My Muncie hometown owes much of its prominence to the Ball Brothers, five New York industrialists who relocated their Mason jar business here in the 1880s. Sixty years have passed since Ball last made glass in town, but the family’s legacy endures through their contributions to our hospital, university, cultural center, and other philanthropic endeavors. A more personal connection to the Ball family can be found at Beech Grove Cemetery. That’s where all five brothers were laid to rest.
The enterprise that became Ball Corporation started in 1880 when the brothers bought the Wooden Jacket Can Company in Buffalo, New York. The business made wood-enveloped tin cans to hold volatile materials like kerosene and varnish until the brothers started making fruit jars. Officials lured the group to Muncie shortly afterwards1, and a legacy was born2.
Beech Grove Cemetery was established in 1841, long before the Ball brothers came to town. Located on Muncie’s west side, the cemetery’s entrance is marked by a sixty-five-foot-tall Gothic Revival gate designed by Fort Wayne architect Marshall Mahurin. The final resting places of many of the city’s most notable citizens are just past the landmark entryway, and the Ball family is no exception.
Lucius Lorenzo Ball was the oldest of the five brothers. Born in 1850, Ball graduated from the University of Buffalo and became a doctor at thirty-nine. L.L. practiced medicine in Pennsylvania and Buffalo until 1894 when he joined his younger brothers in Muncie. Here, he resumed his practice for thirty-five years until his eventual retirement3. The eldest brother served as a director of the glassmaking firm but was otherwise content to remain a physician4.
At the time of his death aged eighty-two, the Delaware-Blackford Counties Medical Society adopted a memorial resolution to honor Ball’s life, recalling his “quiet dignity, gentle manner, kindly expression, generous nature, and gracious bearing5.” Dr. Ball’s lack of ostentation meant that he and his wife, Sarah, were the only members of the immediate family not to be buried in an extravagant mausoleum.
William Charles Ball was the next oldest of the five brothers. Born in 1852, Ball attended public schools in New York and remained in Buffalo to manage the original plant after his brothers moved to Muncie. After he joined them, W.C. served as the company secretary. He became an active citizen in Muncie.
W.C. Ball was a thirty-second-degree Scottish Rite Mason, a member of Muncie’s Chamber of Commerce, and part of the Exchange Club. Remembered as a “man of great refinement” after his death at sixty-nine, William was said to possess a mind “richly stored with rare gems of both prose and poetry, with which he delighted and inspired his friends and associates6.” Today, W.C. Ball’s Exotic Revival mausoleum remains a Beech Grove landmark more than a hundred years after it was built7.
Edmund Burke Ball was the middle brother, born three years after his brother William. From a young age, Ball was inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit that led him to acquire Buffalo’s Wooden Jacket Can Company with his brother Frank before the rest of the boys joined in. After the business moved to Muncie, Ball served as Vice President and managed the company’s daily operations8.
E.B. cared deeply about the environment and was heavily involved in beautifying the polluted White River. He was also a thirty-third-degree Mason, an honorary member of Boy Scout Troop 2, a member of the Rotary Club, and chairman of several committees on the local YMCA board9. Upon his death at seventy, fifty uniformed Knights Templar guards accompanied his body to First Presbyterian Church. Incredibly, every business and factory shut down for two hours during his funeral10! Ball’s Egyptian Revival mausoleum is truly one for the ages.
Frank Clayton Ball was two years younger than E.B. and followed him to New York to produce wooden can jackets. The two were close: after hearing about abundant natural gas in Ohio and Indiana, the brothers journeyed through Fostoria and Bowling Green before making a final stop in Muncie. After the company settled, F.C. was named president.
Outside of his interest in the glass business, F.C. Ball was a director of Chicago’s Federal Reserve Bank, a trustee of Indiana’s state normal schools, president of the Union Traction Company’s Indiana interurban line, president of the board at Ball Memorial Hospital, and president of the Muncie YMCA. Ball was involved in myriad other things until his death in 194311. “A busy, successful man of many interests and activities,” wrote the Indianapolis Star soon after his passing at eighty-five. “He was ever kindly, jovial, and unassuming. It may truly be said of Frank C. Ball that the world is better and happier because has been its citizen12.”
George Alexander Ball was five years younger than W.C. and twelve years younger than Lucius. Initially responsible for the company’s finances, G.A. was elevated to the company’s president at eighty-two after F.C. passed away. He held the position for three years before moving on to become chairman of the board.
Besides his role in the glass industry, G.A. served as a director of Borg-Warner Corporation, the Nickel Plate Railroad, James Whitcomb Riley Hospital, and the Marine Trust Company of Buffalo, among other ventures13. No less than former president Herbert Hoover led the nation in paying tribute to G.A. after his death at ninety-two, saying “Mr. Ball’s passing is a loss to his community and the country. He was a leader of distinction and a man of great benevolence14.” Ball’s Art Moderne vault stands out amongst the classical designs chosen by his older brothers.
As impressive as they are, the Ball Brothers’ final resting places aren’t the only touchpoint of the family’s heritage. Nearly a hundred and fifty years after they first came to Muncie, the family’s legacy remains deeply ingrained in the city’s fabric. Their numerous contributions haven’t just provided essential services and infrastructure.
They’ve also fostered educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities that continue to enrich our lives. The philanthropic spirit of the Ball Brothers remains a cornerstone of Muncie’s identity. I hope it continues to inspire future generations to carry forward their vision of community support and enhancement.
Sources Cited
1 Ball Brothers Glass Factory Moved To Muncie In 1886 (1943, March 19). The Muncie Star. p. 11.
2 Birmingham, F. (1980). Ball Corporation, The First Century. Curtis Publishing Company [Indianapolis]. Book.
3 Dr. Lucius L. Ball Dies of Extended Illness (1932, July 22). The Muncie Star. p. 1.
4 Five Brothers. One Mission (n.d.). About The Foundation. Ball Brothers Foundation [Muncie]. Web. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
5 Resolution Honors Dr. Ball’s Memory (1932, September 22). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 3.
6 William C. Ball Beckoned After Few Days Illness (1921, May 1). The Muncie Star. p. 1.
7 National Register of Historic Places, Beech Grove Cemetery, Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana, National Register # 98000734.
8 (See footnote 5).
9 Shadows Fall And E.B. Ball Ends Life Work (1925, March 9). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 1.
10 City and State Pay a Tribute to Edmund Ball (1925, March 11). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 1.
11 Muncie Mourns Death of Frank C. Ball Long Leader In Civic And Industrial Life Here (1943, March 19). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 1.
12 Tributes To Muncie Philanthropist (1943, March 25). The Muncie Star. p. 7.
13 Industrial Leader Ill Four Weeks (1955, October 23). The Muncie Star. p. 1.
14 Hoover in Tribute to Mr. Ball (1955, October 23). The Muncie Star. p. 1.
I had known of the Ball brothers, but knew nothing about them – so thanks for this. I think one of the worst things to happen to a city is when it loses local business owners who are rooted in the community and make it their permanent home.