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Victorian Bluffton school

Posted by Fred Steiner on March 12, 2010 - 6:30pm

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You don't have to be older than 60 to appreciate this photo, but you do need to be that old to say you attended school in the building.

The stately Bluffton Victorian school, located on the site of the current elementary, was razed in 1954 to make way for the new building.

We welcome comments from viewers who attended classes in the building.

Photo from a colorized postcard owned by Fred Steiner

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Historical Bluffton
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East side of Main circa 1906

Posted by Fred Steiner on March 7, 2010 - 5:54pm

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Here's another post card photo of Main Street probably around 1906. It was no doubt taken the same day as the previous photo. The photographer simply moved north a few hundred feet.

In the window of the "restaurant" (today Forever in Stitches), a sign reads "Soda." The fronts of these stores have changed very little since this photo was taken.

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A view of the east side of Main circa 1906

Posted by Fred Steiner on March 1, 2010 - 4:52pm
Main Street circa 1907

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We recently showed you the west side of Main Street at the turn of an earlier century. Now we show you the east side from the same era. In this view, the photographer was standing in front of what today is Citizens National Bank, looking toward the town hall.

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Historical Bluffton
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Main Street snapshot circa 1915

Posted by Fred Steiner on February 20, 2010 - 6:36pm

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There are times when small packages offer huge surprises. This photo represents one of those times. The original photo is a snapshot measuring 2 by 3 inches. It is taken from a family album, but carries no explanation.

When enlarged the photo reveals much. Of course, you recognized the view is Main Street Bluffton taken from what today would be in front of Common Grounds coffee shop looking north. Judging the Ford Model T on the left, which appears to resemble a 1915 model, that puts this photo in the mid-1910s.

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Historical Bluffton
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The final steam through Bluffton

Posted by Fred Steiner on February 14, 2010 - 9:39am

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Here's a rare black and white photo of the last-ever steam locomotive to pass through Bluffton. It was in the mid-1980s.

The Lima-built NKP Berkshire locomotive was pulling a steam fan excersion train from Muncie, Ind., to Bellevue. The trackage through Bluffton since has been downgraded by Norfolk Southern. Steam locomotives are too heavy to risk travel on the local rails.

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Historical Bluffton
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When steam ruled the rails

Posted by Fred Steiner on February 7, 2010 - 4:22pm
NKP 703 pulls a fast freight through Bluffton toward Bellevue

When steam ruled - Click on photo to enlarge

Here's a poor quality, but important photo of Bluffton in the late 1940s or early 1950s. The scene is from Cherry Street looking south toward Railroad Street.

The Bluffton depot, which is now located at the Buckeye park, was alive with activity, servicing as a stop on the Nickel Plate Railroad. The depot served passengers and freight stops. The freight train heading north toward Bellevue is pulled by Lima-built Berkshire 703.

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Historical Bluffton
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