At the invitation of Ohio Northern University,William Howard Taft, 27th president of the United States, was invited to Ada, and accepted the invitation.
The visit was during his term as president from 1909 to 1913.
This photo post card from the Ada Public Library shows the horse-drawn carriage with the president and Ada dignitaries upon his arrival in Ada at the Pennsylvania Railroad depot.
The flip side of the post card shows a message from Ada to Mr. J.J. Motter of Xenia.
Here's a rare photograph of a Beaverdam business at the turn of an earlier century.
It is a tile factory. Although the exact location is not known, the business operate in the early 1900s. Will Triplettt, pioneer Bluffton photographer took the photo. It was originally on an 8.5 by 11 glass negative.
Here's a photo of Ada's Main Street looking north sometime in the late 1940s or very early 1950s. The truck parked southbound resembles a 1949 Cheverolt. There's even a "woodie" parked on the photographer's side of the street.
What else is in view?
• Peper Drugs
• ODEON - was a a threatre?
• Check out the light poles and the condition of the sidewalks.
This photo is from the collection of the Ada Public Library.
Viewers are invited to make additional comments below.
Here is a colorized post card from the Ada Public Library collection. On the back side it reads: "Oil wells were in the vicinity of County Road 20 and Tonwship Road 25. One was on the Stober farm in the 1920s."
Oil wells were also drilled in Orange Township and other rural sections around Bluffton. At the height of the oil boom there were 500 oil wells in rural Bluffton and Ada.
When driving on State Route 103 between Bluffton and Arlington, each time you see a brick farmhouse that is a sign that an oil well was drilled on that property.
Here's the Bluffton High School boys' tennis team from 89 tennis seasons ago, in 1931.
From left, Charles Steiner, Konstantine Epp, Gordon Alderfer, Sidney Stettler, coach, Richard Ludwig, Tom Perry and Robert Balmer. Also on the team were John Romey, Paul Hirschler and George Musselman.
According to the BHS yearbook the team of Steiner and Epp entered district competition at Toledo Waite. The yearbook went to press before the results were known.
Season results included Bluffton defeating Findlay twice, and Bowling Green and Wapakoneta once.
