Main Street mid-1940s
This is Main Street Bluffton in the mid-1940s.
There is a 1938 Chevy parked in from of the A and P. There is a newer Chrysler product, probably a 1945-46 model also in the photo. Plus, there's no Shannon Theatre – it wasn't built yet.
Lots of other things to notice:
• Gas pump on the far left side of the photo
• The Charles Company where Citizens National Bank is today
• One stoplight at the Cherry-Main intersection
• Notice the street lamps
• Notice the condition of the sidewalks
We wonder if this was taken on the Fourth of July. No one on Main Street, except for 48-star flags.
Jim Diller shared this photo with the Icon. It was originally a color slide taken by his father, Paul Diller.
Stories Posted This Week
Thursday, August 27, 2026
- One seriously injured in Union Township crash
- President Sider introduces Reinvest, Reinvent, Reimagine framework in State of the University
- August 27 Bluffton High School athletics lineup, streaming
- Bluffton girls tennis loss vs. Wapakoneta
- Pirate volleyball sweeps Rockets
- EMS Chief Noah Babcock is Sept. 1 Bluffton Lions speaker
- Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology): Air pollution and rheumatoid arthritis
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
- Aug. 24 Bluffton Council recap: MHCO duplexes and long range Village planning
- Beaverdam installs AED at village park
- Pirate girls tennis edges St. Mary
- Pirate boys soccer tames Bearcats
- WIP Wednesday: Window on your world
- OPEN POLL: What do farmers wish non-farmers knew?
- 2026 PorchFest preview: LeBlanc Zepplin, CAWZ, Marlena Rock
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
- Headlines on the Ada Icon, August 22- 25
- Sue Corle worked for Ohio Northern University
- Pandora's Niese Ag LLC wins 2026 Red Gold Stewardship award
- Goshen College innovation leader to explore AI through a liberal arts lens
- Pirate volleyball loses to Shawnee
- Pirate boys golf sweeps NWC tri
- Figurines and household items recontextualized in "Amusings" exhibit
- Bruce Chesser: A Ceramic Retrospective, Aug. 24-Sept 26
- Bluffton Lions reach 80% of All Abilities Playground fundraising goal