Bluffton's Woodcock power plant
Jim Diller shared this photo of Bluffton's Woodcock power plant with the Icon. It was originally a color slide taken by his father, Paul.
For viewers who may be unaware, the site of John's Body Shop on Lake Street was once a coal-fired power plant. It was razed in the 1980s.
The photographer captured the plant and the trees in a perfect reflection in the National Quarry on a summer afternoon.
You can see wisps of smoke coming from the stack. Notice that when this photo was takem the bank of the quarry were clear of brush, unlike today. There's also the remains of a building no longer standing on the east side of the quarry, near the rail road tracks.
At its busiest stage, the Woodcock plant required 11 coal cars per day. The plant did not supply Bluffton with power, as the village had its own power plant.
Stories Posted This Week
Friday, August 28, 2026
Thursday, August 27, 2026
- One seriously injured in Union Township crash
- President Sider introduces Reinvest, Reinvent, Reimagine framework in State of the University
- 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