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Here's a photo from Bluffton's tragic past. The identity of the barn is in question, but to the best of our ability we've identified this as the Ami Pifer barn. The photo was taken following the April 1965 tornado.
Thanks to details from Charles Hilty, Richard Jordan, Sam Diller we've pieced this story together (the photo had no ID except the word "Pifer" written on the backside).
The Pifer farm was on the south side of State Route 103, across from a house owned by either Freeman Basinger or Henry Koontz. The Koontz barn was also destroyed in the tornado. The Pifer's daughter may have lived in the last house on 103 on the south side, before you get to State Route 235 (at the time called State Route 69).
Both Mr. and Mrs. Pifer died in their house when the tornado struck.
Some additional thoughts on the barn follow:
If it's not the Pifer barn it could be Lorenz Von Stein's barn, west of State Route 698 on the first road north of Jenera.
Or, it may be the barn of Arthur Huysman on the east side of Hancock County Road 9, (southeast corner of Road 313 and northwest of Interstate 75).
In addition to the large barn photo, attached at the bottom is a photo showing another angle.
Viewer comments are welcome.
