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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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Blue ribbons, red ribbons and white ribbons

Posted by Fred Steiner on May 10, 2021 - 2:04pm

It's Founders Hall at Bluffton College in the 1950s. You are viewing the Bluffton Men's Garden Club annual flower show. If you look close enough Kermit Herr is probably somewhere in the crowd.

During its day, this annual show could rival the entries in the Allen County Fair flower show.

Paul Diller took this photo and Jim Diller shares it with the Icon.

Several things to notice, changed from today:

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Historical Bluffton
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This was at one time Bluffton's largest employer

Posted by Fred Steiner on May 3, 2021 - 9:25am

When this photo was taken, the Triplett Corp. was Bluffton's largest employer. Here are two photos of the plant located along Harmon Road, which is today owned by Diamond Manufacturing.

Several sections, including the front office no long exists.

The aeral view was taken in 1936. A closer look above the treetops reveals the English Lutheran church steeple and the Bluffton elementary belfry. The large smokestack in the center of the skyline in the 1911 Bluffton High School building,
 

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Historical Bluffton
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Mid-1950s trout derby

Posted by Fred Steiner on April 26, 2021 - 10:57am

Bluffton's 77th trout derby is May 2. Here's glance at a much earlier derby. We're guessing it's the early to mid-1950s. We base that upon the boy on the bottom left – thinking that's David Little (1959 BHS grad).

Of course, that's Arden Baker standing at the microphone and by the looks of things the happy person next to him, who we do not know, appears to be hold a very large pickerel, which was stocked in the quarry during this era.

This photo was taken by Paul Diller and is from the Jim Diller collection.

 

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Historical Bluffton
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Summer morning in 1957

Posted by Fred Steiner on April 19, 2021 - 10:50am

It was a busy summer morning in Bluffton when Paul Diller, looking north, took this zoom lens photo of Main Street.

We date this at 1957, based upon what appears to be a 1957 Cheverolet heading north in the center of the photo.

The vehicles in this photo were American-made lead gasoline guzzlers, but at 30 cents or less a gallon, what did it matter?

On the right side of the photo is the "H-C" insignia for the Sinclair gas station, which is now the Bluffton Public Library. 

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Historical Bluffton
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Take an early-1950s walk up Main Street

Thanks to this photo by Paul Diller and a list of businesses by Richard Jordan
Posted by Fred Steiner on April 14, 2021 - 12:23pm

Compare the 1950-era photo with one taken today at the bottom of this story - 

Unlike many small towns, Bluffton's Main Street outlived the malls, survived an interstate bypass and today is home of over 40 small businesses located between the town hall and the public library.

Almost seven decades ago Paul Diller photographed this iconic Main Street scene. When this photo was taken Main Street was also U.S. 25, known as the Dixie Highway. (There existed no interstate highway bypassing town.)

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Historical Bluffton
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