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1910 Sanborn Fire Insurance map details are revealing

Posted by Paula Scott on September 1, 2021 - 7:54am

The Ohio History Connection recently featured the digitization of Sanborn Fire Insurance maps for the Open Access Kent State collection and invited viewers to look for their town's map.

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Historical Bluffton
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Corner of Lawn and Elm - 135 years past

Posted by Fred Steiner on June 29, 2021 - 9:45am

This Bluffton photo was taken around 1886. It shows the home of Rudolf and Barbara Amstutz Althaus, with their daughter, Bertha, standing at their gate. 

The house is at the corner of Lawn and Elm, today just north of the St. Mary's Catholic Church parking lot.

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Historical Bluffton
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Forgotten Bluffton architecture

Posted by Fred Steiner on June 21, 2021 - 1:34pm

You'd have to be 72 or older to appreciate and recognize this former Bluffton scene. It's a fire escape on the Bluffton grade school that was razed in 1954. The building stood on the site what is now the elementary multipurpose room and playground. Paul Diller took this photo and Jim, his son, shares it with Icon viewers.

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Historical Bluffton
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Last day of school 2004

Posted by Fred Steiner on June 14, 2021 - 10:27am

On the final day of school in 2004 Phil Zimmerly, at the time a bus driver for Buckeye Charter, drove his sister and a group of her friends to the Bluffton Dairy Freeze as an end-of-school treat.

We found this photo is a box of miscellanous Blufffton photos. 

From left, Elvira Tatarkov, Lauren Kenoyer, Meredith Bixel, Katlyn Sheridan, Ashton Cluts, Amber Risner, Andrea Spallinger and Brittany Spence. This was the end of 5th grade for these girls.

 

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Historical Bluffton
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Elm Center country school 1916-17

Posted by Fred Steiner on June 7, 2021 - 11:00am

Here is a photograph of students who attended the Elm Center country school in 1916-17.

This school was located between Bluffton and Pandora. Today it would be in the Pandora-Gilboa school district. When this photo was taken each of the students spoke Swiss dialect at home, and English in school.

The teacher is Millen Geiger.

Front row from left, Ralph Diller, Monroe Hilty, Melvin Bucher, Ben Burry, Leonard Badertscher and Vilas Burry.

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Historical Bluffton
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1950s heavy snowfall

Posted by Fred Steiner on May 24, 2021 - 9:55am

Just to remind viewers what the aftermath of a heavy winter storm leaves on Main Street, here are two Bluffton winter scenes from the 1950s.

Paul Diller took the photos. The photo above shows the Edelweiss Restaurant with a Basinger Furniture billboard on the wall.

Today Edelweiss Restaurant is Ellerbrock Spine and Soft Tissue office, 120 N. Main St. In place of the Basinger billboard is the Oscar Velasquez Main Street mural. 

And, today, Basinger Furniture is The Black Lab. What's missing from this photo? The awning over the Main Street sidewalk.

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Historical Bluffton
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