Note: The Icon acquired a manuscript titled “A Brief History of Bluffton’s Industrial Developments.” This publication was prepared by the classes in Marketing and Small Business Administration from Bluffton College, under the director of Dr. Howard Raid. Publication date is May 1959. We’ve updated some current addresses so viewers may identify locations mentioned. The manuscript was given to the Icon by the Ropp Triplett family.

“Uncle Billy” Lewis Brickyard
1840s to 1900

Uncle Billy Lewis was the first to build a brick in the log hamlet of “ Croghan’s Post Office.” He turned it into the brick village of “Shannon” – and a generation later this become known as Bluffton.

Many of the buildings for which Billy made brick are still to be seen today. Among the structures made with his brick are: the Lutheran Church, and the old Lewis property on Spring Street, plus numerous others. [The Lewis property stood at on Spring where Vine Street connects to Spring. The house was razed.]

William Lewis came to Allen County a poor young man. He was very industrious he would undertake tasks which others would call impossible. Billy cleared a total of 217 acres of northeastern Allen County land.  He ran races; welcomed all a chance to wrestle him.

Cooper Mills

Cooper mill defined:  A mill that produces or repairs wooden barrels, casks and tubs. These are bound with hoops.

There were several cooper mills in Bluffton before the turn of the century and information is scarce about them.

A Mr. George Mack did cooper work in the north end of town on a street that was then called Mill Street. [Today that street is Lawn Avenue.] Mrs. Fred  (Bertha) Hahn remembered as a little girl going over to get the extra wood splinters and pieces that Mr. Mack would save for the people for use as fuel.

Mr. A. E. Luginbuhl thought that a Mr. Kemph had as big or a bigger cooper barrel business in town, at about the same time. However, he felt there wasn’t much to either one of the businesses.

References: Gene Benroth, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hahn, and A. E. Luginbuhl
Interviewers: Gary Yoder and James Mohr