This would have made national news today
These two photos are among the most frightening old photos ever posted on the Icon - for that matter, ever photographed near Bluffton.
Here's what we know about these photos. They show three burning oil tanks that were struck by lightning somewhere near Bluffton. Each tank contained 35,000 barrels of oil.
The photos are in post card format taken by Sidney Hauenstein.
In 1900 rural Bluffton boasted over 500 oil wells. However, we do not know where these oil tanks were located and we do not know the year of the photos, except that they must be somewhere between 1895 and 1905. All we know is that the fire was "near" Bluffton.
"The Town at the Fork of the Rileys" lists major fires in Bluffton and these tanks are not list among those fires.
Stories Posted This Week
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
- October 21 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Village of Beaverdam requests suggestions for park grant application
- Charles “Chuck” Wendall Collins, 63, owned Eagle Press Repairs
- Dwain L. Leiber, 87, owned Leiber Garage
- Kimberly Dawn Murphy, 55, taught at Findlay City Schools
- October 21 Bluffton Schools 2-hour delay
- Kaleidoscope Farms honoring veterans, thanking current troops, Nov. 8
- Filmmaker to preview documentary exploring life beyond incarceration
- ONU mobile health clinic at Senior Center on Oct. 28
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
- Columbus Grove-Bluffton Rd. closure planned for up to three weeks
- Two Pirate volleyball players make 1st team All-NWC
- 3 Pirate girls 1st team All-NWC soccer
- Pirates dominate All-NWC boys soccer awards
- Local filmmaker focuses on memories made by people and places
- Bluffton Public Library: Medicare 101
- BHS artists prepare Yankee Doodle Christmas Trees for Jingle Bell Stroll
Monday, October 19, 2026
- Beavers sports roundup, October 14-18
- Ada Icon headlines, October 19
- JessExpress Travel is the Icon's newest advertiser
- Gatchel 7th in girls, Pirates 4th at NWC cross country meet
- Veterans invited to Pandora-Gilboa banquet, November 10
- Wearable sculptures featured in exhibit On Soft Ground
- Historic depot rentals offered for meetings and parties