The Ross Center and Rose Park
Location: Bounded by W. 10th Street, S. Pierce Street, W. 9th Street, and S. Birch Street (Rose Park); 1110 W. 10th Street (Ross Center) Year Built: 1917 (Rose Park); 1974 (Community Center) Current Use: Public Park and Community CenterRose Park was dedicated on May 25, 1917 on land donated by the industrialist T. F. Rose and his wife.[1] In addition to providing recreational greenspace to the surrounding neighborhood, Rose Park participated in Muncie’s organized formal sports competitions at city parks throughout the first half of the 20th century known as “Playground Meets.”[2] Throughout the 1970s, during the height of productivity at the Muncie Chevrolet Plant, Rose Park underwent a period of major revitalization and the Garland E. Ross Recreation Center, named after a local grocer, politician, and philanthropist, was established in 1974.[3] It has been the heart of Rose Park ever since.[4] For many years, the Center hosted birthday parties, baby showers, and other events as well as being well-known for its youth baseball programs which continue today.[5] It was extremely popular right from the beginning and in 1977 boasted an annual attendance of nearly 35,000 people.[6] The Center’s existence, however, was threatened during the 2008 recession when the City of Muncie halted public funding for several recreation centers including the Ross Center, which mainly survived on volunteer labor and the local neighborhood association.[7] In 2011, the Center officially became a self-sustaining nonprofit organization and was renamed The Ross Center.[8] Through various grants from foundations such as the Ball Brothers Foundation and IU Health, the Ross Center has formed a pre-school, an after-school program, and additional sports programs for students ranging from basketball to Judo.[9] The Ross Center continues to serve the community with a mission of cultivating lifelong learning, while Rose Park serves both the Center and the community by providing facilities such as baseball fields and a playground.[10] [1] “The Dedication of Rose Park, Friday,” Muncie Evening Press, May 24, 1917. [2] “Playground Meet Won by Rose Park,” The Star Press, August 28, 1926.[3] “11:15 a.m.: Smokestack demolition marks end of Chevy era in Muncie.” Herald Bulletin, January 31, 2008, https://www.heraldbulletin.com/news/local_news/11-15-a-m-smokestack-demolition-marks-end-of-chevy-era-in-muncie/article_54f3eb95-4dd3-57ba-beb8-f97f9e0c88e4.html; Shirley Shephard, “Rose Park Improvements Sought,” Muncie Evening Press. May 11, 1973; “Garland E. Ross, President of Ross’ Corner, Is Founder of the Profit-Sharing Plan and Originator of Independence Party,” The Star Press, June 29, 1949. [4] “Buley, Ross youth centers dedicated,” The Star Press, September 8, 1975. [5] “Grantee Spotlight: Baseball Field Build-Out & Neighborhood Revitalization Sparked by Ball Brothers Foundation Grants Continues a Decade Later,” Ball Brothers Foundation, May 11, 2023, https://www.ballfdn.org/news-archive/grantee-spotlight-ross-community-center. [6] “Ross Community Center used by 35,000 in ‘76-’77”, Muncie Evening Press, Aug 33, 1977. [7] “Grantee Spotlight,” Ball Brothers Foundation.[8] Ibid.[9] “Grantee Spotlight,” Ball Brothers Foundation; “Programs,” Ross Community Center, https://www.rosscentermuncie.org/programs/; “Sports,” Ross Community Center, https://www.rosscentermuncie.org/sports/. [10] “Our Mission and Vision,” Ross Community Center, https://www.rosscentermuncie.org/about/vision-mission/; “Grantee Spotlight,” Ball Brothers Foundation.
Workman’s Bar
Location: 809 W. 8th Street Year Opened: Unknown, after 1911. Current Use: Demolished, Planned site for new crisis center The Workman’s Bar was opened on the site of an old barber shop sometime after 1911.[1] The bar served as South Muncie’s primary watering hole and meeting place for workers at the nearby Chevy Plant, with its clientele being those who had just gotten off their shifts.[2] The Workman’s Bar outlived the factory that employed many of its patrons and finally closed in August of 2021.[3] After its closing, the community pushed for the building to be converted into a crisis center for anyone facing addiction and other health-related issues.[4] A collaboration between the City of Muncie, Delaware Advancement Corp, and IU Health went forward with plans for a 24/7 crisis center, but due to extensive termite damage the building was demolished in January 2024.[5] Despite this setback, plans to build the center on the foundation of the Workman’s Bar are still moving forward.[6][1] Muncie, Indiana Sanborn Map, 1911, Sheet 63, Muncie Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Collection, Ball State University, University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/SanbrnMps/id/237/rec/69. [2] Middletown, DVD, directed by Peter Davis, Tom Cohen, E. J. Vaughn, Richard Leacock, and Marisa Silver (Brooklyn, NY: Icarus Studios, September 21, 2010). [3] Davis Penticuff, “Crisis center to confront addictions, mental stress cases in Muncie community,” Muncie Star Press, March 7, 2023, https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/03/07/crisis-center-to-confront-addictions-mental-stress-cases-in-community/69932816007/. [4] Ibid.[5] Penticuff; “Muncie Crisis Center Will Start From Scratch,” Woof Boom Radio News, January 23, 2024, https://www.woofboomnews.com/2024/01/muncie-crisis-center-will-start-from-scratch/.[6] “Muncie Crisis Center Will Start From Scratch.”Woof Boom Radio News.
The Common Market
Location: 900 W. 8th Street Year Opened: 2016 Current Use: Corner Store and Music Venue The Common Market is a combination general store, restaurant, and music venue that was opened on June 14, 2016 by Mike Martin and Cory Gipson in the building of Grimm’s Market, a former grocery store.[1] Martin, who is a musician himself, was inspired to open the store after he played a grocery store music venue in North Carolina.[2] The co-owners established The Plank Brothers Inc. hoping to open for-profit ventures that could provide funds to invest back into the neighborhood.[3] Martin and Gipson work to provide a safe space and resources to the unhoused population in Muncie, especially following the closing of the homeless housing organization Bridges Community Services in 2021.[4] The Common Market gives back to the community through its “donation station,” an entire room dedicated to free food, clothes, and books for those in need.[5] Eventually, the Market plans on becoming a full grocery store supplied by locally grown produce from the Plank Brother’s farm.[6] Culturally, it hosts professional musicians and young artists alike, with music lessons and a recording studio currently under construction.[7][1] Rebecca Bream, “New ‘Market’ created to give back,” The Star Press, June 30, 2016, https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2016/06/30/new-market-created-give-back/85937720/; O. Wayne Botkin, “Grocery Stores: The Good Old Days in Muncie,” Muncie Evening Press, April 3, 1982. [2] Mike Martin, interviewed by Kate Dille and Kaitlyn Spoerner, February 1, 2024.[3] Sumayyah Muhammad, "Daily Lifestyles: Common Market brings fresh produce to southside Muncie." Ball State Daily News, April 5, 2022, https://www.ballstatedailynews.com/article/2022/04/daily-lifestyles-common-market-southside-muncie. [4] Ibid.[5] Mike Martin, interviewed by Kate Dille and Kaitlyn Spoerner, February 1, 2024.[6] Ibid.[7] Ibid.
The Plank Brothers Building
Location: 920 W. 8th Street Year Built: 1935 Current Use: Planned adaptive reuse as Avondale Arts Co-Op The Plank Family, including brothers Burle and William Plank, emigrated from Russia in the early 20th century.[1] Once established in Muncie, the family was very active in Muncie’s Jewish community.[2] The brothers, looking for a site for their automobile salvage firm, Plank Brothers Inc., purchased this lot from the Davis Auto Parts Company in 1929.[3] In 1935, they built the current building using some of the steel doors and windows from the 1933-1934 Chicago World’s Fair.[4] Nationally known Muncie Power Products Inc. got its start in the building the same year it was built.[5] A few years later, the brothers branched out from the auto business and began selling furniture and appliances out of the Plank Brothers Building.[6] When William Plank passed away in 1953, Burle Plank became president until his own death in 1982.[7] After a period of vacancy, Mike Martin and Cory Gipson purchased the building and established the Plank Brothers Project and The Common Market.[8] They plan to house the Avondale Arts Co-Op in the Plank Brothers Building once renovations are complete.[9][1] Burle Plank, interviewed by Warren Vander Hill, February 22, 1979. Interview 2, transcript and recording, Middletown Digital Oral History Collections, Ball State University, University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/MidOrHis/id/521.[2] Ibid. [3] Plank Brothers, Inc.,1962, MSS-365, Box 179, Folder 106, The Star Press newspaper reference files, Stoeckel Archives, Ball State University, Archives and Special Collections, Muncie, IN.[4] Datestone, Plank Brothers Building, Muncie, IN; Plank Brothers, Inc.,1962, MSS-365, Box 179, Folder 106, The Star Press newspaper reference files, Stoeckel Archives, Ball State University, Archives and Special Collections, Muncie, IN. [5] “The Beginning.” Muncie Power Products, 12 Feb 2024, https://www.munciepower.com/company/history.[6] Plank Brothers, Inc.,1962, MSS-365, Box 179, Folder 106, The Star Press newspaper reference files, Stoeckel Archives, Ball State University, Archives and Special Collections, Muncie, IN.[7] “William Plank Dies In Home At Muncie,” The Indianapolis Star, June 22, 1953; “Burle Plank, businessman here since 1929, dies at 73,” The Muncie Evening Press, May 5, 1982. [8] Sumayyah Muhammad, "Daily Lifestyles: Common Market brings fresh produce to southside Muncie." Ball State Daily News, April 5, 2022, https://www.ballstatedailynews.com/article/2022/04/daily-lifestyles-common-market-southside-muncie. [9] “Home,” Avondale Arts Co-Op, 2024, https://www.avondaleartscoop.org/.
Site of Chevrolet Plant
Location: Lot bounded by W. 8th Street, S. Perkins Avenue, W. 2nd Street, and S. Elliot Street. Year Opened: 1919 (Muncie Products Company), 1935 (Chevrolet-Muncie) Current Use: Demolished, Planned site of solar farm The Muncie Chevrolet Plant had its beginnings in 1919 when General Motors purchased the T. W. Warner Company’s plant and ran it for many years under the name of “Muncie Products Company.”[1] After a brief period of closure during the Great Depression, the plant re-opened in 1935 under the name of “Chevrolet-Muncie.”[2] The plant went through numerous expansions and modernizations over the course of its lifetime including a major expansion in the 1960s.[3] The plant was mainly used to build transmissions for various Chevrolet trucks and passenger cars.[4] The plant was a major employer in the Avondale neighborhood, with employment peaking at over 3,400 people in the late 1970s.[5] New Venture Gear, run jointly by General Motors and Chrysler, operated out of the plant from 1990 to 2002 when it became General Motors. With deindustrialization, employment gradually decreased and there were 380 employees remaining when the plant closed in 2006.[6] The last surviving portion of the factory, a smokestack emblazoned with the word “Chevrolet,” was demolished in 2008.[7] Currently, there are a few residential buildings on the southern portion of the property and the City of Muncie hopes to build a solar farm on the remaining land.[8][1] “Forerunner of Muncie-Chevrolet Plant.” The Star Press, Nov. 23, 1954. [2] Ibid.[3] “Building Permit for Chevy Issued,” The Star Press, March 16, 1965.[4] Welcome to Chevrolet-Muncie open house pamphlet and tour map, November 10, 1961, Muncie Chevrolet Plant Photographs Collection, Muncie, Indiana Chevrolet Motor Company photographs, Ball State University Library, Archives and Special Collections, https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/ChevyPlant/id/60/rec/342. [5] “11:15 a.m.: Smokestack demolition marks end of Chevy era in Muncie.” Herald Bulletin, January 31, 2008, https://www.heraldbulletin.com/news/local_news/11-15-a-m-smokestack-demolition-marks-end-of-chevy-era-in-muncie/article_54f3eb95-4dd3-57ba-beb8-f97f9e0c88e4.html. [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid.[8] Jordan Bratt, “History of the Former Chevy Site,” SMART City Muncie, 2022, https://digitalresearch.bsu.edu/immersive-learning-showcase-spring-2022/exhibits/show/smart-city-muncie/history-of-the-former-chevy-si#:~:text=At%20its%20peak%2C%20it%20employed,Demolition%20was%20completed%20in%202009.
Avondale United Methodist Church
Location: 1314 W. 10th Street Year Built: 1920-1921 Current Use: Church The deed to the land where the Avondale United Methodist Church now stands was signed to the Trustees of Avondale Methodist Episcopal Church on November 12, 1891, but construction on the building you see today did not begin until 1920.[1] The church underwent remodeling in the 1950s and a major expansion was added in the 1960s to accommodate its growing congregation.[2] Being one of the first churches in the neighborhood at the time of its construction, it has always functioned as a major part of the community, hosting both boy and girl scout troops starting in the early 1940s.[3] While the size of the congregation has waned somewhat due to deindustrialization and the construction of other churches over the years, Avondale Methodist still serves its community with weekly services and community meal nights.[4][1] Corey Cliffe, Avondale Methodist Church Research, 1989, DADA-DOC, 93.039, Documentation Collection, Andre Seager Archives of the Built Environment, Ball State University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections.[2] Corey Cliffe, Frank Hindes, Andy Minton, Paul Puzzello, Laurie Vlahovich, Patrick Ward, and Bruce Wilson. HABS Survey Notebook- Avondale Methodist Church, April 26, 1919, DADA-DOC, 94.011, Documentation Collection, Andre Seager Archives of the Built Environment, Ball State University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. [3] Cliffe, Avondale Methodist Church Research, 1989.[4] “Home,” Avondale United Methodist Church, 2018, https://avondalemuncie.wixsite.com/website.
Gommel’s Meat Market
Location: W. 9th Street & S. Port Avenue Year Opened: 1967 Current Use: Vacant Jack Gommel opened Gommel’s Meat market in 1967 after he purchased a local butchery.[1] The original location of the market was a half block east at 1601 W. 9th Street; however, that wooden building was completely lost in a fire in 1977.[2] Gommel ran the store with his wife in this new, brick location on the corner of 9th and Port until closing the market in 1997.[3] Gommel passed away in 2017.[4] During its 30 years of operation, Gommel’s Meat Market was a pillar of the community. Written on the outside of the building was the phrase “We are big enough to serve you but small enough to care.”[5] After the closure of Gommel’s Meat Market, various businesses have occupied the building, the most recent being Barber’s Game Room, which closed in 2010, and Annie’s Pizza Queen, which closed in 2015.[6] The building is currently vacant.[1] Kieth Roydson, “No beef with that: Familiar face can be found behind the meat counter at Lahoy’s,” Muncie Star, November 6, 2011.[2] “Fire Guts Store, Firemen Hospitalized,” Ball State Daily News, September 12, 1977.[3] Roydson.[4] Obituary, of Jackie D. ‘Jack’ Gommel, The Star Press, August 31, 2017. [5] Ted A. Baker, “Celebrating Entrepreneurs in Muncie, Indiana,” Muncie Journal, May 19, 2022. https://www.munciejournal.com/2022/05/celebrating-entrepreneurs-in-muncie-indiana/.[6] Delaware County Health Department, Retail Food Establishment Inspection Report: Barber’s Game Room, Terry Troxell, Muncie, Indiana: Delaware County Health Dept., 2010; Seth Slabaugh, “Restaurants, schools cited for sanitation,” The Star Press, May 18, 2015, https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2015/05/18/restaurants-schools-cited-sanitation/27547913/.
B&K Root Beer and BBQ
Location: 1917 W. Memorial Drive Year Opened: 1956 Current Use: Vacant B&K (Bergerson and Kenefick) Root Beer opened in 1956 as part of a midwestern chain of root beer stands which was started in 1940 in Wabash, Indiana and had over 300 locations at its peak.[1] It operated on a seasonal basis, closing in the winter and reopening each spring.[2] For many years it operated with the standard B&K menu found at all the other locations, mainly serving root beer and coney dogs.[3] That changed in 2013 when they added barbeque fare to the menu.[4] In addition, it served its local community by hosting regular car shows and providing catering for the local soft ball league.[5] In 2018, the restaurant added an expansion and began year-round service.[6] Unfortunately, B&K Root Beer and BBQ closed in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and remains vacant.[7][1] “About Us,” BK Root Beer Muncie, April 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190413112752/http://bkrootbeermuncie.com/about-us/. [2] Mickey Shuey, “Seasonal food stand store open in coming weeks,” The Star Press, March 25, 2016. [3] “About Us,” BK Root Beer Muncie.[4] Mickey Shuey, “B&K making strides; adds smoked foods, extended hours,” The Star Press, September 6, 2015.[5] firebirdacef, “BK Rootbeer car show May 26 2019 muncie indiana,” YouTube Video, July 4, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=SuJE2KQdUFo; Mark Flodder, interviewed by Caide Tomaszewski, February 1, 2024. [6] Audrey J. Kirby, “A Muncie drive-in seeks expansion, and a new store is 'spicing' up McGalliard,” The Star Press, May 4, 2018, https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2018/05/04/summer-business-roundup-dairy-queen-remodel-new-store-spicing-up-mcgalliard-and-local-drive-seeking/564939002/. [7] “1917 W Memorial Dr, Muncie, IN 47302,” Address History, https://www.addresshistory.com/1917-w-memorial-dr-muncie-in-47302#records.
Thomas Park
Location: Bounded by Rochester Avenue, W. Memorial Drive, W. 15th Street, and S. Kathy Drive. Year Opened: 1935 Current Use: Park Thomas Park opened in 1935 during the height of the Great Depression.[1] Named in honor of Reverend Eddie Thomas, the founder of the Muncie Mission homeless shelter, the park served as a green space and recreation area for people of all ages in south Muncie.[2] Throughout the 1950s, Thomas Park held a summer recreation program with informal dances, lunches, basketball free-throw competitions, and family movie nights.[3] Over the years, the park has seen various improvements including a “face-lift” in 1967, which repaired existing equipment, and a major renovation in 1978 which added tennis courts, expanded parking, and planted many of the trees you see today.[4] In the 1990s, the existing baseball field was expanded and upgraded to make it a part of the national Babe Ruth youth baseball league.[5] The Muncie Parks Department, in collaboration with the Thomas Park Avondale Neighborhood Association, plan to renovate the park again in 2024.[6][1] “Park Named in Honor of Eddie Thomas,” Muncie Evening Press, November 16, 1935. [2] “Park Named in Honor of Eddie Thomas,” Muncie Evening Press, November 16, 1935; “History,” Muncie Mission Ministries Inc., 2024, https://www.munciemission.org/about/history/.[3] “City Recreation Program Will Close Down on Friday,” The Star Press, Jun. 29, 1958. [4] “Thomas Park Gets Quick ‘Face-Lift’,” Muncie Evening Press, June13, 1967; Thomas Park Renovation Drawings, 1978, DADA-004, Daggett Architectural Records Collection, Andrew Seager Archives of the Built Environment, Ball State University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections.[5] “Opening Pitch: Mayor Launches Fundraiser for Babe Ruth Facility,” The Star Press, October 8, 1992. [6] Mike Rhodes, “City Of Muncie Update On Improvements To City Parks,” Muncie Journal, April 15, 2021, https://www.munciejournal.com/2021/04/city-of-muncie-update-on-improvements-to-city-parks/.
Buck Creek
Origin: South-east Muncie Mouth: The White River in Yorktown Buck Creek begins in southeast Muncie and marks the southern border of the Thomas Park-Avondale neighborhood before emptying into the White River.[1] It was named after Buckhongehelas, a prominent chief of the Lenape tribe who made the area of Delaware County (Miami territory) home during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.[2] In 1893, the City of Muncie and the Western Improvement Company tried to dam the creek.[3] This created the artificial Delaware Lake, however, the dam soon failed and a West Muncie settlement built beside the artificial lake failed with it.[4] Throughout the middle of the 20th century the creek served as a beloved swimming spot for the neighborhood’s youth.[5] Buck Creek has experienced unfortunate contamination on two occasions: once with sewage in 1954 and a second with oil in 1986.[6] In both cases, cleanup was organized quickly and efficiently before any major harm was done.[7] The 1997 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind mentions Cornbread Road, one of the streets that crosses Buck Creek.[8] Today, Buck Creek stands as an important part of south Muncie’s cultural, environmental, and natural history. [1] Water Quality Indiana, “The Origin of Buck Creek Fall 2014,” YouTube Video, 0:20, December 4, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC_qp7ZBgck. [2] Chris Flook, “Bygone Muncie: What's in a name? A wealth of local history, as it happens,” The Star Press, November 14, 2020, https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2020/11/14/bygone-muncie-whats-name-wealth-local-history/6278180002/. [3] Buck Creek (Yorktown, Ind.) damming, Newspaper Clipping, Undated, Yorktown-Mt. Pleasant Township Historical Alliance Collection, Yorktown-Mt. Pleasant Township Historical Alliance & Museum (Yorktown, Ind.), https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/YrktwnHis/id/529/rec/6. [4] Ibid.[5] Salli Marini, “Lost Muncie,” Facebook, July 26, 2020, https://www.facebook.com/groups/158496695087/search/?q=buck%20creek. [6] Buck Creek, 1954 – 1986, MSS -365, Box 86, Folder 66, The Star Press newspaper reference files, Stoeckel Archives, Ball State University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. [7] Ibid. [8] Chris Flook, “Bygone Muncie: A 'Close Encounter' with an overlook of some kind,” The Star Press, June 9, 2019, https://www.pal-item.com/story/news/local/2019/06/09/bygone-muncie-close-encounter-overlook-some-kind/1328130001/.
Webb-Hunt Branch/The Friends of Muncie Public Library
Location: 1110 W. Memorial Drive Year Built/Established: 1960/1974 Current Use: The Friends of Muncie Public Library The Webb-Hunt branch of the Muncie Public Library was named after Webb Hunt, who was the principal of nearby Lincoln School from 1906 until his retirement in 1941.[1] He would later become president of the Muncie Public Library Board.[2] During his time as principal, Hunt converted the basement of the school into the Lincoln Branch of the library and when it ran out of space in 1960, city officials opened the Webb-Hunt branch to house the collection.[3] The Webb-Hunt branch operated until 1997.[4]Currently, the Webb-Hunt building houses the offices of The Friends of Muncie Public Library (FMPL). The FMPL was established in 1974 with the help of the American Association of University Women, a group founded in 1881 and dedicated to furthering equal opportunities for women.[5] The FMPL was founded to help finance programs and initiatives of the Muncie Public Library.[6] To pursue this mission, they have maintained a bi-annual book sale of decommissioned library books to both clear shelf space and raise funds.[7] With these funds they have been able to hold community events such as author visits, discussion groups, and even an international film festival.[8] [1] Ted Shideler, “The last days of Lincoln School,” Ted Shideler, Decent local history- Cheap! September 10, 2023, https://tedshideler.com/2023/09/10/the-last-days-of-lincoln-school/. [2] “Legal Notice,” The Post Democrat, December 1, 1950. [3] Shideler.[4] Robin Gibson, Seth Slabaugh, and Douglas Walker, ”A look back at 20 years of news in The Star Press,” The Star Press, May 20, 2016, https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2016/05/19/look-back-20-years-news-star-press/84549742/. [5] “Muncie Public Library History,” Muncie Public Library, https://www.munciepubliclibrary.org/history; “About AAUW,” AAUW, https://www.aauw.org/about/. [6] Betty Johnson, “Friends’ goal is helping library,” The Star Press, January 12, 1977. [7] Ann Votaw, “Book sale offers readers variety,” Ball State University Newspaper, October 19, 1995. [8] “Author of best-selling slave book comes to Muncie June 18,” The Muncie Times, June 17, 1999; Friends of the Muncie Public Library, 1976, MSS-365, Box 125, Folder 59, The Star Press newspaper reference files, Stoeckel Archives, Ball State University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections; “Author of best-selling slave book comes to Muncie June 18,” The Muncie Times, June 17, 1999; Robert Lopez, “Foreign films come to Muncie,” Ball State Daily News, Jan. 12, 2001.
Muncie Driving Park
Location: S. Pierce Street intersections of 9th and 11th Streets. Year Constructed: Late 19th Century Current Use: Integrated into current street layout The Muncie Driving Park was a horse driving track built sometime after the Civil War and active through much of the rest of the 19th century.[1] The track was built on the farm of Dr. Robert Winton, one of Muncie’s most prominent physicians at the time, whose land was adjacent to the farm of the Ross family (from whom the Ross Center gets its name).[2] The track was used to host local horse races, and later automobile races, with prizes being awarded in cash.[3] At the time, it called itself “The Best Half-Mile Track in Indiana.”[4] In 1874 a residential suburb, Winton Place, was platted around the track.[5] While most of the track and accompanying facilities have long since been demolished, the curvature of the original track can still be seen on the turns from South Pierce Street onto 9th and 11th Streets.[6][1] Muncie Driving Park, 1881, 1978, MSS-232, Box 2, Folder 3, Fred Graham circus collection, Stoeckel Archives, Ball State University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. [2] “Dr. George Green Called Beyond,” The Star Press, January 25, 1920; Muncie Driving Park, 1881, 1978, MSS-232, Box 2, Folder 3, Fred Graham circus collection, Stoeckel Archives, Ball State University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. [3] Muncie Driving Park Program, 1878, MSS-211, Box 4, Folder 45, Wiley W. Spurgeon Papers, Stoeckel Archives, Ball State University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections. [4] Ibid.[5] Chris Flook, “ByGone Muncie: Old Avondale and the Shedtown Bloody Run,” The Star Press, January 16, 2023, https://www.thestarpress.com/story/life/2023/01/16/bygone-muncie-old-avondale-and-the-shedtown-bloody-run/69792494007/. [6] Muncie Driving Park, 1881, 1978, MSS-232, Box 2, Folder 3, Fred Graham circus collection, Stoeckel Archives, Ball State University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections.
