The Evolution of Getting a Living in MiddletownMain MenuIntroductionMachine Made: The Rise of Industrial Work in MuncieRusty Muncie: Deindustrialization in MiddletownInvisible Experiences: Making a Living as a Minority in MuncieWomen's Work: 9 to 5 and BeyondWomen's Work Introduction
Factory Work
12023-02-07T17:19:28+00:00Cory Balkenbusch1813df9caeea31c6742588d0733c7e303d399f2534tagplain2023-02-07T18:17:04+00:00Cory Balkenbusch1813df9caeea31c6742588d0733c7e303d399f25Factory work provided the foundation for employment in Muncie from the years of the Gas Boom through the mid-1900s. As employers sought out less expensive labor elsewhere, Muncie's industrial employment scene faltered and factory doors shuttered. However, some factories remain open today, a testament to the ingenuity of local business owners who were willing to adapt to the local labor market.
Follow the links below for more on the history of factory work in Muncie.
Contents of this tag:
12022-12-01T21:36:31+00:00Jordan F Bratt8d480b88b9811000d72e384489498f1fd042881dMechanization: The Dawn of Metal Workers33The rise of machine work was the first major step in Muncie's transformation into an industrial hub.plain2023-02-08T16:18:24+00:00Jim Connolly46c7b502c79bde22331f06c832c764e9eca6a071
12022-12-01T21:37:24+00:00Jordan F Bratt8d480b88b9811000d72e384489498f1fd042881dUnionization: The Inevitable Pushback27plain2023-02-08T16:54:35+00:00Jim Connolly46c7b502c79bde22331f06c832c764e9eca6a071
12022-12-01T21:37:03+00:00Jordan F Bratt8d480b88b9811000d72e384489498f1fd042881dHealth and Well-Being: Poisonous Efficiency23plain2023-02-08T16:25:54+00:00Jim Connolly46c7b502c79bde22331f06c832c764e9eca6a071
1media/MID-WEST METAL MEDIA.jpg2022-12-01T21:43:04+00:00Jordan F Bratt8d480b88b9811000d72e384489498f1fd042881dThe Persistence of Industrial Production18plain462023-02-08T19:50:06+00:00Jim Connolly46c7b502c79bde22331f06c832c764e9eca6a071
12022-12-06T15:16:41+00:00AnonymousMichael Owens Bottle Machine8Youtube video of Michael Owens automatic glass bottle manufacturing machine that revolutionized the industry.plain2023-02-07T19:21:27+00:002010-07-29YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX64FElTFZc)toryboy2000Cory Balkenbusch1813df9caeea31c6742588d0733c7e303d399f25
1media/Lewis Wickes Photo_thumb.png2022-12-08T15:34:58+00:00AnonymousNoon hour. Muncie Wheel & Jobbing Co. Most of the boys were gone home to dinner. Location: Muncie, Indiana.7Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine, 1908 October. Hine visited Muncie as part of a national tour exposing child labor practices in the industrial economy.media/Lewis Wickes Photo.pngplain2023-02-07T19:11:26+00:00Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/item/2018673857/)Muncie, IndianaCory Balkenbusch1813df9caeea31c6742588d0733c7e303d399f25
1media/Borg Warner_thumb.jpg2022-12-06T15:14:57+00:00AnonymousBorg Warner Entrance Sign (2006)4This image was taken near the time of the final closing of Borg Warner in Muncie. This factory served as an anchor in the local labor market for nearly a hundred years.media/Borg Warner.jpgplain2023-02-07T18:29:46+00:00Steve Talley, Documenting Deindustrialization in Middletown: A Photographic Essay. Ball State University Digital Media Repository.photograph by Steve TalleyCory Balkenbusch1813df9caeea31c6742588d0733c7e303d399f25
1media/Ball Brothers own machine(DMR)_thumb.jpg2022-12-12T16:08:52+00:00AnonymousBall Brothers Machine4Photo of Ball Brothers glass pressing machine.media/Ball Brothers own machine(DMR).jpgplain2023-02-07T18:28:23+00:001914-09-05Otto Sellers Photograph Collection, Ball State Digital Media RepositoryOtto SellersCory Balkenbusch1813df9caeea31c6742588d0733c7e303d399f25
1media/Unidentified Women Inside Factory_thumb.jpg2022-12-06T23:57:11+00:00Katrina Partlowbb1f1150c789ba002bf4aef4a165fdf5031add5eUnidentified Women Inside Factory3Women inside a factory in Muncie, IN sometime between the 1910s and 1930s. Possibly a woodworking or furniture factory.media/Unidentified Women Inside Factory.jpgplain2023-02-07T19:15:53+00:001910s-1930sMuncie and Delaware County Historic Photographs Collection, Ball State Digital Media RepositoryCory Balkenbusch1813df9caeea31c6742588d0733c7e303d399f25
1media/Women Working in a Factory_thumb.jpg2022-12-06T04:58:21+00:00Katrina Partlowbb1f1150c789ba002bf4aef4a165fdf5031add5eWomen Working in a Factory3Photo depicts unknown women working on radiator covers around the 1910s in Muncie, IN.media/Women Working in a Factory.jpgplain2023-02-07T19:17:09+00:00Otto Sellers1910sOtto Sellers Photograph Collection, Ball State Digital Media RepositoryCory Balkenbusch1813df9caeea31c6742588d0733c7e303d399f25
1media/GoGramNews_578-1 copy_thumb.jpg2023-02-03T16:33:29+00:00Jim Connolly46c7b502c79bde22331f06c832c764e9eca6a071Pete Van Camp Gear o Gram3Gear 0 Gram Profile of Pete Van Campmedia/GoGramNews_578-1 copy.jpgplain2023-02-07T18:37:40+00:00Cecember, 1948Gear-O-Gram 1948-12, Vol. 05, No. 06Cory Balkenbusch1813df9caeea31c6742588d0733c7e303d399f25
1media/Glass factory photo_thumb.jpg2022-12-06T15:29:37+00:00AnonymousBall Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company factory fan3Photo of the Ball Brothers factory fanmedia/Glass factory photo.jpgplain2023-02-07T18:26:28+00:001917-09-16Otto Sellers Photographs Collection, Ball State Digital Media Repository.Cory Balkenbusch1813df9caeea31c6742588d0733c7e303d399f25
1media/glass workers 1910s (1)_thumb.jpg2022-12-04T18:37:02+00:00Sam Kiddere34169858c52d934314ac2727a2b65405c64bb12Black Female Glassworkers 19153Black Female Glass Workers, 1915, holding the glass insulators that they helped to make.media/glass workers 1910s (1).jpgplain2023-02-09T19:59:50+00:001915Other Side of Middletown Photographs, Ball State University Digital Media RepositoryJim Connolly46c7b502c79bde22331f06c832c764e9eca6a071
This page references:
1media/sellers_787_full_thumb.jpg2023-02-07T18:05:56+00:00Workmen Making Lamp Fixtures2Workmen Making Lamp Fixturesmedia/sellers_787_full.jpgplain2023-02-07T18:08:22+00:00c. 1910Otto Sellers Photographs Collection, Ball State Digital Media Repository.