163 past events with the history tag

June 12; 6–8 p.m. | Center Building, Indiana Room 
Cost: $28 | Member Discounts Apply | Ages 21+ 
Join Chris Flook, local historian, author, and senior lecturer in the Department of Media at Ball State University, for a journey along the White River through Muncie’s past. Beginning with the Lenape settlement of the 1790s, the program traces the river’s role in the agricultural village of the 1830s and the industrial city that followed. Along the way are stories of prosperous mills, devastating floods and towering levees, pollution and recovery, grand bridges, and long-standing myths set straight. Guests are invited to see familiar places in a new way while enjoying delicious appetizers. Preregistration is preferred; limited walk-in tickets may be available—please call ahead. This program has been made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

https://www.minnetrista.net/events/history-bites-chris-flook-muncietown-june-12-26

July 8; 3–4:30 p.m. | Center Building, Indiana Room   
Cost: $25 | Member Discounts Apply | Ages 13+ 

Enjoy refreshments while joining Director of Curation & Exhibition, Sebastián Encina, for a compelling look at 250 years of Hoosier history. Drawing from Minnetrista's dual America at 250 exhibitions, this talk explores East Central Indiana’s place within the broader story of the United States and how our region reflects the national narrative. Through stories of where we have been and where we are going, participants will gain a deeper understanding of our shared history and its lasting impact. Preregistration is preferred; limited walk-in tickets may be available—please call ahead. 

Black August Film Series

Free film screening and discussion 

Hosted weekly at the Muncie Liberation Studio, Third World Study Group is meant to be a place where we can engage in collective study to develop a more holistic understanding of the political state of the world and its history. We seek to hear from people engaged directly in struggles for national liberation and to better understand the role of U.S. imperialism in global politics. 

August 12; 3–4 p.m. | Center Building  

Cost: $10 | Member Discounts Apply | Ages 13+

Show your school spirit on a nostalgic journey through the Minnetrista Heritage Collection. Join the Collections team for a behind-the-scenes tour into secure storage areas, where you’ll discover the tools, trends, and traditions that shaped school life in our community. Explore artifacts rarely on public display, including educational toys, uniforms, sports memorabilia, instruments, photographs, class rings, and yearbooks—and maybe even spot a few objects from your own school days. This tour may include standing, stairs, and exposure to loud HVAC noise. Preregistration is preferred; limited walk-in tickets may be available—please call ahead. If you need accommodations, please notify us in advance.

https://www.minnetrista.net/events/collections-tour-aug-12-2026

August 13; 6–8 p.m. | Center Building, Indiana Room 
Cost: $28 | Member Discounts Apply | Ages 21+

 
Join Cody Sprunger, Archivist for Architectural and Design Records at Ball State University, for an exploration of the local built environment shaped by Herbert Smenner, one of Muncie’s leading 20th-century architects. Working both independently and alongside his professional partner Charles Houck, Smenner helped define the region’s architectural character through designs such as the Muncie Fieldhouse and the Grace Keiser Maring Library. Through original architectural drawings, documents, and photographs from Ball State University Libraries’ Andrew Seager Archives of the Built Environment, the program brings Smenner’s creative process to life while highlighting the lasting impact of his work across East Central Indiana. Guests are invited to see familiar places in a new way while enjoying delicious appetizers. Preregistration is preferred; limited walk-in tickets may be available—please call ahead. 

free film screening and discussion 

Hosted weekly at the Muncie Liberation Studio, Third World Study Group is meant to be a place where we can engage in collective study to develop a more holistic understanding of the political state of the world and its history. We seek to hear from people engaged directly in struggles for national liberation and to better understand the role of U.S. imperialism in global politics. 

free film screening and discussion

Hosted weekly at the Muncie Liberation Studio, Third World Study Group is meant to be a place where we can engage in collective study to develop a more holistic understanding of the political state of the world and its history. We seek to hear from people engaged directly in struggles for national liberation and to better understand the role of U.S. imperialism in global politics. 

Hosted weekly at the Muncie Liberation Studio, Third World Study Group is meant to be a place where we can engage in collective study to develop a more holistic understanding of the political state of the world and its history. We seek to hear from people engaged directly in struggles for national liberation and to better understand the role of U.S. imperialism in global politics. 

Tomorrow for our weekly Third World Study Group session we’ll be reading about the U.S backed coup against the democratically elected president of Chile, Salvador Allende.

We’ll be reading a brief history of Chile and Allende’s policies that sought to uplift the Chilean people rather than the private corporations. Then we’ll close out by reading Allende’s famous last speech that he gave over radio as the enemy troops where advancing.

⁨📷⁩ ⁨This Wednesday, we will be reading excerpts from “Black Scare, Red Scare” by Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly. This book examines how the state used anti-black repression and anti-communist repression to continue to entrench the country into capitalist domination and as a tool of imperialism. Join us in person or over zoom to read and explore these topics further! Attend in person or online via Zoom!

This Thursday at 6pm SJP Muncie will give a presentation covering the early days of the colonization of Palestine, up to the establishment of the apartheid state of "Israel" in 1948. Join us as we discuss the development of modern Zionism, the British occupation, the Nakba, and more.

Join Third World Study Group tomorrow for a reading and discussion of Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary writings. Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese revolutionary and Marxist–Leninist politician who served as the 1st President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 1945 until his death in 1969.  Aside from being a revolutionary, Ho Chi Minh was also a writer, a poet and a journalist highly critical of colonialism and imperialism. Come out to learn more about one of the most important revolutionary figures of the 20th century!

George R. Dale, a Muncie newspaper editor in the 1920s, received national attention for his opposition to the Indiana Ku Klux Klan. After years of legal battles, threats of violence, and attacks on the family home, George was elected Mayor of Muncie in 1929. Daisy Dale, the great-great granddaughter of George, tells the story of the legal challenges he faced a century ago. 

Daisy Dale is a lifelong Muncie resident, local activist and journalist. With her interest and experience in local politics and history, she maintains the Muncie Post-Democrat, an outlet started by her great-great grandfather George R. Dale in 1921, and now continues its legacy online. She is also a board member of Muncie Queer Alliance and a commissioner for the Muncie Human Rights Commission. 

Come visit the Ball State University Archives and Special Collections at Bracken Library, room 210 on October 16th at 6:00pm for the opening of a new exhibit honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Hear about how cultural movements like the Enlightenment, the growth of print culture, and a revolutionary atmosphere influenced the Declaration's authors, then view the amazing 18th century rare books, newspapers, and original letters from several Founding Fathers that are on display, all while enjoying delicious cookies.

In 1776, a committee of five members of the Continental Congress drafted the Declaration of Independence, one of the most foundational and important political documents in the history of western society. But the Declaration did not spring from the minds of the writers out of nothing. Like any great work, it was profoundly influenced by the cultural movements of the time. The writers were inspired by a century of Enlightenment philosophy advocating reason, liberalism, and natural rights. They were also inundated with a media landscape of print information that was expanding in a way never seen before. These ingredients, along with unrest and unfair treatment, created an atmosphere of revolution — where political change actually felt possible.

Ages of Liberty seeks to explore the 18th century cultural "ages" of Revolution, Enlightenment, and Print which were all important ingredients in creating the atmosphere where the Declaration of Independence was written and signed. The exhibit features six original signed documents from American Founders Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Lafayette. The Age of Revolution section also includes other revolutionary rare books and documents. The Age of Enlightenment section displays works of philosophy, medicine, and education, as well as Diderot's famous Encyclopédie. The Age of Print section showcases newspapers, magazines, novels, poetry, and more, including an original Poor Richard's Almanack, a first-edition Gulliver's Travels, and Bible leaves from the first ever printed Bibles in the American Colonies.