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The Diller country school, rural Richland Township, was a unique structure because was a two-room school house. The building stands today and has been transformed into the Goldsberry residence at 7370 Grismore Road. This photo is from a photo post card mailed in 1908.
The Diller school was on the northwest corner of the township between Bluffton and Pandora. It would be considered part of the "Swiss Settlement." Most if not all of the students attending spoke the Swiss dialect in their homes. The Diller name came from the school being located originally on a Diller farm.
There are several things worth pointing out in this photo. First, notice the pump and the wood pile on the far right, and the fact there there were two chimneys, which leads one to wonder how warm the rooms may have been in the winter, if you sat in the back of the room.
The man in the photo is not identified. Let us assume it is the teacher when the photo was taken.
Finally, check out the small building on the far left. Could that be the "outhouse?"
In a conversation with several persons who attended the Diller school, it was learned that one of the proud accomplishments of this school was the many graduates who eventually became medical doctors. It is possible that as many as from six to 10 persons who attended eventually entered the medical profession.
(From the collection of Fred Steiner)
