Althaus photo
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Do you know this location in Bluffton? It's at the corner of Elm and Lawn. The photo was taken circa 1886. In the photo are, from left, Bertha Althaus and her parents, Barbara Amstutz Althaus and Rudolf Althaus. Bertha is the grandmother of Fred Steiner, of The Icon. Two of the pine trees in the front yard stand today on that property.
Rudolf was born in Switzerland. He came to Bluffton in the 1840s and was one of the signers of the petition to change the name of Shannon to Bluffton. He was also a charter member of what is today the St. John's United Church of Christ.
Barbara was born in Wayne County. She grew up on a farm north of Beaverdam, and attended Ebenezer Mennonite. She was a charter member of First Mennonite Church.
Stories Posted This Week
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Friday, October 2, 2026
- John "Jack" Palte, 88, was a farmer
- Nature walk at university Nature Preserve, Oct. 3
- ICYMI: September 2026 Bluffton Icon Highlights
- Walking through Autumn series brings hikers to Bluffton
- Pirate volleyball win vs. Spencerville
- Pirate boys soccer ties Ottawa-Glandorf
- Pirate girls soccer loss vs. Toledo St. Ursula
- Can you bake a winning pie?
- Library seeks Holiday Gift Auction donations
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
- Pirate volleyball loss vs. Lincolnview
- Village of Bluffton meetings announced, Oct. 1-Nov. 2
- 100 years of being Beavers: 2026 Bluffton University Homecoming, Oct. 2-4
- Check out October 2026 BPL Update
- Final call for for Bluffton photos contest
- Pandora-Gilboa HS crowns Homecoming King and Queen
- Bluffton Council recap: Purchase of Marsh Run acres approved
- Senior Center's October membership dinner
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
- Pirate volleyball sweeps Wapakoneta
- Pirate boys golf 4th at NWC tourney; Meyer places 2nd
- Pirate girls soccer shuts out Lima Central Catholic
- Pirate boys soccer shuts out Lima Central Catholic
- Pirate girls tennis blanks Kenton
- Bluffton Fall Festival overflows with family fun
- Stauber exhibit at Massillon Museum through November 1
- Arlington invites generations of alumni to all-school Homecoming