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Sites We Like: What Middletown Read. There’s a big, wonderful world of bookish websites out there. In this column, we point you to some of our favorites. In 1929 and again in 1937, sociologists Helen Lynd and Robert Lynd published hugely popular, hugely influential studies of a place they called “Middletown” (it was, in fact, Muncie, Indiana), hoping to capture the essence of modern America. Almost a century later, What Middletown Read went live. And it is awesome. Based on circulation records from the Muncie Public Library from November 5, 1891, through December 3, 1902, What Middletown Read is a digital database that lets you search by book, patron demographics (age, race, occupation, birthplace, etc.), and transaction date.

Linking library records with census data, What Middletown Read offers a detailed picture of library habits in this famously average American town. It also offers a chance to do some literary time-traveling. What Middletown Read - Home. "What Middletown Read" is a database and search engine built upon the circulation records of the Muncie (Indiana) Public Library from November 5, 1891 through December 3, 1902.

It documents every book that every library patron borrowed during that period, with the exception of one gap from May 28, 1892 to November 5, 1894. For more details, follow the links below. This project is the result of a collaborative effort between the Muncie Public Library, the Center for Middletown Studies at Ball State University, and Ball State University Libraries. It is made possible through the financial support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Gladys Kreible Delmas Foundation, and the following units at Ball State University: the Office of the Provost, the College of Sciences and Humanities, the Honors College, the English Department, and the History Department.

For news on current research efforts and project updates, please see the What Middletown Read blog. Historic Muncie: Structures. Home | About | Architecture © 2012 Ball State University. All Rights Reserved. Historic Muncie: About the Project. About the Project Mission Statement: The "Historic Muncie: Preserving Middletown's Neighborhoods" chronicles the history of Muncie, Indiana, through an interactive online museum detailing the historic districts of the town. This site serves as a research and educational resource for students, professors, citizens, tourists, and the general public.

This website draws on pictures, video, and narrative to guide readers through the historic districts and architectural past of Muncie. While functioning primarily as a portal to the past, this site also aims to display the continuing struggle of preserving these historic areas within a town straining toward change. About: "Historic Muncie: Preserving Middletown's Neighborhoods" is an immersive learning opportunity involving Ball State University students. On Campus Partners: Support and Funding: Historic Muncie: Preserving Middletown's Neighborhoods was made possible from a generous gift from Hamer and Phyllis Shafer. Meet the Team: WMR: Patron #3597. John W Ryan (1837 - 1919.

Ryan and Marsh family members. Susan Ryan Marsh (1865 - 1959. Lida A. Ryan's memorial. OriginalImageObj.width: 3096originalImageObj.height: 4872 currentImageTop: 0pxcurrentImageLeft: 17px viewportObj.width: 958viewportObj.height: 484viewportObj.left: 31viewportObj.top: 312 currentImageWidth: 928pxcurrentImageHeight: 1461px startPosTop: 0startPosLeft: 17 Rows: 0Cols: 0imgWidthModulo: 0imgHeightModulo: 0originalImageObj.height: 4872originalImageObj.width: 3096oldImgScale: 5imgScale: 30mouseBoxPosTop: 1mouseBoxPosLeft: 1mouseBoxHeight: 483mouseBoxWidth: 0viewportObj.width: NaNviewportObj.height: 484viewportPosTop: 311viewporttPosLeft: 0currentImageWidth: 962currentImageHeight: 0imageLayerPosTop: 0imageLayertPosLeft: 0oldImgScaleAdjustedMousePosOnImageLayerTop: 1oldImgScaleAdjustedMousePosOnImageLayerLeft: 1currentScaleMultiplier: 3.2182952182952183startPosTop: 4startPosLeft: 3.0345114345114346.

Lida A. Ryan. WMR: Patron #220. John W. Ryan, Delaware County History. John Weller Ryan. Veterans enrollment form, 1st Lt. John W. Ryan. Veterans enrollment form, 2nd Lt. (later 1st Lt.) John W. Ryan. Muncie/Delaware County Digital Resource Library | Muncie Public Library. Spellman family. OriginalImageObj.width: 6945originalImageObj.height: 4893 currentImageTop: 0pxcurrentImageLeft: 134px viewportObj.width: 958viewportObj.height: 484viewportObj.left: 31viewportObj.top: 312 currentImageWidth: 694pxcurrentImageHeight: 489px startPosTop: 0startPosLeft: 134 Rows: 0Cols: 0imgWidthModulo: 0imgHeightModulo: 0originalImageObj.height: 4893originalImageObj.width: 6945oldImgScale: 5imgScale: 10mouseBoxPosTop: 1mouseBoxPosLeft: 1mouseBoxHeight: 483mouseBoxWidth: 0viewportObj.width: NaNviewportObj.height: 484viewportPosTop: 311viewporttPosLeft: 0currentImageWidth: 962currentImageHeight: 0imageLayerPosTop: 0imageLayertPosLeft: 0oldImgScaleAdjustedMousePosOnImageLayerTop: 1oldImgScaleAdjustedMousePosOnImageLayerLeft: 1currentScaleMultiplier: 7.21933471933472startPosTop: 4startPosLeft: 3.278066528066528.

Muncie/Delaware County Digital Resource Library | Muncie Public Library. Marsh and Ryan family members. Marsh and Ryan family members. Digital Media Repository : Search Results. John Weller Ryan second home. John Weller Ryan second home. Lillian Messler Ryan. Marsh and Ryan Family Photographs :: Details. The Marsh and Ryan Family Collection provides online access to photographs and correspondence with accompanying typed transcripts documenting the prominent J.

W. Ryan and J. R. Marsh families within Muncie, Indiana from circa 1849-1980, predominately 1890-1920. John Weller Ryan was born on November 5, 1837 in Butler County, Ohio. Before he became a prominent Muncie attorney, J. W. Ryan married Lida A. Susan Delaney Ryan Marsh was born in Winamac, Indiana on December 29, 1865. J. J. Indiana Bridge Company Collection Susan Marsh was a prominent artist, clubwoman and civic worker for over 50 years within the Muncie community. Middletown Women's History Collection Susan's sister, Mildred Veronese Ryan Beatty was born on April 14, 1868. Thomas Leicester Ryan was born in 1872 in Muncie. Thomas L. Walter Scott Ryan was born in 1875 in Muncie. Archives & Special Collections, MSS.133 Marsh/Ryan Family Collection Finding Aid. Digital Media Repository : Search Results.

Digital Media Repository : Search Results. Jon Crispin: Suitcases from the Willard Asylum for the Insane (PHOTOS). Jon Crispin. Photographer Jon Crispin first laid eyes on the Willard Asylum for the Insane in the early 1980s. A friend who was a preservationist asked Crispin if he had ever seen the abandoned building during a drive back from a wedding by Seneca Lake in New York. Crispin remembers clearly the moment they drove up to the 1860s building.

“It was the most evocative thing I had ever seen,” Crispin recalled. “It was sitting high above Seneca Lake on a circular driveway and it was abandoned. But Crispin’s fascination with the Willard Asylum was only beginning. “I was immediately compelled by the stories they told,” said Crispin. It was a fascinating, often emotional project for Crispin. “With this project, I felt a great reverence for these people and a respect for them,” began Crispin. Looking through the suitcases isn’t only a peek into the personal belongings of the patients, but it’s also a time capsule of a completely different era. “Some of the stuff is funny. The curious tale behind the first film ever made in Brooklyn. Millions and millions of hours of television and film have been made within the five boroughs since the invention of the camera. But have you ever wondered where the very first roll of film was ever shot?

That distinction most likely goes to a nondescript rooftop studio built atop a building at 1729 St. Marks Avenue in Brooklyn. Of course in 1894, Brooklyn wasn't yet a borough of New York proper, but would be within five years. So I think it's fair to grant it the title of New York's first ever film shoot, or at very least, Brooklyn's first movie. The idea of moving pictures was barely a decade old by then, still very experimental and produced under controlled environments. In America, engineers working for Thomas Edison began experimenting with film devices as early as the late 1880s out in his Black Maria studio in West Orange, New Jersey. In 1893, a completed Kinetoscope made its debut to the world at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences (the precursor to the Brooklyn Museum). The Growing Up in 1950-1965 Pool. National Jukebox LOC.gov. WARNING: Historical recordings may contain offensive language.

Read the disclaimer Now Playing... Elk's reunion march Le parlate d'amor El teléfono a larga distancia At the jazz band ball Everybody's jazzin' it Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile! View This Playlist 1919 Victrola Book of the Opera Stories of the operas with illustrations and descriptions of Victor opera records. More about Victrola Book of the Opera News The National Jukebox debuts featuring more than 10,000 78rpm disc sides issued by the Victor Talking Machine Company between 1900 and 1925. Imagine your computer as a new Gramophone purchased for family and friends to enjoy in your home parlor. Victor Advertisements The success of the Victor Talking Machine Company is often attributed to its aggressive and comprehensive print advertising campaigns. Coming Soon to the National Jukebox New recordings are added to the Jukebox periodically. Restaurant-ing through history | Exploring American restaurants over the centuries.

Taste of a decade: 1950s restaurants | Restaurant-ing through history. By the end of the decade almost 40% of Americans live in suburbs and 75% have televisions. Church-going enjoys a revival. “Under God” is added to the Pledge of Allegiance and “In God we trust” is stamped on coins. Even as social pressures push women toward homemaking, 40% work outside the home. Congress passes the Internal Security Act requiring communists to register with the Attorney General. In Brown vs. Board of Education the Supreme Court rules that “separate but equal” education must end. Highlights 1950 Trade magazine Restaurant Management warns restaurateurs to have nothing to do with subversive organizations on the Attorney General’s list, including the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, the Hawaii Civil Liberties Committee, and the Michigan School of Social Science. – The National Restaurant Association adopts the slogan “It’s fun to eat out” to boost the family trade which has fallen off because, the organization believes, people are home watching TV. © Jan Whitaker, 2009 Like this: