Before 1895. This photo gives us a rare look at what South Broadway in Blanchester looked like before The Great Fire of 1895.
We are looking north to Main St. As you can see the buildings in the block look quite different than the replacement buildings built after the fire.
You can see the First National Bank on the right near the center of the photograph. It was gutted in the fire but a large portion of the exterior walls were still standing in the ashes.
On the right near the bottom, to the right of the man with the hat you can see the Merchant & Farmers Bank window. After the fire Bindley Block was built and the bank later became an anchor of that building.
In the foreground on the left is T.D. Jackson's Meat Market. Jackson closed shop and left town for Los Angeles in 1908. On the building next to Jackon's is a sign for Randall & Smith's Livery which was actually located in the back on Wall St.
Up the block closer to Main Street was J.T. Osborn's livery. There was also a large tree at the corner of Main & Broadway.
You'll notice at this time the street is crushed stone. In the middle of the street there is a man sitting in the gravel. Supposedly he is breaking stones as punishment for a crime.
Included are Sanborn Fire maps from 1892 that include details of the businesses in each building.
Source: The original photo can be viewed at theBlanchester Area Historical Society.
