A name that is fading from the Bluffton vernacular is "Gratz Crossing." It is where the Dixie Highway crosses the Norfolk Southern Railway track where it connects to Phillips Road south of Bluffton.
This photo shows the Lake Erie and Western Railroad track from "Gratz Crossing." On the far right is the Western Ohio Railroad (interurban) These two track were side by side at this point. This view looks toward Lima to the south. The photographer was S.A. Amstutz. This is a glass plate negative.
Here's a Bluffton photo taken by an unknown local photographer. The Icon thinks this looks like Bentley Road. We dropped the question on Charles Hilty of Reston, Va. Here's his take on the photo:
This IS Bentley Road looking south to what would become the split interchange that was part of the first, two lane only Bluffton bypass.
The house at the right, unoccupied by then, stood at spot where Beaver Street came out to the Bentley Road. It was vacant then, already sold to the state for the highway project.
Here's a photo showing four important women who had significant connections to Bluffton College, as you will soon learn. Leland Gerber took this photo.
We rely on Alice Ruth Ramseyer's [her husband, Bob, is the son of Ferne Ramseyer in the photo] identifiction of the women. Here's her explanation with The Icon's [comments inside brackets]:
We need some Icon viewers' assistance identifying students in this photo. We think it is the BHS class of 1976 as kindergartners (Margaret Groman is the teacher). That could put the photo in the 1963 school year.
The only names we can come up with and they are not in order are Steve Kohli, Tom Kible, Richard Weiss, Ricky Fields, Daryl Steiner and Mark Zimmerly.
This room, which was once on the corner of the original elementary building, is now a teacher lounge.
Here's a photo from the 1961 Bluffton centennial pageant at Founders Hall. From left, James Szabo, Earl Lehman, Joanne Niswander, Jean Triplett and Jack Purves.
If you look closely you can identify almost every singer in this photo. It is the youth choir of the First Mennonite Church, with Earl Lehman conducting. The photo was taken in Founders Hall during the 1961 Bluffton centennial pageant.
The youth in the photo today range from approximately 58 to 63 years old. Leland Gerber took the photo.
