The Bluffton news. [volume], April 27, 1950, Image 1

About The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current

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BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
VOLUME LXXV
SINGLE DELIVERY
TO RESIDENCE AND
BUSINESS SECTION
Postoffice Here Seeking to Give
Best Service Under New
Regulation
Offices Must Have Change Over
to New Basis Completed
by July 1
Bluffton post office will inaugurate
one-trip-a-day delivery service in the
residential and business districts of
the town Friday, it was announced
Wednesday by Postmaster Ed R.
Reichenbach.
Curtailment in the mail service,
however, will be on an experimental
basis, it was pointed out, in an at
tempt to work out the most satis
factory arrangement possible under
the readjustment program ordered by
the postoffice department.
Permanent schedules embodying
the drastic cuts must be in effect by
next July 1, but each local post
master has time to work out the
final details before setting up a
definite plan of curtailed delivery.
Window Service Unchanged
No immediate changes are con
templated in window service at the
local post office, which for the pres
ent will remain open daily until 6
m. Monday thru Friday, and until
1 p. m. on Saturday.
Nation-wide readjustments ordered
by the postoffice department to bring
operations within operating revenue
will necessitate curtailments that
will affect virtually every patron of
the office, it was announced last week
by national heads of the department.
Every effort will be made, how
ever, to maintain reasonably good
service, and each postmaster will
work out his own plan of readjust
ments to best suit his local condi
tions.
Must Follow Orders
Local postal officials have no
alternative but to follow strictly
departmental instructions to curtail
service as long as the emergency ex
ists.
Perferential treatment, however,
will continue to be accorded to first
class mail and newspapers, but other
second-class matter (magazines, etc.)
likely will be delivered as manpower
is available.
Two Girls To Get
Homemaker Degrees
Genevieve Burkholder and Joan
Montgomery, Bluffton high school
juniors, will receive State Home
maker degrees at the annual state
convention of the Future Home
makers of America in Columbus,
Friday. Both girls are completing
their third year in home economics.
Degrees will be conferred in a
ceremony at University hall on the
Ohio State university campus, Fri
day night and followed by a formal
banquet.
State Homemaker is the highest
degree attainable with exception of
the American Homemaker degree
which is rarely conferred.
World Series Movies
To Be Shown At Stag
Motion pictures of the 1948 World
series baseball games between the
Cleveland Indians and the Boston
Braves will be shown at a stag fish
fry at 8 p. m. this Friday on the
third floor of the town hall.
Lake Erie pickerel fillets fried by
Herb Rupright will be served at the
stag party, and there will be other
entertainment feaures in addition to
the movies.
Bluffton’s town hall, valued today
at nearly $75,000, was built in 1888
at a total cost of less than $10,000
as a three-party project sponsored
by Bluffton village, Richland town
ship trustees and the I. O. O. F.
lodge, then very active in this com
munity.
Interesting highlights relating to
the background of the building pro
gram are gleaned from a historical
paper prepared in the “thirties” by
the late N. W. Cunningham, a
pioneer resident and prominent here
America—the land where everyone has an
automobile, was a source of constant wonder to
the Ferenc Fulops, displaced Hungarian family
which arrived in Bluffton, Tuesday afternoon.
The family which landed from overseas in
New York city, Sunday, arrived in Lima shortly
after noon, Tuesday. There they were met by
Rev. Leonard McIntire, pastor of the Bluffton
Presbyterian church together with a group of
parishioners, and brought here where they will
make their home with Mrs. Zoe Hauenstein on
Campus drive.
Altho they knew that automobiles were not
uncommon in this country, they marvelled to
see them everywhere in what appeared to be
Nickel Plate’s
Cleveland Train
On New Schedule
CHANGE in schedule of the
Cleveland-St. Louis (rain is an
nounced by the Nickel Plate
road, beginning Sunday.
The Cleveland-bound train will
leave Bluffton at 5:25 a. m. in
stead of 5:50 arriving in Cleve
land at 8:30 a. m. instead of
8:55.
Returning in the evening the
trajn will leave Cleveland at 6
p. m. instead of 6:30 arriving
in Bluffton at 9:11 .m. instead
of 9:41.
LITTLE ACTIVITY
IS MANIFESTED
BY CANDIDATES
Jght Vote is Anticipated in
Balloting in Bluffton and
Township
L.ate Spring Season will Keep
Busy Farmers from Polls in
Rural Areas
With virtually no interest engen
dered in next Tuesday’s primary
election to name candidates for state
and county offices, one of Bluffton’s
lightest vote turnouts in history is
expected by local political observers.
To begin with, the primary this
year is coming at an especially poor
time to expect a heavy voter turn
out. Farmers, rushing to making up
time lost in this spring’s continued
bad weather will not take time off
to go to the polls if it is a nice day
for outside work. Neither will city
gardeners whose backyard plots are
(Continued on page 8)
Real Estate Deal
Real estate of the late Mrs. George
Miller consisting of a residence on
College road and 13 acres of land
was sold by Atty. John Romey, ad
ministrator of the estate to Harvey
Gratz at the appraisal of $9,500.
The sale, however, is subject to
confirmation by heirs of Mrs. Miller
who was killed in an automobile ac
cident last fall.
The land adjoins Gratz’s farm and
if confirmed by the heirs, the prop
erty will be occupied by Gratz’s son
Delbert who has accepted a position
as Bluffton college librarian next
fall. The younger Gratz and his
family are expected to arrive here
this summer from Switzerland where
he has been studying in a univers
ity.
for many years.
Need of the present building to
transact business of the growing
village first found expression in 1886,
and township trustees and the Odd
Fellows lodge decided to cooperate
in the program.
At that time the village town hall
was a small frame building on North
Main street the trustees had a
township house four miles south of
here in the country and the Odd
Fellows met on the second floor of a
building at the corner of Washing­
America Land of Automobiles is
Wonder to Displaced Family Here
Hitchhiker At Wheel
Winks Car
A hitchhiker at the wheel took
forty winks and an automobile was
wrecked when it crashed into a cul
vert on the Lincoln highway near
the Henry O. Hilty farm one mile
each of the Allen-Hancock county
line intersection, Sunday morning at
7:45 o’clock.
Michael A. Norton, 29, of Balti
more, Md., enroute to Ft. Wayne
picked up hitchhiker Francis R. Bres
gal, 18, Spokane, Wash., and asked
the latter to drive while he, Norton,
took a nap.
Taking over the wheel, Bresgal,
too, became sleepy and as he dozed
the car went out of control and
Bluffton volunteer firemen had
their busiest week in history last
week, in answering six fire calls,
four of which were in the same
locality, near the intersection of
Bentley road and the Nickel Plate
railroad, just south of the Bluffton
corporation line.
Two alarms last Saturday topped
off the busy week which had started
with two calls on the preceding
Monday and another pair on Tues
day.
Five of the six fire department
runs were occasioned by grass fires,
and the other was a roof blaze at
the North Main street property oc
cupied by Merl Duffman, between
Dillman’s News stand and the Stauf
fer Pure Oil gasoline station.
Sparks from the chimney set off
the Duff man fire at 11:45 a. m. Sat
urday, but the blaze was quickly
Construction of a fifth house in
Bluffton’s springtime building boom
was launched this week with the
start of work on a new residence
being built on South Jackson street
by Miss Dawn Stonehill.
The Stonehill home is being built
on a lot between the E. S. Miller
and Mrs. Kate Beals properties.
Bluffton Clean-Up Paint-Up Fix-Up Week April 27
Interest Lacking Here in Tuesday’s Primary
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
Fire Department Making Six Runs
In Week Sets All Time Record
Construction Of Fifth House Is
Started In Spring Building Boom
Other new residences started in
Bluffton this month include those of
Everett Sutermeister, Harmon road
John Herrmann, Cherry street Ivan
Johnson ,county line, and Dell Mc
Ginnis, in the Garmatter addition.
In addition to the residential con
struction program, C. F. Niswander
is building a new warehouse at the
rear of his farm implement and
home appliance store in the down
down district.
Poise is defined as the art of rais
ing the eyebrows instead of the roof.
ton and Main streets.
Purchase Site
Site of the new city hall, two lots
at the corner of Main and Elm
streets, was purchased by the town
in January, 1887, and later in the
month J. C. Johnson, of Fremont,
was employed as architect for the
new structure.
Under the contractual agreement
the village paid three-fifths of the
cost the township two-fifths and the
lodge added the third floor at its
own expense.
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1950
Bluffton Mobilizes For Clean-up Drive
Announce One Mail Delivery Plan to be Tried in Bluffton Friday MERCHANTS TO
unbelievable numbers.
The Fulops were brought under sponsorship
of the local Presbyterian church thru the Joint
Committee on Resettlement of Displaced Persons,
an interdenominational group.
The family consists of the 50-year old father,
his wife Anna, 42 daughter Marianne, 17, and
son Gabor, 8.
The father, a graduate electrical engineer, was
employed by a large electrical concern in Berlin,
Germany, for 16 years prior to the last World
War and is now employed in the plant of the
Triplett Electrical Instrument company where
he began his duties Wednesday morning.
Takes Forty
Crashes Into Culvert
crashed into the culvert. Norton who
suffered injuries to both knees was
taken to Bluffton hospital in the
Diller ambulance. He was released
the following day. Bresgal, enroute
to his home in Spokane sustained
only minor facial cuts.
Singspiration At
Rockport Church
A singspiration will be held at
Rockport Methodist church, Sunday
night at 8 o’clock with talent from
various churches. The M. Y. F. of
the Methodist church will be in
charge of the program.
extinguished. There was little dam
age.
2nd Saturday Alarm
Saturday’s second alarm came at
9:45 p. m.when another grass fire
broke out along the Nickel Plate
railroad right of way, just off Bent
ley road. A big Saturday night
crowd went out from town to watch
firemen extinguish the blaze.
It was the fourth grass fire in the
same area during the week, and fire
men were glad to see heavy rain
over the weekend finally bring an end
to the hazard. Sparks from
passing locomotives are said to have
caused the fires.
The other grass fire Monday of
last week also had been along the
Nickel Plate, but at the east side of
town where a blaze broke out near
the Lester Young home.
Three Bluffton High
School Students Win
State Music Awards
THREE Bluffton high school
girls won recognition at the state
solo and ensemble contest at
Capital university in Columbus,
Saturday.
They were:
Ruth Diller, 1 in Class A piano
solo
Kay Berry, 1 in Class trumpet
solo
Ada Mae Oyer, 3 in Class
piano solo
The Bluffton students qualified
for the state contest by previous
ly winning superior ratings at
the district auditions held April
1 at Bowling Green.
Marked Dedication of Bluffton’s New Town Hall Back in 1888
Grand Ball
Contract for the building was let
on June 27, 1887, to John Deppler
and Ed Romey, who were one of
four bidders. Total cost to the town
and township for the first two stories
amounted to about $6606, with the
I. O. O. F. paying an unknown
amount for the third floor addition.
Construction started in 1887 was
completed the following year, but
the date of its formal dedication no
longer is known.
Grand Ball
A grand ball which marked the
Dedication Program
At Methodist
Edmund B. Wright
TpDMUND B. Wright, instruc
tor in organ at Baldwin
Wallace conservatory, Berea and
an associate of the American
Guild of Organists will dedicate
the newly installed electronic
organ at the Methodist church
here in a public recital Sunday
night at 8 o’clock.
The program follows:
Two Chorales from “Das
Orgelbiichlein” ................ Bach
In dir ist Freude
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
Passacaglia and Fugue in
minor ............................... Bach
Chorale Prelude:
Ach bleib’ bei uns, Herr
Jesu Christ ............... Delamarter
Magnificat: Gloria ............... Dupre
Morning Hymn .................. Peeters
Choral*, No. 2, minor....... Franck
CENSUS COUNT IN
BLUFFTON TO BE
DONE THIS WEEK
Enumerators Here are on Re
peat Calls as End of Work
Nears
Tabulation in Bluffton Expected
to be Completed by Sat
urday Night
Bluffton’s census enumeration is
expected to be completed this week,
bringing to an end four busy weeks
of “nose-counting” launched the first
of the month.
Enumerators completed their initial
round of the town last week and
now are working on repeat calls
necessary to get data on families
where no one was found at home
on the firet time around. Barring
loose ends represented by continued
failure to establish contact with
householders, the census report will
be entirely completed by Saturday
and will be turned in to district of
ficials.
Bluffton’s enumerators in the 1950
census count have been Mrs. Elmer
Short and Mrs. Aaron Murray. Mrs.
Short has the district west of Main
street, and Mrs. Murray is working
in the sector north of the street.
Faster Count
National census officials announced
this week that the 1950 census is
proceeding much more rapidly than
the last preceding one taken in 1940.
The principal obstacle to complet
ing the census this month is the
(Continued on page 8)
Business Men Meet
Meeting of the Bluffton Business
Men will be held this Wednesday
night above the News office at 8
o’clock.
dedication is described by Cunning
ham as follows:
“I brush away the dust from the
past and see the elite of Bluffton at
that dedicatory dance, and the busy
fans among the gaily dressed and
perfumed ladies, “fluttered like but
terflies among the flowers.”
“There was dancing—three square
dances to one round—the round, the
waltz and the merry scottische. An
organ, and a fiddle and all hands
round. In those days many of us
could work all day, play ball until
For New Organ
Church Sunday Night
In New Locations
Mrs. Joel Amstutz who recently
purchased the Herbert Devier prop
erty on North Lawn avenue has
moved into the residence from her
former location on a farm near Co
lumbus Grove.
Mr. and Mrs. Devier and family
have moved on a 45 acre farm which
they purchased near the Allen Coun
ty home.
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Hochstettler
and two children have moved here
from Savannah, Ga., on the 40 acre
farm southwest of Bluffton which
they purchased from Mrs. Jacob Am
stutz now residing in California. The
plate for many years was known as
the Jacob Amstutz farm near Hill
ville.
SWISS DAY WILL BE
COMMENCEMENT
WEEK INNOVATION
Bluffton College Includes Gath
ering on Golden Jubilee
Graduation Program
Observance For Persons of
Swiss Descent Will Be First
In Ohio History
Observance of Swiss Day will be
a Bluffton college commencement
week innovation this spring, and
will come as one of the highlights
of a feature-studded 50th anniversary
graduation program.
The Swiss Day celebration during
the Golden Jubilee commencement
program the first week in June will
afford an opportunity for all Swiss
persons in this and other communi
ties to meet on the Bluffton campus.
It is the first meeting of its kind
in Ohio where there are many
(Continued on page 8)
Paper Collection
Drive On Saturday
A town-wide paper collection will
be made this Saturday by members
of the Bluffton Future Farmers of
America chapter in connection with
the annual Clean-up, Paint-up, Fix
up drive opening this week.
Townspeople are asked to have
papers and magazines on the curb,
tied in bundles, by 9 a. m. Saturday.
Tractors and wagons provided by
club members will be used in picking
up the paper.
Approximately 75 nurses from six
hospitals in this area will bo guests
of the Bluffton Community hospital
nursing staff at a meeting in Ram
seyer chapel on the college campus
at 7:30 p. m. next Monday.
Scenic slides of Bluffton will be
shown as a feature of the program.
Special music will be presented by
college students.
The session here is a regular meet
ing of nursing staffs from hospitals
in District 13, comprised of Allen,
Hardin, Hancock and Van Wert
counties.
75 Nurses Will Attend District
Hospital Staff Meeting Here Monday
Hospitals in the district organiza
tion include Kenton McKitrick, Ken
ton San Antonio, Lima Memorial,
Lima St. Rita’s, Findlay, Van Wert
and Bluffton hospitals.
It will be the second meeting of
the group held in Bluffton.
dark, and then dance until the little
stars like little children went to bed.
and the moon stuck it out until we
all went home with the gals in the
morning.
“The second floor hall was useful
and much used. There were an
kinds of public meetings political,
religious, lectures, theatres, medicine
men, farmer’s institutes, soldier’s re
unions, shows, exhibitions and even
funerals. Also there were literary
societies, packed to the middle of
the streets, and great debates.”
May 6
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 2
SWEEP MAIN ST.
ON THURSDAY
Waterworks Whistle to Summon
Street Brigade at
11:30 A. M.
Town-wide Movement for Paint
up and Fix-up Gains
Momentum
Bluffton’s nine-day concentrated
campaign to make the village clean
er, healthier, safer and more attrac
tive will be launched this Thursday
morning as the town's annual Clean
up-Paintup-Fixup drive gets under
way here.
Private householders, community
organizations, businessmen and in
dustries have been urged to cooperate
in the campaign extending thru
Saturday of next week.
Adding to the incentive for all
Bluffton to complete the spring
cleanup at the same time, special
work bureaus have been established
at Bluffton college and Bluffton High
school to provide extra help during
the cleanup week.
Help Available
Those who have extra work to be
done can obtain '.’rip by calling the
college placement reau, phone 246
Y and Bluffton High school seniors
can be (b‘uinea f*’r cleanup jobs by
notifying Paul Grilling, Phone 228-W
or Paul Em-.i.'rt, Phone 176-W,
working with Edgar Chamberlain,
chairman of th*-* general committee.
Funds raised by college students
in the work program will be donated
(Continued on page 8)
Junior High Operetta
Next Tuesday Night
“Polished Pebbles,” tuneful oper
etta /will be presented by a junior
high school cast in the high school
gymnasium next Tuesday night at
8 o’clock.
Appearing in the cast are Bill
Ramseyer, Daryl Badertscher, Paul
Fritchie, Vonda Burkholder, Edith
Yoder, Lois Lauby, Joann Rodabaugh,
Roberta Basinger and Jo Ann Hor
sey.
Accompanists will be Wilma Jorg,
Sondra Berry and David Tschiegg.
The production will be directed by
Earl Lehman, instructor in public
school music.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Graymire, Lima,
a girl, Vicki Elaine, Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Rossman,
Arlington, a boy, Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. John Parker, Mt.
Cory, a boy, Michael Allan, Tuesday.
Junior Commerce Unit
Will Re Organized
Organization of a Junior Chamber
of Commerce is planned at a meet
ing to be held at 8 p. m. this Thurs
day in the Bluffton Business Men’s
association rear room above The
News office.
All men between the ages of 21
and 36 are invited to the organiza
tion session.
Membership is open to business
and professional men, students,
farmers and all others interested, it
was announced by those sponsoring
the movement.
The local branch will be affiliated
with the National Junior Chamber of
Commerce organization.
J. H. Patterson, who served two
terms as mayor from 1886 thru 1900,
was in that office when the structure
was built.
On the building committee were
A. Hauenstein, L. J. Siddall, J. D.
Bentley, William Oberly, A. Augs
burger, M. W. Rounsaval and W. A.
Triplett, clerk.
Richland township trustees at the
time of the building’s erection in
cluded John Amstutz, Jr., J. R. Dray,
J. J. Conrad and Charles Gustwiller,
clerk.