Historical Bluffton

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Yes, it's Bluffton. This Lake Erie and Western freight is loaded with Bluffton stone. It sits on a siding at the National Quarry at Jefferson Street. The year is 1910 or 1911.

Frank McElroy, a stone company employee, standing on one of the cars of stone.

This is one of many photos published in "The Bluffton We Never Knew," photographs from Bluffton's first half century, 1861-1911. The book is being released by the Bluffton Icon.

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If this is 1890, then this must be Bluffton.

It is Bluffton and it is Main and Cherry in one of the earliest photos of Main Street. Will Triplett took this photo.

Please look at the addition two photos below - we've enlarged portions of the original photo to look closer at this scene.

Here are some observations:

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After posting this photo we've learned more about it. From Carrie Phillips: "It could be the 50th anniversary May Day weekend."

She adds: My grandparents, Ray and Lucile Holcomb, are in the back row, 3rd and 4th from the left.

The first row include faculty members.

Persons identified on the second row are sixth from left, Wanda Suter Pannabecker, next is Earl Lehman. Arden Slotter is 13th from left. Robert Simcox is fourth from right.

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Not much appears to have changed at the Morning Star Cider Press on Road R. Here's a color slide taken by Paul Diller in the early 1950s.

Looks like an early 1950s Ford, GMC truck, maybe a Chrysler and Studebaker in line for cider. (Photo from Jim Diller collection)

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Here’s Elfrieda Howe’s morning Kindergarten in 1955-56. It was the final year for private Kindergartens in Bluffton.

Front row from left, Mary Herr, Linda Marshall, Connie Sommers, Kathy Kirtland, Ann Balmer, Patricia Benroth, Barbara Basinger, _____ Anderson, Rick Emmert.

Second row from left, John Simcox, James Henry, Fred Steiner, Ron Benroth.

Third row from left, Judy Lehman, Beth Dailey, Candice Swank.

Fourth row from left, Chris ______,  Michael_______, Judy Westrick, Kent Kinsinger, Dan Steiner, John Lehman (with cat), Jon Sommer, Mrs. Howe.

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FHA - Future Homemakers of America. Here are members of that Bluffton High School organization during the 1956-57 school year. Names are under the photo.

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