The Swiss Community Historical Society will hold the final summer open house of 2022 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 6. The Schumacher Homestead, which includes the three-bay 1843 Schumacher house, is located at 8350 Bixel Road between Bluffton and Pandora.
Did American folk hero John “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman pass through Bluffton during his apple-tree planting career?
A recently discovered Bluffton News column reveals that possibility.
In truth, he tramped around northwestern Ohio, dying in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, in 1845. Still, on a technicality, he never stopped in a village called Bluffton.
Instead, hints exist he may have visited Shannon – Bluffton’s name prior to 1861.
Imagine a mysterious Bluffton location partially under water.
Stand near the entrance to Steinmetz Field. Turn toward Harmon Field. Take about a dozen steps toward the creek.
There you will discover the remnants of a dam. That dam backed up the creek, but not anymore. Instead, it simply creates a mysterious Bluffton location.
Growing up in the 1940s and early ’50s, I was always excited when July 4th rolled around because of the Bluffton rodeo. It was considered by some to be the largest event in northwestern Ohio. The first rodeo was held in 1944 and it became an annual event.
That question asked by two earlier generations of Bluffton residents quite possibly meant a railroad trip, beginning and ending in Bluffton.
In an earlier story posted on Bluffton Forever you will find a story about Bluffton residents taking the train to Chicago to the 1893 World’s Fair. Click HERE for that story.
