football team, the stadium hosts numerous
Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...
state football playoff games as well as divisional championship games. The stadium also hosts the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame drum and bugle corps competition. The stadium is marked with a historical marker dedicated to Paul Brown and his contribution to the sport


Paul L. David Athletic Training Center

Massillon's Paul L. David Athletic Training Center was built in 2008 by local philanthropist Jeff David in honor of his late father. The 3 million dollar, 80,000 square foot building is the largest indoor football practice facility in the state of Ohio, 20,000-square-feet larger than the facility used by the NFL's Cleveland Browns.


City of Champions

The Massillon Tigers have accumulated 24 “state AP championships” and 9 “national AP championships” during the school's history. As of 2012, the Tigers have accumulated an overall record of 837-249-35, a record not approached by any other Ohio high school football team. In the years since the Ohio high school playoff system was instituted in 1972, the Tigers have accumulated a current record of 316-117-4. The Tigers have made the playoffs 19 times, the final four six times, and the final championship game three times. There have been 23 professional players, 3 NFL coaches, and 14 collegiate all-Americans that have graduated from Massillon Washington High School. Washington High School currently holds the record for the most playoff appearances by a high school football team without actually winning a state championship since 1970.


Tiger Swing Band

The 1915 Washington High School annual notes of the Massillon Football Band being a group of students bringing their instruments to the football games and playing to cheer on the team and pep up the fans. The name "The Massillon Tiger Swing Band" and the swing elements were created by George "Red" Bird in 1938 during the Paul Brown era of Massillon football. The band became known as "The Greatest Show in High School Football" and is still a very important part of the Massillon football tradition. The band's swing style includes moving formations and musicians marching with a swing step. Mr. Bird invented the 6 to 5 step. The Tiger Swing band begins every home football game with the traditional hometown songs of "Massillon Will Shine", "Stand Up and Cheer" (to acknowledge the other team), the National Anthem, "Eye of the Tiger" and the "WHS Alma Mater". At the beginning of each half time show, they perform what is known as "Opening Routine", this tradition that goes back for decades and consists of the band's entrance ("Turn Arounds") followed by "Fanfare", "Tiger Rag" and "Carry On". This entire routine is marched at 180 beats per minute. The band also learns and performs a new show for every home game.


ESPN Titletown U.S.A. finalist

In July 2008 Massillon was nominated as one of only twenty cities nationwide as a finalist in ESPN's "Titletown U.S.A." contest. On July 21, a rally was held at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium while ESPN filmed a segment that was aired on
SportsCenter ''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television show, television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of United States, American cable television, cable and satellite television television network, network ESPN. The show ...
. Massillon finished fourth in the voting behind Valdosta, Georgia;
Parkersburg, West Virginia Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia, Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Little Kanawha River, Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and ...
; and
Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...
.


Transportation

Massillon is served by the following state and federal highways: US Route 30,
US Route 62 U.S. Route 62 or U.S. Highway 62 (US 62) runs from the Mexican border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York, near the Canadian border. It is the only east-west United States Numbered Highway that connects Mexico and Ca ...
, Ohio State Route 21, Ohio State Route 172, Ohio State Route 241,
Ohio State Route 236 State Route 236 (SR 236, OH 236) is a two-lane north–south state highway in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Its southern terminus is at a signalized intersection with State Route 21 in the northern end of Massillon. ...
, and Ohio State Route 93.
Interstate 77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...
bypasses the city to the east and is accessible via interchanges on US-30, SR-21, SR-241, and SR-172.
Stark Area Regional Transit Authority SARTA, (Stark Area Regional Transit Authority), is a public sector transit agency servicing Stark County, a county in Ohio containing Canton, Alliance, and Massillon. In addition to its regular line service within Stark County, SARTA runs one bu ...
(SARTA) has a transit center downtown and provides public transit bus service within the city, including service to
Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...
, the Akron-Canton Regional Airport, and the Amtrak station located in Alliance. Fidelity US Coach Tours provides charter bus service from the city.


Air

Akron-Canton Regional Airport is 10 miles north of the city and provides daily commercial passenger and air freight service.


Rail

Amtrak offers daily service on its '' Capitol Limited'' to Chicago and Washington, D.C. from a regional passenger station in Alliance, Ohio. Passenger rail service by Penn Central within the city was ended in 1971. Norfolk Southern, Wheeling-Lake Erie, and the R. J. Corman railroads provide freight service in Massillon.


Media

Massillon is part of the greater Cleveland and Akron markets. '' The Independent'' is the local newspaper serving the city of Massillon and western Stark County.
WTIG WTIG is an AM radio station in Massillon, Ohio operating on 990 kHz and featuring sports talk programming from ESPN Radio. The station is an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Columbus Blue Jackets radio networks. Histo ...
AM 990 is located in Massillon and serves the local Massillon/Western Stark County area. Massillon Cable TV provides local access television for Massillon as well as portions of Bethlehem, Jackson, Perry, and Tuscarawas townships. Washington High School has a Media Arts and Communications Career-Technical Education program, WHS-TV, that is top notch. The students are tasked to record most events at the high school including all varsity football games (home and away), all boys varsity home basketball games, produce their own "talk shows" to interview the head football coach, head basketball coach, head baseball coach and head band director and direct, produce and star in their own high school news channel that airs to the student body and on their social media platforms three days a week called Accent. YouTube: WHS-TV Ohio; Facebook: WHS-TV; Instagram: whstvohio; Twitter: @WHSTVOhio


Religion

Massilion is home to St. Mary's Catholic Church. It held the US shrine to
St. Dymphna Dymphna is a Christian saint honoured in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. According to tradition, she lived in the 7th century and was martyred by her father. The story of Dymphna was first recorded in the 13th century by a canon of ...
until, on August 4, 2015, a fire broke out in the church, ultimately destroying a baptistery and the shrine. The structure of the building survived, but heavy smoke caused much destruction. After closing for cleaning and restoration, St. Mary's reopened on December 25, 2016.


Notable people

Listed alphabetically, by last name: *
Bill Berry William Thomas Berry (born July 31, 1958) is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guitar ...
and his family moved to Massillon in 1971 * John Blackburn, wrote the lyrics of " Moonlight in Vermont" * Mike Brown, owner of
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
* Paul Brown,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player and
hall of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
coach * Matt Campbell, head coach of Iowa State Cyclones football team * David Canary, actor * Gareon Conley,
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
cornerback for the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
in 2017 *
Jacob S. Coxey, Sr. Jacob Sechler Coxey Sr. (April 16, 1854 – May 18, 1951), sometimes known as General Coxey, of Massillon, Ohio, was an American politician who ran for elective office several times in Ohio. Twice, in 1894 and 1914, he led "Coxey's Army", a grou ...
, politician and activist * Shawn Crable, second-team All-American linebacker and defensive team captain at the University of Michigan; selected in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft by the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
*
Joseph Davenport Joseph Jackson Davenport (1849 – 1921) was a lawyer, realtor and Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri in 1889. He moved to Kansas City from his native Saint Louis in about 1873, joining "the pork-packing business with J. E. McKenzie," and after his t ...
, founder of the Massillon Bridge Company, inventor of the locomotive cab and cow catcher * Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano * Dillon Dingler – Ohio State catcher, MLB player with the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
. *
Caroline McCullough Everhard Caroline Jane McCullough Everhard (September 14, 1843 – April 14, 1902) was an American banker and suffragist, president of the Ohio Suffrage Association. Early life Caroline Jane McCullough was born on September 14, 1843, in Massillon, Ohio, ...
, suffragist *
Mayhew Folger Mayhew Folger (March 9, 1774 – September 1, 1828) was an American whaler who captained the sealing ship ''Topaz'' that rediscovered the Pitcairn Islands in 1808, while one of 's mutineers was still living. Early life and family Mayhew was born ...
, ship captain and uncle of Lucretia Mott *
Bob Fothergill Robert Roy Fothergill (August 16, 1897 – March 20, 1938), often referred to by the nicknames "Fats" and "Fatty", and "the People's Choice", was an American baseball player. He played professional baseball, principally as a left fielder, for 1 ...
, MLB player who played primarily for the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
*
Lillian Gish Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893February 27, 1993) was an American actress, director, and screenwriter. Her film-acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912, in silent film shorts, to 1987. Gish was called the "First Lady of American Cinema", ...
, actress *
Rod Graber Rodney Blaine Graber (June 20, 1930 in Massillon, Ohio - December 5, 2014 in San Diego, CaliforniaSABR February 2016 Biographical Information Newsletter) was a former Major League Baseball center fielder. He was signed as an amateur free agent by ...
, player for 1958 Cleveland Indians * Bobby Grier, first African-American to play in a college football bowl game (the 1956
Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
) * Jessicka Havok, pro wrestler * Tommy Henrich, MLB player for the New York Yankees, 1937 - 1950 *
Mike Hershberger Norman Michael Hershberger (October 9, 1939 – July 1, 2012) was an American professional baseball player and outfielder for the Chicago White Sox (1961–1964, 1971), Kansas City / Oakland Athletics (1965–1969) and Milwaukee Brewers (1970 ...
, MLB player for the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City/Oakland Athletics, and the
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
*
Jim Houston James Edward Houston (November 3, 1937 – September 11, 2018) was an American American football, football linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns. He was elected to the College Football H ...
, member of
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
and Pro Bowl linebacker for the Cleveland Browns *
Lin Houston Lindell Lee Houston (January 11, 1921September 9, 1995) was an American football guard who played eight seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns. He was the older br ...
, an All-American guard who played for Paul Brown in Massillon, at Ohio State and with the Cleveland Browns * Carlin Isles, a rugby union player and Olympian who plays for the United States national rugby sevens team * Don James, Hall of fame college football coach *
George V. Kelley George VanStavoren Kelley (March 23, 1843 – November 4, 1905) was a line officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the Battle of Franklin II, Battle of Franklin during the 1864 Fr ...
, recipient, Medal of Honor * Bobby Knight, college basketball coach of Indiana's 1976, 1981 and 1987 national champions * Mark Kozelek, singer/songwriter *
Matt Lanter Matthew MacKendree Lanter (born April 1, 1983) is an American actor and model. He began his modeling career in 2004. The same year, he acted in the film '' Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius'' and the television series '' Point Pleasant''. He went o ...
, actor and model * James Lawson, civil rights activist * Lori Lightfoot,
Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and r ...
and former President of the Chicago Police Board. *
Stanley Macomber Stanley Macomber (November 26, 1887 – May 15, 1967) was an American inventor. He designed and patented the open web joist floor system, and founded the Massillon Steel Joist Company of Massillon, Ohio, and the Macomber Steel Company of Canton, Oh ...
, inventor of the open-web steel joist *
Kameron Michaels Dane Young (born July 23, 1986), known professionally as Kameron Michaels, is an American drag performer who came to international attention after competing on the tenth season of '' RuPaul's Drag Race''. Originally from Columbia, Tennessee, ...
, famous Drag performer *
Ed Molinski Ed Molinski (August 20, 1917 – June 26, 1986) was a Hall of Fame college football player for the University of Tennessee. He later became a doctor after being involved in boxing, World War II, and college coaching. Football career Molins ...
, member of College Football Hall of Fame, two-time All-American guard, member of 1938 Tennessee Volunteers National Championship team * Richard Myers, filmmaker * Jack Oliver, geophysicist, led team that proved continental drift theory, or plate tectonics as it was more correctly termed * Cy Rigler, Major League Baseball umpire in 10 World Series and MLB's first All-Star Game * John Ruch, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly *
Robert R. Scott Robert Raymond Scott (July 13, 1915 – December 7, 1941) was a United States Navy sailor who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Biography Robert Raymond Scott was born in Massillon ...
, Machinist's Mate First Class aboard the USS California (BB-44) posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. *
Warren Shanabrook Warren Hilton Shanabrook (November 30, 1880 – March 10, 1964) was a Major League Baseball third baseman. Shanabrook played for the Washington Senators in . In one career game, he had no hits in two at-bats. He batted and threw right-handed. ...
, Major League Baseball player * Devin Smith, wide receiver for the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
of the National Football League and Ohio State University. * Joe Sparma, pitcher for the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
and quarterback for Ohio State University * Chris Spielman, 1987 Lombardi Award winner at Ohio State and two-time All-Pro
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
linebacker * Rick Spielman, general manager of the Minnesota Vikings * Stalley, rapper * Harry Stuhldreher, three-time All-American quarterback at
Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...
, one of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame *
Patrick Sweany Patrick Sweany (born April 26, 1974) is an American blues rock musician from Massillon, Ohio, United States. Career Patrick Sweany first gained prominence in the late 1990s as an acoustic blues guitarist and singer at many Blues Festivals around ...
, blues-rock musician * Jeff Timmons, founder/member of pop group, 98 Degrees *
Ryan Travis Ryan Travis (born January 18, 1989) is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent. He played college football at West Liberty University, where he was a consensus first-team Division II All-American in both 2009 and 2010. He l ...
, Tuslaw High School graduate signed as an undrafted free agent by the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
* Bob Vogel, football player *
John Wager John Byron Wager (April 28, 1905 – June 22, 1982) was a center in the National Football League. He played three seasons for the Portsmouth Spartans. Previously, he played four seasons at Carthage College Carthage College is a private co ...
, NFL center * Tom Weiskopf, professional golfer, winner of 1973 British Open *
Stanfield Wells Stanfield McNeill Wells (July 25, 1889 – August 17, 1967) was an All-American football player for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team from 1909-1911. He was the first in a long line of All-Americans to come out of Massillon ...
, Massillon's first All-American football player, selected in 1910 * Alex Wood, college and NFL football coach * James Young, White House physician to John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson


References


External links


City website

Massillon WestStark Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Ohio Cities in Stark County, Ohio Utopian communities in the United States Populated places established in 1812 French-American culture in Ohio 1812 establishments in Ohio