The land the hospital is located on was originally cornfields used by Native Americans. Settler James Duncan arrived here in 1816 and grazed sheep on the land. Duncan's original cottage was used as a dwelling until 1956. At the suggestion of Ohio governor William McKinley (later the president), 240 acres of this land was given to the State for the purposes of founding the hospital.
Massillon State Hospital was started at the time when "cottage" design of mental hospitals dominated, as opposed to the previous era's immense main buildings designed on the "Kirkbride" plan.
Massillon is located in the northeastern portion of Ohio in Stark County, on the Tuscarawas River, 50 miles south of Cleveland.
The three images which accompany this text were provided by Dihann Walters, who also provided some of the information in the text as well.