The Bluffton Public Library is taking reservations for four history walks down Bluffton’s Main Street, showing how the business district appeared in 1950. The walks take place on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 4 and 5. Reservations are required.
Led by Fred Steiner, each walk will focus on nearly 35 storefronts and their business owners as they existed more than 70 years ago. The tours cover businesses and buildings on both sides of Main Street from Cherry Street to Elm Street.
Each history walk is designed for groups of 12 or less, which enables participants to more closely experience Main Street during the early 1950s. For example, persons on the tour will see the location of Pine Restaurant with its Walnut Room on the second floor where the Lions Club met. Other businesses visited include Montgomery’s Newsstand where Cokes are a nickel, Marshall and Bixel Appliances, Adam Steiner’s Chevrolet Dealership, Sam Stepleton’s pool hall, Your’s and Mine coffee shop, and Oliver Beach’s appliance store that sells and repairs radios and TVs.
Photographs showing many of the business storefronts as they appeared in 1950 will be shared during the walk.
To reserve a spot in one of the walks, contact the library at 419-358-5016. Four different tour times are offered over a two-day period and there is a limited number of spots available.
Tour dates and times:
- Monday, Oct. 4, 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, Oct. 5, 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.
The history walks are free and open to the public. Donations to the library are accepted. Each tour will begin at the corner of Main and Cherry in front of the Twisted Whisk Cafe, 101 S. Main St. This is the second Main Street history walk given by the library. Two years ago, Steiner presented a previous history walk that focused on Main Street from College Avenue to Cherry Street.
