Community

World War I Volunteers
African American World War I volunteers gathered on the steps of the Delaware County Courthouse for a photograph before shipping out. They then departed by train at the C&O Station at Broadway and Wysor streets. Approximately 150 African American men from Muncie served in World War I.
August 24, 1918
“ The Other Side of Middletown” Collection, EF2-047

Ball Brothers Factory Band
The Ball Brothers Factory Band, led by band master Lotis Slayton (front row, far left), was one of several factory-sponsored African American bands in Muncie. The bands marched in local patriotic celebrations and competed in state and local contests.
1925
“ The Other Side of Middletown” Collection, EF2-146

The Eagle Band
Members of the Eagle Band, sponsored by the Eagle Foundry Company, assembled on the Delaware County Courthouse steps.
c. 1917
Hurley Goodall Collection, P30/59

Bennington’s Photo Cart
The Bennington Brothers Photographers’ cart traveled African American neighborhoods in Muncie during the 1920s and took pictures of adults and children for 10 cents each.
1925
“ The Other Side of Middletown” Collection, EF2-133

Red Cross Official and Patient
An African American patient consults with a local Red Cross official.
c. 1926-1930
W.A. Swift Collection, P8/950

The Holland Triplets
June, Joan, and Jean Holland were born to Muncie residents Mr. and Mrs. William Holland on May 9, 1935.
1938
Spurgeon-Greene Collection, P40/1281 

Teens Swimming
Because African Americans were excluded from Muncie’s Tuhey Park Pool, they swam in lakes or rivers. African American community demands for a safe swimming facility prompted the City of Muncie to open the integrated Municipal Pool (Phillips Lake) in 1954. Then on June 9, 1956, Roy Buley of the Madison Street Branch YMCA and three others swam at Tuhey Pool, forcing the city to enforce federal law and end the pool’s “whites only” policy.
n.d.
“ The Other Side of Middletown” Collection, EF2-103