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BHS class of 1968 as sixth graders

Posted by Fred Steiner on August 7, 2011 - 4:23pm

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Members of Joe Cremean's Bluffton sixth grade class 1961-62 school year (BHS class of 1968).

Front row from left, Martha Luginbuhl, Mary Jane Baker, Linda Augsburger, Anise Sponagle, Doris Hamman, Bill Hauenstein, Todd Gratz, Yvonne Agner, Linda Mericle.

Second row from left, Barbara Diller, Barbara Martz, Pat Benroth, Jim Heiks, Fred Steiner, Barbara Basinger, Joyce Reichenbach, Jerry Kloeppel, Larry Conrad, Carol Koontz.

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Historical Bluffton
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Fill it up for 15 cents in Bluffton

Posted by Fred Steiner on August 2, 2011 - 4:46am

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Kathleen Mikkelsen of Mennonite Memorial Home provided this classic photo to The Icon. It shows Ralph Diller, operator of Brilliant Bronze gasoline station, a product of Johnson Oil Co. The photo was taken between 1938-40.

The station was located on the site of today's Bluffton Dari Freeze at the corner of South Main and Bentley.

There are several items to examiine in this photo. The price of gas is 10 cents, 5 cents for tax, totalling 15 cents (per gallon?). Notice the "contains lead" labels.

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Historical Bluffton
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Who is the mystery man?

Posted by Fred Steiner on July 29, 2011 - 6:29am

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From time to time a photo completely stumps the experts. We've passed this snapshot on to our panel of distinguised "We knew every one in Bluffton circa 1900-1961." No one on our panel - including Charles Hilty, Rudi Steiner, Richard Jordan - can identify this man. Paul Diller took the photo in the late 1940s-early 1950s on Main Street.

Icon viewers are welcome to offer suggestions on this mystery guy.

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Historical Bluffton
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Remember Rice's Tot Shop?

Posted by Fred Steiner on July 20, 2011 - 11:05am

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Ed Rice, one-time Bluffton business owner, posed for this photo taken by Paul Diller sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Rice's Tot Shop, was owned by Ed and his wife, Ethlyne.

The Rice family later sold the shop to a the Reichenbachs-Steiners-Lehmans, and the shop became Reistman's. Later the shop was sold to Paul and Jan Snyder, who operated it as Jan's. Today the Bluffton News is located in the former Rice Tot Shop.

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Historical Bluffton
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Wilford Geiger

Posted by Fred Steiner on July 13, 2011 - 9:44am
Wilford Geiger

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Here's a familiar face to Bluffton High School students who took driver's ed in high school, and chemistry in high school during the 1950s and 1960s. It's Wilford Geiger, also a partner in the Geiger and Diller men's store once-upon-a-time on Main Street.

He also lead a pretty mean cheer during homecoming pep sessions.

Paul Diller took this photo of Wilford "don't put the zinc in the sink" Geiger in the early 1950s.

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Historical Bluffton
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Hiram Kohli at the mound

Posted by Fred Steiner on July 5, 2011 - 5:18am

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Here's Hiram Kohli in his classic baseball catcher's position. Paul Diller took this photo with the series of Main Street business men. Here's some observations from Charles Hilty about this photo:

Hiram Kohli was an excellent baseball player. He was Ziggy Burcky's catcher in college days and played later on good sand lot teams. I think that A. C. and Hiram used to have a nostalgic game of pitch and catch every spring down on the old college baseball diamond.

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Historical Bluffton
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