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Just when you think you know everything there is to know about Bluffton, a photograph like this shows up.

Ask your grandparents to explain this.  If they can’t help, keep reading.

It’s a photograph of the "floating" pool that served swimmers in Bluffton as early as the mid-to-late 1920s (based upon the style of swim suit in the photo) to the early 1950s.

It was constructed on the east bank of the Buckeye and then was moved to the quarry where it floated to allow swimming.

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The Icon has posted these three photo previously, but it's summer and let's go back to the Buckeye.

Here's three views of Buckeye quarry, where swimming was once a Bluffton summer experience. Paul Diller snapped these photos.

The pool was on the east side of the Buckeye. It is included a bath house, baby pool, larger pool going to 6 feet, and the Buckeye quarry for persons who could pass a swim test. The Buckeye had three diving boards.

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Note: The Icon previously posted this photo, but, hey, it's summer, and this one generates some interesting comments.

Beth Carr provided this photo of the Bluffton Community Swimming Pool in its "Buckeye days." Beth was on the swimming pool staff  and now lives in Texas.

This view shows the old pool from the east bank of Marsh Run looking toward the Buckeye. This pool went from about three feet to five or six feet. Beyond that, the Buckeye was roped off for swimming in the east side.

Swim meets were held in the pool.

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Thanks to a Audre Reichenbach-Vugrinac, a classmate in this photo, we have a much clearer idenfication of class members.

This is the second grade with teacher Kathy Augsburger during the 1967-68 school year.

Top row, from left, Kathy Augsburger, Carol Kaufman, Audre Reichenbach, Jon Parkins, Beth Alt, Alisa Simon, Verle Dalke, Sandy Mulvania, Dick Kiene a d Tamara Carmack.

Middle row, from left, Brent Heineman, Cathy Ferrall, Jackie Laing, Bill Little, _____, Kathy Ernsberger, either Carol or Cathy__________(she was a twin), Stephanie Schmidt, Karen Augsburger.

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The teacher is Linda Sommer. The school year is 1968-69 and this is a first grade class, making these students part of the Bluffton High School graduating class of 1980.

Here's Linda's attempt at identification.

Middle row:   ? ,    ? ,  Shawn Smith,   ? ,    Tammy Wideman,  Tom Van Atta,  Peter Yost,  Michelle Smith
Front row:  Janice Sherrick,   ?   ,    Rebecca Searcy,   Letitia Triplett,   ?   ,  Dennis Smith,  ?   ,    ?   ,   ?

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Here's another Bluffton elementary photo begging for an identification. Helen Geiger is the teacher. What's the year of the photo and what graduating class is it.

Send identifications to: [email protected]

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