Bygone Muncie: A local history primer to welcome Muncie's new neighbors (2024)

Chris Flook| Special to The Star Press

I was delighted to see the first Afghan refugees arrive here a few weeks ago. This is an exciting, historic moment in Muncie’s history. To our new neighbors and to those yet to come, welcome to the Magic City!

There are a few important things to know about your new community. First and foremost, Pizza King is the local delicacy. Everywhere you will find giant Canada geese and they are subservient to no one. The trains will make you late to work. The White River is our greatest asset, but it doesn’t protect us from tornados. Residents are generally kind, but it’s best to avoid social media during elections.

"Chief Munsee"never existed. There’s much to do in Downtown Muncie. Our handsome parks are matched only by the splendor of the Greenways. Locals will complain about a “pothole problem” in Muncie, but our roads are just like every other place on this latitude in the Midwest. Nothing on Earth is more beautiful than a Muncie sunset. No matter what you read or what anyone tells you about Fishers and Carmel, they suck. Muncie is, hands down, the best city in Indiana.

From Afghanistan to Muncie: The area's first new neighbor shares his story

Muncie, Indiana's land

The ground on which you now live is Myaamiaki Native American land. It was stolen and colonized by some of our ancestors two hundred years ago. The Myaamiaki are one of several Indigenous nations with ancestral homelands in what is now Indiana. Our community was actually founded by the Lenape, another Native nation. The Lenape arrived along the White River as refugees in 1796, after being forced from their homeland back east. In 1818, some of our ancestors made them leave Indiana as well.

When did Muncie become a city?

Muncie became a village in 1827, a town in 1854, and a city in 1865. Our economy was driven by agriculture in these first few decades. As such, the earliest settlers came as farmers, teamsters, service workers, and merchants. Most arrived from New England, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky. A few even came from overseas.

Then in 1886, their descendants inadvertently found natural gas and exploited it for commercial use. Because of this, Muncie transformed quickly into an industrial community with many new factories. In the ensuing years, thousands of residents poured into the city to work in them. Muncie grew exponentially to accommodate the arrivals.

Related: Afghan refugees begin attending Muncie Community Schools

How Muncie became a manufacturing city

As this Gas Boom got underway, a prominent Irish immigrant named James Boyce convinced the Ball brothers to move their glass mason jar manufacturing business to Muncie in 1887. The Balls obliged and relocated operations here. For most of the next century, Ball Corporation produced millions of the nation’s canning jars right here in Muncie.

The gas ran out in 1910, but Muncie had decidedly transitioned into a manufacturing city. Tens of thousands of Munsonians continued to work in the factories throughout the 20th century. New workers came from across the United States and occasionally from abroad. Muncie has never had a large immigrant population, but emigrants from every corner of the globe found and continue to find their way here for all kinds of reasons.

Our local newspapers write of small Romanian and Welsh enclaves on Muncie’s south side in the early 1900s. Around the same time, hundreds of African Americans from the South began relocating to Muncie during what we call the Great Migration. Mid-century, hundreds of Scots-Irish Americans from Appalachia came to Muncie for jobs. Then in the late 20th century through today, immigrants from Mexico and Central America arrived to work in a variety of industries.

The legacy of the Ball family

In the early 20th century, the Ball families also established two prominent institutions that still serve us, Ball State University and IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. Since their founding, the university and hospital have attracted thousands of new Munsonians to work as healthcare providers, support staff, administrators, and educators. Thousands more come each year as students.

You’ll find many allies in Muncie. Because, as two centuries of our history makes clear, Munsonians have been nothing but immigrants or migrants themselves. Most of the rest of us descend from these newcomers.

Like many communities in the industrial belt of the United States, manufacturing jobs dwindled and the big factories closed in the late 20th century. Our population shrank in response. We’ve struggled a bit these past few decades, but Munsonians are resilient people.

Rejuvenating businesses

Right now, something genuinely special is happening. Several new businesses opened recently, or will soon. Our downtown is undergoing a decades long-renaissance. Our trail system is fast becoming one of the best in the nation. The local arts community flourishes. And Muncie Entrepreneurs launch new enterprises frequently, pushing our city’s amenities and commerce in novel directions.

As Muncie continues this 21st century resurgence, we need the energy and distinctive perspectives that you, our new Afghan neighbors, will bring to the community. America is great precisely because of the diversity of its people. Muncie is no exception. Different life experiences yield fresh viewpoints, which in turn creates a unique cultural landscape primed for inventive action. Muncie’s history has shown this time and again.

You’re coming at an exhilarating time in our city and there’s much to do. But for the moment, we’re just glad you’re here as our new neighbors. Welcome home, friends!

Chris Flook is a board member of the Delaware County Historical Society and is the author of "Lost Towns of Delaware County, Indiana" and "Native Americans of East-Central Indiana." For more information about the Delaware County Historical Society, visitdelawarecountyhistory.org.

Bygone Muncie: A local history primer to welcome Muncie's new neighbors (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of Muncie? ›

The city of Muncie was incorporated in 1865. Contrary to popular legend, the city is not named after a mythological Chief Munsee; it was actually named after Munsee Town, the white settlers' name for the Indian village on the site, "Munsee" meaning a member of the Lenape people or one of their languages.

Why is Muncie called Magic city? ›

The availability of natural gas inevitably led to aggressive efforts to promote Muncie and attract numerous new enterprises to the city. Advertisements from that time described Muncie as the “Magic City,” the “Birmingham of the North,” and “Young Giant of Indiana” (Geelhoed 2004).

Why is Muncie Indiana famous? ›

Muncie received national attention after the publication of their book, Middletown: A Study in Contemporary American Culture (1929). The Lynds returned to Muncie to re-observe the community during the Depression, which resulted in a sequel, Middletown in Transition: A Study in Cultural Conflicts (1937).

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