Commemorating the city of Massillon's 200 years.

Whereas the town of Massillon was founded 200 years ago, on December 6, 1826;

Whereas Massillon is located on the traditional homeland of the Lenape (Delaware), Shawnee, Wyandot, Miami, Ottawa, Seneca-Cayuga, Chippewa, Potawatomi, and Tribes now comprising the Peoria Tribe (Wea, Piankashaw, and Kaskaskia);

Whereas Massillon occupies land officially ceded by 1,100 chiefs and warriors signing the Treaty of Greenville in 1795;

Whereas four separate villages merged to create the city of Massillon: Kendal, Massillon, West Massillon, and East Brookfield;

Whereas the town lies on the east bank of the Tuscarawas River;

Whereas the town was named after Jean-Baptiste Massillon, a French Catholic bishop;

Whereas, in 1803, Ohio became the 17th State and the first State carved out of the Northwest Territory;

Whereas, in 1808, the legislature created the borders for Stark County, named after one of George Washington’s Revolutionary War generals, John Stark, which was then part of the original Columbiana County;

Whereas the land originally known as Kendal was settled by Thomas Rotch on April 20, 1812;

Whereas the Rotch family used their farmhouse as one of the several local stations along the underground railroad;

Whereas when the War of 1812 halted shipping, James Duncan ventured west and came across the land that would become Massillon;

Whereas the section of the Ohio and Erie Canal spanning from Cleveland to Massillon was completed in 1828, turning Massillon into a major port town;

Whereas the Ohio Women’s Rights Association was founded in 1852 in Massillon;

Whereas, in 1853, Massillon was officially incorporated as a city;

Whereas the city of Massillon has been dubbed the City of Champions;

Whereas Massillon is known for its proud football legacy and is the birthplace of prominent football coaches such as Matt Campbell and Paul Brown;

Whereas Paul Brown was the cofounder of both National Football League teams in Ohio, the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals; and

Whereas the Massillon Museum serves as a cultural hub where art and history come together: Now, therefore, be it