Joe Donnelly: “I wish to honor the city of Muncie on its 150th anniversary and to recognize the many contributions of Muncie's citizens…”

“I wish to honor the city of Muncie on its 150th anniversary and to recognize the many contributions of Muncie's citizens to the great State of Indiana and to our country. Muncie's history dates to the 1790s when the Lenape Native Americans settled the area and named it Wapicamikunk. As early European settlers moved into the area, it was named Munsee Town after the dialect of the Lenape Native Americans, who spoke Munsee. When it was incorporated in 1865, Munsee Town became the city of Muncie. The gas boom helped establish the city of Muncie as an important manufacturing center for the Nation. In 1880, the Ball brothers founded Ball Corporation where they specialized in manufacturing glass bottles. The company was moved from Buffalo, NY to Muncie in 1887 to take advantage of the ample amounts of available natural gas. The Ball Corporation provided jobs, local business funding, and philanthropy that propelled Muncie into a thriving city. As business boomed for the Ball Corporation, new businesses opened and Muncie grew. In the early 1900s, manufacturing and industrial companies including Delco Battery, New Venture Gear, BorgWarner, and General Motors opened factories and businesses in Muncie. Muncie is also home to one of the famous early 20th century ``Middletown'' studies, which helped to measure social trends in the U.S.; Muncie is considered one of most studied communities in the country.…”