PHOTO CREDIT: An 1876 postcard featuring photo portraits of early Delaware County settlers. Images courtesy of Ball State University’s Bracken Archive and Special Collections.
Non-indigenous settlers, mostly white farmers, began living in what is now Delaware County in the early 19th century. After the removal of the Lenape, the land was surveyed, parceled, and sold to settlers. This land was then divided into two large counties, known as the Wabash and Delaware New Purchases. Beginning in 1821, the Delaware New Purchase was further divided into smaller counties until 1827, when the borders of the Delaware County as we know today were fixed.
Muncietown was selected as the county seat for the area, while other small trading, farming, and transportation villages were established along the White and Mississinewa rivers. The Muncietown trading village evolved within the confines of the Hackley Reserve, purchased by Goldsmith Gilbert in 1827. Gilbert bought the 672-acre reserve of land from Rebekah Hackley, the granddaughter of Myaamia chief Little Turtle (Mihšihkinaahkwa). Muncietown was shortened to Muncie in 1845, incorporated as a town in 1854, and became a city in 1865.
The Second Delaware County Courthouse.
The second Delaware County Courthouse, 1837-1887. The first courthouse was a one-room, log cabin. Photo courtesy Ball State University's Bracken Archive and Special Collections.