The April Student of the Month at Bluffton High School is Riley Eachus, daughter of Thomas and Kimberly Eachus of Bluffton. Riley is a senior at BHS with a 4.000 GPA.

Eachus is a member of the National Honor Society, Buccaneer Yearbook Staff, Lation Club (Freshman-Junior year), Renaissance, and Show Choir.

Riley received an academic award for Algebra II.

In sports she received the NWC Honorable Mention her Junior year and the NWC First Team award in soccer her Senior year. She also received the 110% Award in Soccer and the Outstanding Player Award in Basketball. She was a member of the Varsity Soccer team and Track team all 4 years and played on the Varsity Basketball team for three years.

In her spare time, Eachus enjoys getting coffee with her friends.

After graduation, she plans to attend Ohio Northern University and major in Business.

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Oil lamps were street lights; hogs roamed at large on Main Street; in rainy weather, the road was axle deep

By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com

Back in the days before electric lights, running water, concrete sidewalks, pavements and other modern improvements, Bluffton presented an appearance much different than it does today. 

In rainy weather, the road was axle deep on Main Street and transportation was as much of a problem as in the country.

Places of business had board walks built in front of the stories, and these for  some reason or other had an overshoot from the roof over the pavement. 

Most of the buildings were one story affairs and many of them had “false fronts” above the roofs to lend the appearance of an upper story. On these false fronts were usually the names of the proprietors of the store.

It was not until the late 1880s that the town got oil lamps on the Main Streets. A lamp lighter was hired by the town council for the purpose of lighting the lamps at dusk, and this individual carrying a ladder about on the round of his duties was much a part of the scene as in the England of “Pomander Walk” fame.

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