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Long before the automobile, Bluffton was served by several businesses catering to persons who owned horses. One of those businesses was Bogart's Harness Shop. The shop eventually became an automobile agency.

Standing on the left is M.M. (Mel) Bogart (father of Harry Bogart, grandfather of Tom Bogart and Mary Suter). Beside him on the right is his father, D.C. Bogart.

Although not for certain, it is believed that the wooden frame building the two stand in front of could have been located on Main Street at the south end of what is today Citizens National Bank building.

If this is the case, the building eventually became Dick Troy's Hudson agency when it opened in 1946-47. The Hudson dealership eventually moved into what is today A to Z Meats.

And if all of the above is true, then this store front could later have been occupied by "Doc" Ludwig, shoe repairman, later to become Ernsberger's Jewelry.

Several items in the photo are worth noting. A horse hitching post is between the two men and the street. Notice the apparent flagstone sidewalk.

If it is Main Street, the bricks in the street indicate the photo was taken after 1906.

The sign in the window advertisers "food for horses, cattle, sheep and swine. Notice the suspenders on young Bogart.

And finally, if this building was on Main Street is it the location where college student Harry Bogart witnessed the Dillinger bank robbery in 1933. Harry was sitting in front to the store leaning back on a chair when the robbery took place.

In an interview he once said that there was a slight indentation between his father's building and the one next to it. Notice the "slight" indentation below the Harness sign. That's where Harry might have stood - out of the way of fire - during the robbery.

Our reference for some of these details are from Charles Hilty and Richard Jordan.

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