1906 - No spitting on the sidewalk
2023: Automobiles replace electric railroad
By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com
Some photos are worth one-thousand words. This photo (on top) could rival War and Peace, containing slightly north of one-half million.
We’ll save viewers lots of time by offering highlights.
• Year: 1906
• Event: Bricking Bluffton’s Main Street for the first time
• Location: Looking south on Main
• Specifically: CNB on right side, Edward Jones on left
• Activity: Men bricking the street, posing for the photographer; check out bricks on sidewalks
• Sign of the times: On the far right side a sign reading, “No Spitting On The Sidewalk”
• Translation: Tobacco chewing men, hobbling out of saloons – if they could read, were put on notice
• Biggest surprise: A railroad track on Main Street
• Surprise number 2: A rail siding heading off to the left
(today’s walking alleyway between Shannon Theatre and Ten Thousand Villages)
More photos HERE.
Stories Posted This Week
Thursday, October 8, 2026
- St. John Bible Church to host "Refocus on Purpose" workshop
- Royal riches: Gout
- October 8 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Has Bluffton made a birder out of you?
- BPL Afterschool activity: Curious Kids Club
- Book and pizza tasting at Bluffton Public Library
- Final 50 for 250 performance at BPL
- Walking through the Suter Corn Maze
- Resident feedback sought for Regional Transportation Plan
- Bluffton University honors three for service, achievement and leadership
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
- Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting, Friday, Oct. 9
- Fire extinguished at SRK Industries, plant resumed operation same day
- Bluffton girls tie Grove in NWC showdown
- Pirate volleyball falls to powerhouse Patriots
- BHS GOAT: Latin teacher Margaret Weaver
- Library patrons invited to showcase their collections or causes
- September 2026 land transfers in the Bluffton school district
Monday, October 5, 2026
Sunday, October 4, 2026
- Bluffton Fire Dept. extricates passenger following I-75 crash
- Crumrine leads October 8 Watercolor Workshop
- MCHO opportunities to trick or treat, donate candy
- ALA Banned Books Week
- Pirate boys soccer blanked by Celina
- Hancock Public Health confirms measles case in Findlay
- Timeline for October 10 Dillinger robbery reenactment and motorcycle show