Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainA 19th-century Catholic cemetery in Randolph Township, Portage County, Ohio, featuring a long stone staircase to a hilltop Jesus statue; locally called the 'Stairway to Heaven' for the alleged glow visible from the steps at night.
2643 Waterloo Road (CR 87), Randolph, OH 44265
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free; public cemetery beside St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Access
Limited Access
Stone staircase, hillside terrain
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1831 · St. Joseph Catholic Church established 1831 · One of the earliest Catholic parishes in the Western Reserve · St. Joseph's School 1832 — possibly the oldest English parochial school west of the Alleghenies
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Randolph Township, Portage County, was organized in 1831, with the original Catholic log chapel built in 1835. Portage Pathways (Lois Troyer, 1998) describes St. Joseph's School, founded in 1832, as believed to be the oldest English parochial school west of the Alleghenies. The founding parish established a cemetery immediately adjacent to the church, with the earliest surviving tombstone recording the deaths of the children of Joseph and Odelia Gieb in 1839.
A new brick church was constructed in 1866 on the site of the present structure, and the cemetery was expanded at that time. The cemetery contains a prominent stone staircase leading to a hilltop area with a large Jesus statue, which has given the site its local nickname. The location is in Randolph Township, though it is sometimes referenced as Suffield (a nearby community) or St. Joseph (the unincorporated community at the church's location).
Sources
The cemetery at St. Joseph Catholic Church has acquired the local nickname 'Stairway to Heaven' for its prominent stone staircase leading to a hillside with a large statue of Jesus. The legend holds that if you climb the stairs at night, the Jesus statue at the top will glow with an unexplained light.
The Ohio Exploration Society's Portage County hauntings index independently documents the tradition, noting: 'In a cemetery near Suffield, it is said that if you walk up the long staircase, a statue of Jesus will glow.' The Quest Team Paranormal Investigations — a named Ohio-based investigation group headquartered in Garrettsville — has also conducted documented investigations of the site, listing the Stairway to Heaven Cemetery among their active investigation locations.
A secondary tradition claims that trees in the cemetery have been observed moving on their own, with some accounts linking the phenomenon to alleged cult activity in the area. These accounts remain uncorroborated.
The cemetery itself has genuine historical significance as one of Portage County's oldest Catholic burying grounds, established alongside St. Joseph Catholic Church in 1831.
Climb the long stone staircase from Waterloo Road up to the hilltop Jesus statue within St. Joseph Cemetery. The legend holds the statue glows when viewed from the foot of the stairs at night. The cemetery surrounds the church and dates to 1831.
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