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Historical Bluffton

One half century minus one year on Main Street

It's May 10, 1966. Dick Boehr is taking photos of Main Street businesses. He aims his camera at four businesses on North Main Street.

The first is Steiner and Huser (men's clothing). The second is Balmer's (ladies and children's clothing).

No, this scene isn't 45 years old!

This photo make senses with Icon viewers who walked Main Street Bluffton in 1970. Anyone younger than this may not believe this view is actually Bluffton.

Dick Boehr took this photo on Dec. 26, 1970. He stood on the Prebsyterian Church lawn, aimed his camera at Citizens National Bank and snapped the shutter.

One half century ago on Main Street

It's January 1965. Dick Boehr took this photo of the Stauffer Brother's Pure Oil station at the corner of Main and Elm - directly across from the town hall.

We can't read the gas pumps, but that leaded gas was around 33 cents a gallon.

Today a different building stands there, housing Smith Realty, Padrone's Pizza and Ameriprise.

Here are several observations about this photo and Icon viewers are invited to offer more thoughts.

August 1963 - north Main Street Bluffton

This was North Main Street Bluffton in the summer of 1963.

You are looking at Curling Iron (Skelly Rexall Drugs), directly south of several buildings that are no longer standing. In their place is Luke's Bar and Grill and the bar and grill's patio.

Peeking at you on the far right side is the PromoHits! building.

Older Icon views (65 and up) can tell us the unnamed buildings in this photo.

Notice the height of the sidewalk. When this photo was taken there was a step up from the sidewalk to the drug store. 

Althaus twins on their 1914-era Harley

Older Bluffton residents knew the Althaus twins - Levi and Willie. Here they are on a 1914-era Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Jesse Steiner took this photo. He was a teacher at the Hilty school (corner of State Route 696 and Columbus Grove Road). 

The Althaus brothers attended the school. This photo is from the collection of  Alan Eaton, whose grandfather was Jesse Steiner.

Now for some details about the motorcycle, thanks to the Harley-Davidson Museum, Milwaukee, Wisc.:

No girl varsity teams in 1950...but there was GAA

In the era before Title IX, when high school girls didn't compete in varsity sports, there existed the Girls' Athletic Association, known as GAA.

Here's the Bluffton High School GAA members from the 1949-1950 school year, 65 sports seasons ago.

Too bad, we'll never know how many trophies these young women athletes might have earned for BHS.

Names of the students are under the photo.

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