Massillon Paranormal Research Association

09/12/2026

Before the Playground: Canton’s Plum Street Cemetery

There are places in Stark County where you don’t need to add a ghost story to make the history worth looking into. McKinley Park in Canton is one of them.

The park has a playground listed among its amenities. But the ground has a history that goes back long before its use as a recreation area. Canton Parks & Recreation

This was once Plum Street Cemetery, also known as McKinley Cemetery. The historical sign titled McKinley Avenue Park, donated by the Southwest Association of Neighbors, dates its establishment as a public graveyard to 1805. An account published by the McKinley Presidential Library & Stark County Archives states that Canton’s founder, Bezaleel Wells, gave the cemetery land to the city in 1808. Those dates may refer to separate events, but that needs to be checked against the original records.

A photographed cemetery record identifies the site as cemetery No. 132 under the names McKinley Park, Myers, Plum Street, and Wells Cemetery. It also states that all but one stone had been removed when the record was compiled, although the date of that record is not visible in the photograph. Those additional names give us more ways to search for records that might otherwise be missed.

According to the sign, City Engineer Mr. Reif and Assistant Engineer Fouts surveyed the cemetery in 1896 and counted 128 graves. They believed there were more because some markers had deteriorated, been destroyed, or been carried away. That makes 128 a recorded count, not a reliable total of everyone buried there.

The sign places the park conversion in 1897. It describes gravestones being lowered into the ground and most of the stones covered with 336 wagonloads of dirt hauled from street work. Some remaining gravestones were temporarily re-erected. The archives account also states that some graves were moved to West Lawn Cemetery while other remains and markers were covered over. The number of people still buried there was unknown. McKinley archives

That detail deserves attention. Saying a cemetery was “removed” can leave people with the impression that everyone buried there was moved somewhere else. The historical account describes something much more troubling.

The sign also references a May 9, 1897, Canton Repository article describing human bones uncovered during street work along the cemetery’s southern edge. According to the account reproduced on the sign, the remains were collected and reburied elsewhere within the cemetery. That gives us a specific newspaper issue to examine, rather than relying on a story with no traceable source.

Questions about using the land continued afterward. The sign describes an Aero Club proposal to launch gas-filled balloons from the property in 1900 and a later effort to obtain title to the land. It reports that a court upheld its use as a graveyard. It also describes a city purchase in 1912 and a later city solicitor’s position that the original cemetery designation still applied. These are details from the sign’s historical account; the underlying court and property records still need to be examined before drawing conclusions about the site’s legal status today.

One person believed to remain there is Jacob Nagle, a Revolutionary War veteran and sailor who traveled extensively, including aboard the First Fleet to Australia. He died in Canton in 1841 and was buried near the Webb family plot. The archives report that his name does not appear in the record of people removed from the cemetery. They consider it likely that his remains are still there, although that is not a confirmed identification of his present burial location. McKinley archives

The sign also contains a list headed “Known graves still remaining in the park as of 2006.” Among those listed are Margaret Miller, who died in 1810; Barbara Shriver, 1817; Adam Rex, 1818; John Augustine, 1835; Dr. John Sala, 1851; and Henry Miller, 1852. It includes Mary Ann Kryder and Anna Eliza Kryder, both listed as dying in 1823. The entry for O.H. Kline, who died in 1845, identifies his marker as still standing at the time. These are names and dates recorded on the sign, not a new survey confirming the location of each person’s remains today.

Think about that for a moment. Behind a name in an old burial record is an entire life. Someone had a family, worked, traveled, struggled, and eventually had people gather to say goodbye. That matters to me when I research a location. The people connected to it deserve more consideration than becoming characters in somebody’s ghost story.

From a paranormal research standpoint, this is a location that raises questions. A former cemetery, even one where remains were reportedly left behind, does not automatically establish a haunting. The sources cited here document history; they do not establish paranormal activity.

Before calling any experience evidence, I want to know what happened, under what conditions, and what ordinary explanations were considered. Knowing the history can help guide research, but it can also influence what someone expects to experience. We have to be honest about both.

For me, the reason to write about this place starts with remembering the people connected to it. Any investigation should follow that same respect. These were human beings, and whatever someone believes about the paranormal, their burial ground deserves to be treated with that in mind.

Changing what a piece of land is used for does not erase what happened there.

Its paranormal reputation is much less clearly documented, if there even is any. MPRA will have to do more research on this location in the near future, looking further into its history and any firsthand accounts of unexplained activity. Before drawing conclusions, we need to see what can actually be supported.

09/05/2026

THE OLD HERCULES FACTORY

Most people around Canton, Ohio know the old Hercules Engine Factory, but many may not know the darker history connected to the property.

According to longstanding local accounts, an icehouse located there was used as a temporary morgue during the deadly influenza pandemic of 1918. With coffins reportedly in short supply, bodies were stored on ice until arrangements could be made. Some of the victims who were never claimed are said to have been buried in the grassy area between the building and the railroad tracks.

Years later, when additional parking was needed, the grave markers were reportedly removed and the area was paved over but were all of the bodies ever moved?

Just think about that for a moment.

Hercules Motors operated in Canton beginning in 1915 and later produced more than 750,000 engines for the Allied war effort during World War II. Today, six of the historic factory buildings have been beautifully renovated into 90 apartments, giving the property an entirely new life.

But renovating a building does not erase everything that happened there or answer the question of what may still remain beneath it.

Did you ever work there, live there or hear stories about the old Hercules factory? We would love to hear your stories, experiences and memories of this historic Canton property.

— Massillon Paranormal Research Association
Researching the unknown since 2004

09/04/2026

(Question of the Day at the end of this story)

For as long as people have been recording their experiences, dreams have sometimes been associated with things we would today consider paranormal—premonitions, messages from the dead, warnings and even what some people believe are actual visitations. One of the more famous stories involves Abraham Lincoln.

According to an account given by his friend Ward Hill Lamon, shortly before Lincoln was assassinated, Lincoln reportedly dreamed that he walked through the White House and found people mourning around a covered body in the East Room. When he asked who had died, a soldier told him, “The President. He was killed by an assassin.” Whether that dream was truly a premonition, coincidence, or something his mind created because of the very real dangers surrounding him is something we will probably never know. But stories like this are part of the reason dreams have always held such an interesting place in paranormal research.

Which brings me to something that happened to me years ago that I have never been able to completely explain.

Years ago, I had a dream that has always stuck with me.

In the dream, I walked into this old rustic bar, the kind of place you would expect to see somewhere up in the mountains. Everything was dark wood, and a lot of it had these finely carved figures worked into it. I walked over and sat down at the bar, and across from me was this huge picture window looking out over mountains covered in snow.

Then I hear someone say, “Is this seat taken?” I look over and there is my best friend Jamie, who had passed away a few years before. Needless to say, I was pretty happy to see him, and I said, “No, man, have a seat.”, so we’re sitting there talking and he starts apologizing to me. He tells me he’s sorry for what happened, that he never meant to hurt me or everyone else, that he misses me and that he wishes me well.

While he’s talking, I notice he’s holding an envelope. So, being me, I look at him and say, “What, are you a mailman in the afterlife now?” He laughs and says, “No. I have one more message to deliver.” And then I woke up.

I remember thinking it was a strange dream, but at the same time it was a good dream because I got to see Jamie again, even if it was only in a dream. I got ready, went to work and figured that was that.

Then things got interesting.

When I got to work, my friend Ian, who was also friends with Jamie, looked at me and asked, “Did you have a weird dream last night?” I said, “Yeah. Tell me yours.” Ian starts telling me that he dreamed he walked into an old rustic bar with dark wood and finely carved figures. He sat down at the bar, and across from him was a large window looking out over snow-covered mountains. Then Jamie appeared, sat down beside him and started talking to him. Jamie apologized for what happened, told him he was sorry and basically had the same conversation with Ian that he had just had with me in my dream.

At that point I stopped him and asked, “Did Jamie have an envelope?” Ian looked at me confused and said, “No. Why?” I told him, “Because I had the exact same dream you just described. Same bar, same mountains, same conversation. But when Jamie was talking to me, he was holding an envelope. I asked him about it and he told me he had one more message to deliver.” Then I looked at Ian and said, “I think that message was you.”

For the rest of that day, Ian and I were pretty quiet. There really wasn’t much either of us could say. We just kind of sat there thinking about the whole thing, and all these years later it has never left me.

From a paranormal standpoint, this is one of those experiences that is very difficult to classify. Dreaming about someone who has passed away is not unusual, especially someone you were very close to. Two people dreaming about the same person on the same night is interesting. What makes this experience stand out to me are the specific details that matched between the two dreams: the old rustic bar, the carved wood, the large window, the snow-covered mountains and, most importantly, Jamie having basically the same conversation with both of us.

There is also the envelope. In my dream, Jamie told me he had “one more message to deliver,” and Ian appears to have been the next person he spoke to. Was the envelope simply something my mind created as part of the dream, or did it represent something more? I don't know.
Could this have been nothing more than two remarkably similar dreams? Absolutely. Could it have been some kind of shared dream, visitation dream or other paranormal experience? I think that possibility deserves to at least be considered.

But after all these years, I still remember that dream like it happened yesterday.

And I still wonder about that envelope.

-Brian (MPRA Founder)

Question of the Day: Have you ever had a dream involving someone who had passed away that felt different from a normal dream or shared details with someone else’s dream that you couldn’t easily explain? If so, what happened?

09/02/2026

From the MPRA Archives — Massillon Public Library

It is always interesting to look back at where we have been and how much has changed over the years.

Nearly 11 years ago, in October of 2015, our team had the opportunity to take part in a special Halloween episode of MCTV’s How Do You?, filmed by Forshee Media during one of our investigations of the Massillon Public Library.

At the time, we were still known by our original name, the Massillon Ghost Hunters Society, the name we began under when the group was founded in 2004.

Over the years, the Massillon Public Library became a very important part of our history. We didn’t simply visit the building once for a television program. We returned numerous times, conducting investigations, reviewing evidence, researching the history of the location, and trying to better understand the experiences that had been reported there. During a six-year period alone, our team conducted nine investigations at the library.

You may also notice that the name in the video is different from the one we use today.

As the organization evolved, we eventually felt that “Massillon Ghost Hunters Society” no longer accurately described who we had become. Our work had grown beyond simply “ghost hunting.” We had become much more focused on paranormal research documenting claims, studying the history of locations, looking for natural explanations, reviewing evidence carefully, and approaching investigations with a more organized and objective methodology.

That evolution eventually led to the name we use today: Massillon Paranormal Research Association or MPRA.

The name changed, but our roots did not.

This video is a great snapshot of an earlier chapter in MPRA’s history, back when we were still MGHS, and of one of the Massillon locations that became an important part of our story.

Almost 11 years later, we are proud to be able to look back at where we started, what we learned along the way, and how those early investigations helped shape the organization we are today.

https://vimeo.com/142053433?fbclid=IwAR0hAIkCl4NBA9nBZTnvt2-LlahvZgHppAlOMlt1bEZ4UeZnr7tgCA07hOw

How Do You? was a local cable access show for MCTV. This is their Halloween Special with the Massillon Ghost Hunters at the Massillon Public Library. The show has since been cancelled.

09/01/2026

We’ve had a few people ask lately if MPRA is still active, and the answer is absolutely yes.

2026 has just been a rough year for us. Between family matters, injuries, illness, work, and all the other things life has decided to throw at us, finding the time to get everyone together and out investigating has been a little more difficult than usual.

But MPRA is still here.

We’re still investigating whenever schedules and life allow. News-Talk 1480 WHBC is still an open and active case, and there is still work being done there. We’re still researching, looking into reports, experimenting, and doing what MPRA has always done trying to better understand the paranormal rather than simply trying to prove that everything that goes bump in the night is a ghost.

Sometimes paranormal research isn't being in a dark building at 2:00 in the morning with a recorder in your hand. A lot of it happens between investigations: reviewing audio, researching history, comparing evidence, discussing theories, and trying to figure out what the hell we actually caught.

So yes, we're still alive, we're still active, and we're still researching the paranormal as often as life allows us to.

And today is actually a pretty important day for us.

On September 1, 2004, the Massillon Paranormal Research Association was founded.

That means today MPRA officially turns 22 years old.

22 years of investigations, thousands of hours of research, countless EVPs, some very strange days and nights, some completely uneventful nights, and more stories than I could possibly fit into one Facebook post.

After 22 years, MPRA is still here, and we are proud to be the oldest active paranormal research group in Stark County, Ohio.

Happy 22nd Birthday, MPRA.

We aren't done yet.

09/01/2026

Over the years, MPRA has had the opportunity to investigate the Massillon Public Library multiple times. Our first investigation was in 2009, and between 2009 and 2021 we conducted approximately 11 investigations inside the building.

Before investigating, we researched the history of the property and created what we call a spirit profile. Since part of the library was originally a private residence, we went through city directories, microfilm, death records and obituaries to determine who had lived there and whether anyone had actually died on the property.
During that research we found two women, who had died inside the original house portion of the building. That does not mean either one is necessarily responsible for the activity we recorded. None of the voices we captured ever identified themselves by name, so Mary and Clara remain possibilities, not confirmed identities.

One of our first EVPs came from the Reading Room near the fireplace during our very first investigation. I was talking with James from the library about how comfortable the chairs were and joked that I would probably fall asleep in one. James told me people actually did fall asleep there sometimes.
When we reviewed the audio later, a female voice could be heard saying:

“They sleep here sometimes.”

I would classify that recording as approximately a Class B EVP.
During another investigation, we were on the balcony of the rotunda when my sister-in-law Carolyn asked, “Do you help them here at night? Do you help them when they’re all sleeping?”
Nothing was heard at the time, but when we reviewed the recording later, a very clear female voice answered:

“No.”

That one was clear enough that I would consider it a Class A EVP.
We also investigated the library with a Massillon Cable TV film crew. During that investigation, our own recorders did not capture anything during one particular session, but the television crew’s camera did. Near the elevator/ground-floor area, a male voice can be heard answering a question with another clear:

“No.”

So from our investigations of the library, we have at least three specifically documented responsive EVPs: two female voices and one male voice.

There has also been some interesting activity involving the elevator. I have personally seen security footage from inside the library at night where the elevator doors opened and the elevator traveled to the second floor without anyone visibly operating it.

Could there be a mechanical explanation? Absolutely. We have never claimed every unexplained event is paranormal. Our job has always been to document what happens, research the history and separate what we can explain from what we cannot.

After approximately 11 investigations, the Massillon Public Library remains one of MPRA’s more interesting long-term investigation locations. We have documented multiple responsive voices there, unexplained activity and a history that still leaves us with plenty of unanswered questions.

03/22/2026

At MPRA, client privacy is our #1 concern.

When someone invites us into their home, they are trusting us with their personal space, their experiences, and their lives. That trust is something we take seriously.

In today’s digital world, it doesn’t take much to identify a location. A single image of a home combined with a general town can be enough to pinpoint an exact address using public tools. Once that information is exposed, it cannot be taken back.

This can lead to:

unwanted attention or visits
harassment or trespassing
a home being publicly labeled as “haunted”
long-term impact on privacy and property

And once something is posted online, it can be shared, copied, and remain accessible indefinitely.

Even with permission, it is our responsibility to think beyond the moment and protect our clients long-term.

There is also a clear difference between public locations and private homes. Public sites operate with organizational consent and minimal personal risk. A private residence involves real people, families, and their day-to-day lives.

Because of that, our standards are simple:

No identifiable footage of private residences
No details that can lead back to a homeowner
No treating residential cases as content

Our focus is research, not exposure. Any evidence should stand on its own through review and scrutiny, not personal interpretation.

Trust is everything in this field.

If you contact us for a residential investigation, understand this:

Your privacy will always come first.

03/20/2026

Question of the Day:
“What interests you most about the paranormal, and what do you think hinders serious research the most?”

02/26/2026

Question of the Day

This question is directed primarily to paranormal groups and investigators, though the general public is welcome to share their thoughts as well.

Should paranormal investigation be one of the easiest things to document, or one of the hardest?

If we are studying something as theoretical and elusive as disembodied energy, should capturing reliable data be common, or rare?

If someone reports “positive results” in nearly every single location or every single investigation, does that strengthen the field… or suggest we need to re-examine the method and the tools that are used?

02/21/2026

Paranormal question of the day:

Residual vs. Intelligent: Do you think most hauntings are just "recordings" in time (residual), or do you believe spirits are actively aware of us (intelligent)?

Tell us what you think.