The only good thing about not working lately has been that I have Fridays off. I technically have every day off, but Fridays are different around here: that’s when Delaware County tests its outdoor warning sirens. A handful of them -our Thunderbolts- are incredible relics! One stands perched above Southview Elementary School.
Continue reading “Muncie’s Southview Thunderbolt”
Kroger comes in two flavors here in Muncie: Ruler Foods, a no-frills ALDI competitor, and Pay Less, a full-service alternative. Pay Less began in Anderson in 1947, but Kroger snapped it up in 19991. Muncie was never kind to Kroger, but it re-entered the market with Ruler in 20132. A bigger investment came in 2017, when the company bought two closing Marsh supermarkets and reopened them as Pay Less3. I recently ran into its wandering robot. It was weird!
Continue reading “My first run-in with the Pay Less robot”
Last summer, we learned the old JCPenney at Muncie Mall was slated for demolition. By September, the plan ballooned to JCPenney, Sears, and an abandoned movie theater. Fencing went up, then progress seemed to freeze in place. Yesterday, shocking news spread across social media: the entire mall will be torn down! It’s the end of an era- one that, if I’m being honest, may have lingered longer than it ever should have.
Continue reading “All of Muncie Mall will be demolished”
A handful of smaller centers came first, but Muncie didn’t get its first true shopping hub until Northwest Plaza opened in 19561. Another, Southway Plaza, opened in 19582. In between, brothers Rolland and Floyd Stephens announced plans for another major shopping center that’s slipped into quiet obscurity: the Meadows3.
Continue reading “The Meadows of Muncie”
I took some photos of Muncie’s old Aladdin Manufacturing Company property on the day after Christmas. As it turns out, I did that just in time- someone told me that the place is being demolished! I headed back for some final pictures before the southeast corner of Hackley and 18th becomes bare ground and open sky. By the time I made it there, old warehouse to the north was completely gone. An excavator was ripping down the rest.
Continue reading “The Aladdin lamp factory I just wrote about is being demolished”
People have been asking me to write about old factories for months now. Consider that wish granted! I was driving around the south side of Muncie on the day after Christmas when I stopped to take photos of this imposing property. About a hundred years ago, it was home to the Aladdin Manufacturing Company.
Continue reading “Aladdin lamps lit up Muncie until they went dark”
Lately, life has felt a lot like one of the old buildings I write about: a little worn out and suddenly pushed into a new chapter. After I lost my job in December, I steadied myself the only way I knew how, by leaning into local history. That instinct led me somewhere fitting- an old neighborhood school-turned-community hub.
Continue reading “Speaking to veterans in a century-old school”
The story of William Blunk isn’t neatly documented, but it’s exactly the kind of tale that built early America. Tracing him means following faint paper trails, family memories, and a series of misunderstandings! Taken together, though, they reveal something powerful: an ordinary man who did his part in both the Revolution and the settlement of Delaware County.
Continue reading “Delaware County Patriots: William Blunk/Blunt/Blount”
Hey, there! It’s your old internet pal Ted, popping in with a confession: it’s been way too long since I last wrote about tornado sirens. I can hear my analytics groaning since this is probably the post where my views take a nosedive, but I don’t care. There’s just something about electromechanical sirens that flips a switch in my brain. They’re loud, awkward, and a little ugly. So am I!
Continue reading “It’s been a while since I wrote about a siren”
Back in July, word spread that a big piece of Muncie’s retail past was on the chopping block: the old J.C. Penney at Muncie Mall was headed for demolition. By September, the scope ballooned: nearly 255,000 square feet -including Sears and the long-shuttered cinema- were also slated to disappear! Fencing went up in October, then everything seemed to stall. What happened? At last, we have an answer.
Continue reading “Here’s why half of Muncie Mall is still standing”