I was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder almost a decade and a half ago during my freshman year of college. Some tiring stressors since the Fourth of July weekend had me wondering if I was careening toward a depressive phase again, which meant it was time to whip out the coping mechanisms! One of my favorites is pretty ridiculous: I blurt out the name of a neighborhood in a stupid voice every time I speed past.
Continue reading “This coping mechanism makes me sound crazier than the bipolar does”Tag Muncie Indiana
Harrison Township’s Buncum -or Washington- schoolhouse in Delaware County
No one knows when the land for Harrison Township’s District 8 school was deeded. In 1874, a schoolhouse straddled the land of David Williams and Augustus Gaugh, a quarter of a mile west of the modern intersection of Nebo and Royerton Roads1. Seven years later, the school was known as “Buncum” and was taught by Walter Gray2.
Continue reading “Harrison Township’s Buncum -or Washington- schoolhouse in Delaware County”Abandoned Marsh: East McGalliard Road in Muncie
The Marsh Supermarket on East McGalliard Road in Muncie was opened in 1969 with a design typical of stores from that era. It closed in 2013. If you couldn’t tell from its color scheme, the store is home to a Planet Fitness today.
Continue reading “Abandoned Marsh: East McGalliard Road in Muncie”Perry Township’s demolished Rees schoolhouse in Delaware County
Perry Township’s District 3 schoolhouse, known as Rees, stood for nearly a century and a half. I’m glad I took photos of the building before it disappeared! Of all the schoolhouses I’ve driven to and researched, it was my favorite.
Continue reading “Perry Township’s demolished Rees schoolhouse in Delaware County”Hamilton Township’s District 10 schoolhouse in Delaware County
Milton Hamilton deeded a portion of his land on Riggin Road to the Hamilton and Center School Townships in 18971. Soon after, officials built a schoolhouse there, which became known as Hamilton Township’s District 10 school2. It’s unclear as to whether or not the schoolhouse had a common name.
Continue reading “Hamilton Township’s District 10 schoolhouse in Delaware County”Muncie’s old Hill Top Motel, the peak of overnight accommodations
I pine for the days when travelers coming into Muncie had an abundant variety of lodging options, even though I live there and thus wouldn’t have any use for them. Sixty or seventy years ago, motorists could stay at the Delaware, Roberts, Kirby, or Braun Hotels downtown or try their luck at a smaller place like Gray’s, Maples, Star Lite, or Hill Top. Although it more closely resembled jungle ruins from a distant past in its final days, the Hill Top was one of Muncie’s best-known Southside landmarks for nearly seventy years. It was a colorful place!
Continue reading “Muncie’s old Hill Top Motel, the peak of overnight accommodations”No more Movies at Muncie Mall
Going to the movies is an immersive social experience heightened, in my opinion, by seeing an anticipated new release in an iconic, old theater. The Muncie Mall 3, also known as Movies at Muncie Mall and the Muncie Mall Dollar Movies was not an iconic theater. It eventually became old, though, while thirty years of moviegoers -myself included- escaped from their everyday lives and indulged their imaginations from within its walls. That’s why I’m writing about it today.
Continue reading “No more Movies at Muncie Mall”Center Township’s Whitely schoolhouse in Delaware County
Center Township’s Whitely schoolhouse is better known as a civil rights icon than it ever was as a school. The building’s history dates to 1833 when the federal government granted James Howell the property that it later stood on. Nearly sixty years later, the Whitely Land Company awarded the Center School Township a block to erect a schoolhouse1.
Continue reading “Center Township’s Whitely schoolhouse in Delaware County”Delaware Cinema, Muncie’s first suburban theater
Cinema’s magic lies in its ability to transport viewers to another world. Although this age of modern streaming services lets us watch whatever we want wherever we are, there’s something unique about being in the dark with a crowd of strangers all focused on the same story. That collective experience draws me to old movie theaters, whether they’re grand palaces from Hollywood’s golden age or early multiplexes from the 60s and 70s. The Delaware Cinema is part of the latter group: it was Muncie’s first suburban movie theater! Today, people still flock there for entertainment, albeit for different reasons. Here’s its story.
Continue reading “Delaware Cinema, Muncie’s first suburban theater”What’s left of Mt. Pleasant Township’s Nebo schoolhouse in Delaware County
An early iteration of Delaware County’s Mt. Pleasant Township’s District 1 schoolhouse was erected in 18421. Later, the log school was used as a sanctuary for the congregation that later became Cammack Methodist Church2.
Continue reading “What’s left of Mt. Pleasant Township’s Nebo schoolhouse in Delaware County”