Corner of Lawn and Elm - 135 years past
This Bluffton photo was taken around 1886. It shows the home of Rudolf and Barbara Amstutz Althaus, with their daughter, Bertha, standing at their gate.
The house is at the corner of Lawn and Elm, today just north of the St. Mary's Catholic Church parking lot.
Several things to note:
• Several pine trees in this photo still stand on the property, including two in the front yard.
• Note the unpaved streets and obvious ditch drainage system in place.
• When this photo was taken Lawn Avenue was called Mill Street because a mill was at the Riley Street connection to the street.
• We assume Will Triplett was the photographer, although his name is not on the photograph. Whoever took the photo was standing on a very high ladder.
• The gate around the house was to keep goats on the property.
Today this property is owned by Andy and Wendy Chappell Dick. It was the childhood home of the Icon owner, Fred Steiner. His grandmother is the young girl in the photo and his great-grandparents are Rudolf and Barbara. The family was featured in a recent Swiss Connection column.
Stories Posted This Week
Saturday, May 3, 2025
- Pirate baseball win vs. Tigers
- Bluffton softball edged in battle of Pirates
- Committee meetings scheduled for Bluffton Council
- #1 recommended attraction in NW Ohio is in Ada
- Mental Health Awareness event with Seth Gehle
- Ohio highway patrol promoting motorcycle safety
- Recap of Bluffton Board of Education meeting for April 2025
- Weekend Doctor: Antidepressants in the long term
Friday, May 2, 2025
- BHS seniors exhibit art at Gallery 323 through May 7
- What's in your weekend?
- Pirate softball blanked by Lancers
- Pirate baseball blanked by Lincolnview
- Laman Promoted to VP Retail Credit Manager by CNB
- Local land conservancy hires first Executive Director
- Steiner to present Swiss Family Migration program on May 21
- 850 Days of Caring volunteers will pitch in for Hancock County
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Angel M. Langhals owned LFE/API Meters
- Allen Co. task force targets target sex and human traffickers
- Blessing of the Bikes, May 4
- Metzger honored at 2025 Black Swamp Council meeting
- Volunteer invitation for Bluffton Pathway Count in May
- Pirate tennis edges Ottawa-Glandorf
- Bluffton EMS station staffing goes 24/7 on May 1
- You are what you eat: Link to immune system
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Observation deck added to Motter Park cascading pools project
- Bluffton Women in Business meet May 15
- Four sportsmen stock 200 trout at Buckeye Lake
- Pirate girls, boys 2nd at Minster track quad
- Pirate baseball win vs. Riverdale
- Pirate softball loss vs. Riverdale
- Field reports from NW Ohio wildlife officers