Gish Home

This charming house was built about 1845 and was the home to local dentist Ephraim Chidester, who purchased it in 1872. The Frank Chidester family who lived next door, moved into the house in 1914. Lillian Gish owned the residence for about ten minutes after her death. Although the community long called it the "Lillian Gish house", believing that Miss Gish purchased it for her cousin Emily Merrill, the house was actually purchased by Lillian's also- famous siter. Dorothy Gish bought the home in 1953, and it was discovered after Lillian Gish's death, that no conveyance had been made from the Dorothy Gish estate. The Gish sisters occasionally stayed in the house on brief visits to Massillon.

Nathum S. and Esther Russell built their home on the east side of Prospect Street about 1860. In 1897 the Russell daughters, Annie and Flora, gave their family home for use as Massillon's firts library. The McClymonds Public Library included the beginnings of the Massillon Museum. After the library( now the Massillon Public Library ) moved to its Lincoln Way East location in 1937, the Russell home became the Library Apartments.

Russell Home

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