Forgotten Bluffton: Why is Cherry Street so wide near Main?
You’ve probably never given this much thought, but we’ll ask the question anyway.
Have you ever wondered – or even noticed – that Cherry Street becomes wider as it approaches Main Street? This widening begins abruptly near the alley behind the Twisted Whisk Café.
Beyond that, have you ever noticed that the curb is very thick limestone in this wider portion of the street?
What’s this all about?
Well, in the 1880s Cherry Street near Main was a parking area for horses and buggies. You can see this in the photo accompanying this article. There is horse trough near the intersection.
This parking area was no doubt angle parking, and thus it needed a wider street width. With the coming of the automobile and the disappearance of the horse and buggy this widened portion of the street simply became part of the accepted downtown street layout.
In a way, it outlived its usefulness.
Now to the limestone. Look at the photo with this story.
That’s pretty thick limestone. Really thick. It’s no wonder that it is still guarding the sidewalk. In fact, it has outlived at least three different cement curb projects on Main Street, due to its durability.
We wonder how deep into the roadbed the limestone sits. Can you imagine the manpower it took to cut, lift, haul and install all that limestone? Not to mention digging the space for the limestone to fit.
The limestone is from a Bluffton quarry. It is very possibly from the Buckeye, as the stone there was noted for its thickness. And, speaking of the Buckeye, we’ll talk later about how it came to be a quarry filled with water (it wasn't always filled with water).
Today, this wide portion of Cherry Street and the limestone curb is all forgotten Bluffton.
Stories Posted This Week
Friday, November 22, 2024
- Ticket and livestream info for Bluffton Pirates v. Patrick Henry football
- Service of thanks at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran
- Pirate girls basketball beats Hornets in McDonald’s opener
- 100+ voices in Bluffton's Handel's Messiah chorus
- Pirate Worcester named top district defender
- BVHS receives Level 7 achievement in ‘Most Wired’ survey
Thursday, November 21, 2024
- McDonald’s Holiday Tournament, Thursday, November 21
- 2024 Fall Festival in pictures: At the Schumacher Homestead
- Fairy I. Parkins was postmaster of Benton Ridge
- Council committee and residents discuss ADUs, best and worst case scenarios
- BPL hosts Open Crafts and Game Space, November 26
- Women in Business meet November 21
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
- Bluffton Beavers sports roundup, Nov. 13-19
- ODOT prepping for first snow of the season
- Mason named OBL 2024 Banker of the Year
- October 2024 land transfers in Bluffton school district
- November chamber meeting explores member news, Blaze plans and flag etiquette
- Bluffton EMS by the numbers: October 2024
- Children left unattended in running vehicles can lead to abductions
- Icon search function goes from 0 to 30
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
- Tickets and streaming information for Nov. 22 Pirate football playoff game
- Spirit Bus for November 22 football playoff in Findlay
- Tea Bag Exchange & Tasting at BPL, November 21
- Letter: University students learn about Fair Trade
- Join volunteer crew for 2024 Ream Display-Blaze of Lights setup
- Village of Bluffton asks for updated utility billing contact information
Monday, November 18, 2024
- Dorothy P. Moser operated Moser Electric
- Multi-agency active shooter drill to be held at Apollo
- Adopt-a-Family for Christmas via Bluffton Food Pantry
- Pirate football to play Hamler Patrick Henry at Findlay
- The "Brice" Presbyterian Church cornerstone
- Pirate football to face Patrick Henry in region finals