West College Avenue bridge ribbon cutting?
Here’s a Bluffton ribbon-cutting photo without any information, but we are working on a theory and we are checking it out with our esteemed list of Bluffton history fact-checkers, so stay tuned.
Jim Diller provided this photo, taken by his father, Paul Diller.
Our guess is this is 1960, based on the yellow-orange license plate on a Chevy station wagon. The tan and white car is a 1959 Pontiac.
The persons we’ve identified from left are William “Kaiser” Gaiffe, Clayton Bixel, _____, _____, Wilbur Amstutz (he was mayor from 1960-65), ___, ___, ___.
Looking at the background our speculation is this is a ribbon cutting for the West College Avenue bridge on the Bluffton University campus.
If so, that’s the college heating plant and Amstutz House (neither exist today), roughly in the location of Centennial Hall.
Icon viewer comments are welcome.
Stories Posted This Week
Sunday, November 8, 2026
Saturday, November 7, 2026
- Pirates Essinger and Gatchel finish cross country season at OHSAA Championships
- Nov. 7 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Pirate football hits Archbold roadblock in playoff loss
- Forum: Vaughn explores biblical and multicultural accounts of spirits and exorcism
- Bluffton University relaunches Leadership Development Program with NetVUE grant support
- Weekend Doctor: When distraction becomes the default
Friday, November 6, 2026
Thursday, November 5, 2026
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
- Klausing graduates from Ohio Bankers League Bank Management School
- Joellen Kay Lehman, 46, owned and operated Folly Faces
- Dec. 4-5 Messiah performances continue holiday tradition at Bluffton and Findlay
- Future Beaver Saturdays invite students to experience Bluffton University
- Ellie Bogart named BHS Student of the Month for October 2026
- Walter "Steve" Suter, 73, worked at Kirtland’s Auto Repair
- Grab an afterschool snack at the Bluffton Public Library