LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The Allen County Museum and Historical Society brought in a Bluffton history expert to talk about the robbery of a local ban…

Students were touring the fire department as this year's topic is the fire that destroyed 32 structures and left 50 people homeless in the village. This is the second year of the program which is a partnership with the school and the Cridersville Historical Society. The students were all ears and eyes as they learned about the firefighting equipment. 

The Junior Historian program is a collaboration of the elementary school and the Cridersville Historical Society, Starting with six students the program ended with 16 students wanting to take time and learn about the history of the area from the Shawnee Indians, to the pioneers, and how Cridersville became a village. The students enjoyed the hands-on learning that the Junior Historian program provided.

Fred Steiner talked about his presentation called “4 Guys Walk into a Bluffton Bank and the Rest is Bluffton Oral History”. It was August 14th, 1933, the day that John Dillinger and his gang were in Bluffton. Steiner says there is one firsthand account of the incident that was written, and dozens of oral history accounts passed down the generations that are not quite accurate.