The Muncie Memory Spiral is a project of Community Enhancement Projects (CEP). CEP’s mission is to foster, through our beautification efforts, a cooperative environment wherein area citizens, government, industry, and organizations continue to enhance and improve the quality of life for today’s community and for future generations. The Muncie Memory Spiral aligns with this mission by creating a beautiful, unique, and significant addition to Muncie’s park system that will improve the quality of life for all residents of our area as well as help to foster community pride, particularly for residents of the Southside of Muncie. Please visit www.cepmuncie.org for more information about CEP, as well as a complete list of our more than forty projects throughout Muncie.

The Muncie Memory Spiral arose from an idea by Rick Zeigler to have CEP undertake a project on Muncie’s Southside that would entail a number of benefits. The five major goals for the Muncie Memory Spiral project are:

To become a beautiful, significant, and unique addition to Muncie’s park system;

To provide a focus on Muncie’s rich history through both images and text, as well as an easily accessible website;

To provide a variety of educational opportunities for both children and adults;

To become an outstanding amenity on Muncie’s Southside, an area that has been underserved in our community;

To contribute to healthy lifestyles, encouraging walking both along its pathway as well as to other historically important sites in Heekin and along the planned Muncie Arts and Culture Trail to be located adjacent to the Muncie Memory Spiral (see the “Why is the Muncie Memory Spiral in Heekin Park?” sign).

The design for the Muncie Memory Spiral was conceived by Rick and Jeanne Zeigler. Design ideas and elements were then refined by a CEP subcommittee consisting of Rick Zeigler, Jeanne Zeigler, Ron Spangler, Sandra Kelly, Scot Boyce, Jim Gooden, John Craddock, and Chris Flook. CEP enlisted Rundell Ernstberger Associates to refine and execute the design for the Muncie Memory Spiral. A class from the Ball State Department of Landscape Architecture assisted with designs for the central shade structure and benches.

Decisions regarding the topics and themes to be depicted on the Historical Signage were entrusted to a committee headed by Chris Flook of the Delaware County Historical Society and whose members included Julius Anderson, Monique Armstrong, WaTasha Barnes Griffin, Qiana Clemens, Anitra Davis, Olon Dotson, Michael Doyle, Braydee Euliss, Chris Flook, Melissa Gentry, Judith Hill, Ken Hudson, Jessica Jenkins, Sara McKinley, Ella McNeary, Chandra Parks, Susan Smith, Michael Szajewski, Yvonne Thompson, Karen Vincent, James Williams, and Rick Zeigler. Chris Flook wrote the majority of the signage text, assisted by Rick Zeigler and edited by Sandra Kelly. Chris Flook and Rick Zeigler selected the images for the signage, with the majority of such used courtesy of Ball State University’s Bracken Archives and Special Collections and the Minnetrista Heritage Collection.