Massillon is a city in Stark County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, 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 ente ...

, south of

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

, and south of

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

. 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 t ...

was founded in 1812 by Thomas Rotch, a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

originally of

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American p ...

, 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 t ...

. James Duncan of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

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 w ...

, 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 The Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles (209 km) long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an ...

, which was the surveyed route for the

Ohio and Erie Canal The Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed during the 1820s and early 1830s in Ohio. It connected Akron with the Cuyahoga River near its outlet on Lake Erie in Cleveland, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth. It a ...

being constructed to connect

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also ha ...

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 ...

. 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 John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

. 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. 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 (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 machine A threshing machine or a thresher is a piece of farm equipment that threshes grain, that is, it removes the seeds from the stalks and husks. It does so by beating the plant to make the seeds fall out. Before such machines were developed, thr ...

s 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 The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. 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 William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in t ...

. 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 An open-hearth furnace or open hearth furnace is any of several kinds of industrial Industrial furnace, furnace in which excess carbon and other impurities are burnt out of pig iron to Steelmaking, produce steel. Because steel is difficult to ma ...

in 1915. Central Steel eventually became known as the Central Alloy Steel Company. In April 1930, Central Alloy merged with

Republic Steel Republic Steel is an American steel manufacturer that was once the country's third largest steel producer. It was founded as the Republic Iron and Steel Company in Youngstown, Ohio in 1899. After rising to prominence during the early 20th Centu ...

, 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 r ...

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, a ...

. 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 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 Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 191 ...

, 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. 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 The Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) was one of two precursor labor organizations to the United Steelworkers. It was formed by the CIO ( Committee for Industrial Organization) on June 7, 1936. It disbanded in 1942 to become the United Stee ...

began an attempt to organize workers at

in the spring of 1937, following the unionizing of workers at the country's two largest steel companies

US Steel United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in several countries ...

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 i ...

. 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 The Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, based in Youngstown, Ohio, was an American steel manufacturer. Officially, the company was created on November 23, 1900, when Articles of Incorporation of the Youngstown Iron Sheet and Tube Company were fil ...

, 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 ...

(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., 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

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, 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 A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 31,325 people, 12,677 households, and 8,328 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

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 White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 9.39%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.60% from two races or more, 0.96%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

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 ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,633. About 8.3% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 32,149 people, 13,140 households, and 8,268 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 14,497 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.4%

, 8.8%

, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races.

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

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 Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the co ...

Frozen Food Co. * Massillon Cable TV, founded 1965 * Midwestern Industries (Headquarters) * NFM Welding (Headquarters) * People's Cartage *

* 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 * 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 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, 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 The Diocese of Youngstown ( la, Dioecesis Youngstonensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church, consisting of six counties in Northeast Ohio: Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Stark, Portage, and Ashtab ...

: St. Barbara School, for grades kindergarten through eight, and St. Mary School, for

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary sch ...

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 American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 headquarter ...

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'', a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

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 is the home of Thomas and Charity Rotch, the founders of

Kendal, Ohio The plat for the town of Kendal, in Stark County, Ohio was entered on April 20, 1812. It was named by its founder, Thomas Rotch (1767–1823), after the town of Kendal, in Cumbria, England. Kendal was absorbed into the town of Massillon, Ohio in 1 ...

(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

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 Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

area, perhaps the first great professional football rivalry was between the

Massillon Tigers The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the "Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championships i ...

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 Lea ...

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 The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pub ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...

, 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) North division. The club's home ...

coach

Paul Brown Paul Eugene Brown (September 7, 1908 – August 5, 1991) was an American football coach and executive in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). Brown was both the co-founder and first coach of the Clevela ...

, and former

player and former NFL

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

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 Valdosta High School is a public high school located in Valdosta, Georgia, United States. School Valdosta High School serves grades 9-12 in the Valdosta City School District. Valdosta High School is a public school located in VALDOSTA, GA. It ha ...

Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457. Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2021 had ...

. Along with the

Canton McKinley High School McKinley Senior High School is a public high school in Canton, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Canton City School District and has two campuses: Downtown Campus (mostly known as Early College High School or Timken High S ...

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, O ...

''.

Paul Brown Tiger Stadium

The construction of Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon was completed in 1939 through the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

program. The stadium currently holds 16,884 people and is named after former Tiger player and head coach

. 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 The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

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

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 ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

'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 program that serves as the flagship program and brand of American cable and satellite television network ESPN. The show covers various sports teams and athletes from around the world and o ...

. Massillon finished fourth in the voting behind

;

Parkersburg, West Virginia Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metrop ...

; 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 le ...

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 Canad ...

, Ohio State Route 21,

Ohio State Route 172 State Route 172 (SR 172) is an east–west state highway in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Its western terminus is at its interchange with U.S. Route 30 (US 30) about west of East Greenville near Dalton, and ...

Ohio State Route 241 State Route 241 (SR 241) is a north–south state highway in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Its southern terminus is at U.S. Route 62 in Millersburg, and its northern terminus is at State Route 18 in Akron Akron () ...

, Ohio State Route 236, 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

, the Akron-Canton Regional Airport, and the

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

station located in

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

. 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 The ''Capitol Limited'' is a daily Amtrak train between Washington, D.C., and Chicago, running via Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Service began in 1981 and was named after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's ''Capitol Limited'' which ended in 197 ...

'' to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and Washington, D.C. from a regional passenger station in Alliance, Ohio. Passenger rail service by

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and th ...

within the city was ended in 1971.

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...

, Wheeling-Lake Erie, and the R. J. Corman railroads provide freight service in Massillon.

Media

Massillon is part of the

greater Cleveland The Cleveland metropolitan area, or Greater Cleveland as it is more commonly known, is the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Cleveland in Northeast Ohio, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census results, the five-county ...

and Akron markets. ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' is the local newspaper serving the city of Massillon and western Stark County. WTIG 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 o ...

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

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 ...

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 fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

coach * Matt Campbell, head coach of

Iowa State Cyclones football The Iowa State Cyclones football program is the intercollegiate football team at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The team is coached by Matt Campbell. The Cyclones compete in the Big 12 Conference, and are a Division I Football Bowl Subdi ...

team *

David Canary David Hoyt Canary (August 25, 1938 – November 16, 2015) was an American actor. Canary is best known for his role as ranch foreman Candy Canaday in the NBC Western drama ''Bonanza'', and as Adam Chandler in the television soap opera ''All My ...

, actor * Gareon Conley, NFL 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 Ra ...

in 2017 * Jacob S. Coxey, Sr., politician and activist *

Shawn Crable Shawn Crable (born December 26, 1984) is a former professional American football linebacker. He played college football at Michigan and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Crable was also a member of ...

, second-team All-American

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

and defensive team captain at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

; selected in the third round of the 2008

NFL draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

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, founder of the Massillon Bridge Company, inventor of the locomotive cab and cow catcher *

Jan DeGaetani Jan (Janice) DeGaetani (July 10, 1933 – September 15, 1989) was an American mezzo-soprano known for her performances of contemporary classical vocal compositions. DeGaetani was born in Massillon, Ohio. Educated at The Juilliard School with ...

, 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, 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 o ...

, ship captain and uncle of

Lucretia Mott Lucretia Mott (''née'' Coffin; January 3, 1793 – November 11, 1880) was an American Quaker, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer. She had formed the idea of reforming the position of women in society when she was amongs ...

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 ...

, MLB player who played primarily for the

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 b ...

, player for 1958

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

* Bobby Grier, first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

to play in a college football

bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...

(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 only ...

) *

Jessicka Havok Jessica Cricks (born June 20, 1986) is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Jessicka Havok. She is currently signed with Impact Wrestling, under the ring name Jessicka where she is a current two-time Impact Knockouts ...

, pro wrestler * Tommy Henrich, MLB player for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

, 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) d ...

, MLB player for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, 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 football linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005 ...

, 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 vo ...

and

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

linebacker for the

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 b ...

, an All-American

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

who played for

in Massillon, at

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

and with the Cleveland Browns *

Carlin Isles Carlin Isles (born November 21, 1989) is an American rugby union player who plays for the United States national rugby sevens team. With 202 tries, Isles is first for the United States in career tries scored, ahead of teammate Perry Baker. Isles ...

, a rugby union player and Olympian who plays for the

United States national rugby sevens team The United States national rugby sevens team competes in international rugby sevens competitions. The national sevens team is organized by USA Rugby, and the team has been led by Head Coach Mike Friday since 2014. The main competition the tea ...

* Don James, Hall of fame college football coach * George V. Kelley, recipient,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

Bobby Knight Robert Montgomery Knight (born October 25, 1940) is an American former basketball coach. Nicknamed "the General", Knight won 902 NCAA Division I men's college basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all- ...

, college

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

coach of Indiana's 1976, 1981 and 1987 national champions *

Mark Kozelek Mark Edward Kozelek (born January 24, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and occasional actor. He is known as the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and founding member of th ...

, singer/songwriter * Matt Lanter, actor and model * James Lawson, civil rights activist *

Lori Lightfoot Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving since 2019 as the 56th mayor of Chicago. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, Lightfoot worked in private legal practice as ...

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 ...

and former President of the Chicago Police Board. * Stanley Macomber, 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, sh ...

, famous Drag performer * Ed Molinski, 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 Plate tectonics (from the la, label= Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of larg ...

as it was more correctly termed *

Cy Rigler Charles "Cy" Rigler (May 16, 1882 – December 21, 1935) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1906 to 1935. His total of 4,144 games ranked fourth in major league history when he retired, and his ...

, Major League Baseball umpire in 10 World Series and MLB's first All-Star Game *

John Ruch John Ruch (6 May 1834 – 21 August 1912) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Ruch was born Massillon, Ohio. On October 24, 1858, he married Emma Buchanan. Ruch owned sawmills and a farm in Scott, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. ...

, member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, e ...

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 Massillo ...

, Machinist's Mate First Class aboard the

USS California (BB-44) USS ''California'' (BB-44) was the second of two s built for the United States Navy between her keel laying in October 1916 and her commissioning in August 1921. The ''Tennessee'' class was part of the standard series of twelve battleships ...

posthumously awarded the

for heroism during the Japanese

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

. * Warren Shanabrook, 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 ...

of the

National Football League 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 majo ...

and

. *

Joe Sparma Joseph Blase Sparma (February 4, 1942 – May 14, 1986) was a quarterback in collegiate football (1961–1962) and a pitcher in Major League Baseball (1964–1970). Quarterback at Ohio State Born in Massillon, Ohio, Sparma attended Ohio State Un ...

, pitcher for the

and quarterback for

* Chris Spielman, 1987

Lombardi Award The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lomba ...

winner at Ohio State and two-time

NFL linebacker * Rick Spielman, general manager of the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

Stalley Kyle Alfonso Myricks (born October 30, 1982), better known by his stage name Stalley, is an American rapper from Massillon, Ohio. Music career In 2008, Stalley made his mixtape debut, titled ''Goin Ape'', with fellow Ohio-native rapper Terry U ...

, rapper *

Harry Stuhldreher Harry Augustus Stuhldreher (October 14, 1901 – January 26, 1965) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played quarterback at University of Notre Dame from 1922 to 1924, where he was a three-time All-A ...

, three-time All-American

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

at Notre Dame, one of the

Four Horsemen of Notre Dame The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a group of American football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team. The players that made up this group were Harry S ...

* Patrick Sweany, blues-rock musician *

Jeff Timmons Jeffrey Brandon Timmons (born April 30, 1973) is an American pop singer, songwriter and producer and founding member of the Grammy-nominated pop group 98 Degrees. Career Rise of 98 Degrees Timmons was the founding member of 98 Degrees. While st ...

, founder/member of pop group,

98 Degrees 98 Degrees (stylized as 98°) is an American pop and R&B vocal group consisting of four vocalists: the group's founding member Jeff Timmons, brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, and Justin Jeffre. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, C ...

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 ...

Tuslaw High School Tuslaw High School is a public high school located in Tuscarawas Township, Ohio near the city of Massillon and serves all high school students in the Tuslaw Local School district. Tuslaw High School is a member of the Stark County Area Vocati ...

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 a ...

* Bob Vogel, football player * John Wager, 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 Massil ...

, Massillon's first All-American football player, selected in 1910 * Alex Wood, college and NFL football coach * James Young,

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

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