Charles Hankish, senior, was a Bluffton institution
MORE PHOTOS BELOW -
Are you old enough to identify this former Bluffton businessman? It is Charles Hankish (senior) standing at his soda fountain.
Hankish's Confectionary was a very popular Main Street store. And, on Saturday nights they sold popcorn on the sidewalk.
The store was on North Main Street between Church Street and the alley north of Edward Jones office.
The photo below is from the 1910 era and it shows a Bluffton parade with a Hankish float entry.
The float in the center of the photo reads “C. Hankish.” The family owned a store that we are guessing is the Bon – Ton Confectionary store. You can see the sign hanging out over the sidewalk. The earliest photo of Charles Hankish that we’ve seen is in a 1910 Bluffton Warriors football team photo. He is probably sitting in the float’s driver’s seat in this photo.
Bluffton residents today remember Charles “Hank” Hankish, Jr., his son, who was a member of the Bluffton school board for many years.
In 1910 Bluffton had a football team that must have been pretty good. Their mascot was the Warriors, and they were never scored upon.
That's about all that is known of this famous squad, thanks for the wording on the football in the photo.
We recognize Ray Triplett on the far right in the top row. Looks as if he might be the coach. Charles Hankish is on the front row, second from left.
The photo leaves more questions than answers. For example, is this a high school team or simply a community team? What were their colors? Where did they play? How did they become named the Warriors?
We can only assume that Will Triplett (father of Ray) took the photo. But as to the Warriors opponents and location of playing field, we can only guess.