Historical Bluffton

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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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Here's a scene from the 1961 Bluffton centennial. It's Blanche Roberts creating a rug on her loom. Her exhibit was in the elementary multi-purpose room.

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Here's members of the Bluffton High School Varsity B during the 1963-64 school year.

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Let's swim in the Buckeye. Here's a photo of the earliest Bluffton Buckeye swimming area taken some time between 1910 and 1920.

Imagine that you are on the south bank looking north on the Spring Street side of the Buckeye. That's location of the pool.

You'll see a rope. It separates the deep end from the shallow end. The deep end includes a diving board.

The man on the deck is Steiner Geiger, who gave swim lessons. It is possible that his two sisters are on the diving board.

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In 1904 the Bluffton post office was on Vine Street and this photo proves it. The post office was located in what is today Richard Boehr's building.

In this photo, from left, are (unidentified), Charles Steingraber, (unidentified), Ross Bogart, George Lewis, Mrs. Lewis and Emma Bigler Swank. (From the Richard Boehr collection)

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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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