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Historical Bluffton

What would the Buckeye look like without water?

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Have you ever wondered what the Buckeye would look like with the water drained? Here's the answer. This photo shows the "Buckeye Stone Quarries" - does that mean there were more than one?

Although we aren't certain, our hunch is that this photo was taken from the "Main Street" side of the quarry looking toward Spring.  This photo is not dated, however, a plat map of Bluffton from 1880 shows Riley Creek and the Marsh Run, and no quarry exists. So the Buckeye was quarried after 1880.

BHS class of '68 in second grade

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Jeannette Klay’s second grade – (BHS class of 1968), 1957-58 school year.

Top row from left, Sue Hauenstein, Aletta Neidermyer, Martha Luginbuhl, Joyce Reichenbach, John Maag, Roger Kagy, Robert Sims, Bob Everett, Rick Emmert, Mrs. Klay.

Third row from left, Adah Lehman, student teacher, James Henry, Larry Conrad, Barbara Diller, Linda Marshall, Ann Triplett, Judy Westrick, Janice Luginbuhl Patty Benroth, Mary Jane Baker, Bill Garrett.

Belles of Pandora - 1906

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What is it about girls from neighboring towns? Take Bluffton and Pandora for example. Long-time Bluffton resident Sidney Hauenstein once upon a time had a girl friend from Pandora. We base this upon the following postcard from "Alma" of Pandora.

She sent him this postcard - in the days before facebook and Twitter. 

Her message was similar to social media messages of today. Read on:

TOP: Are there any more at home like you? Hope this will find you well and happy. Alma

County champs of 1904

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Here's a photo indentified only as "County Champions" BHS 108 ------ 30. We take this to mean a Bluffton football team in 1904 was the best squad in Allen County, scoring 108 points and having only 30 points scored on them. We don't know how many games they played or who were their opponents.

For example, if they played five games, they averaged 21.6 points (three touchdowns per game) against only 1 for their opponents. 

English Lutheran confirmation class - 1950s

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Here's an English Lutheran Church confirmation class taken in the mid-1950s. Lutheran viewers can help us identify everyone in the photo and perhaps place a year on it. We can identify two of the youth, from left, Craig Edwards, Irene (Basinger) Althaus,_______ Schmidt and unidentified. Can a viewer help us and possibly name the minister? Leland Gerber took this photo.

Three churches, one pastor

Rev. U.S. Gottshall was pastor of all three Bluffton area Mennonite Churches. This post card, printed shortly after 1905 show the Ebenezer Mennonite at the bottom left, the St. John Mennonite, bottom right and First Mennonite top left, with Rev. Gottshall.

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