| In an effort to increase access to Middletown materials for researchers, the Ball State Universities Libraries, in collaboration with the Center for Middletown Studies, is developing the "Middletown Digital Archives" of documents, oral histories, photographs, and other sources from Archives and Special Collections. As material is digitized, it will become available on this site. For information on these and other Middletown resources, contact Archives and Special Collections, Bracken Library 210, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, telephone, 765-285-5078, or e-mail jstraw@bsu.edu. |
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W.A. Swift was born in Metamora, Indiana, on August 17, 1877. He moved to Muncie in 1918 and was working for the Delaware Engraving Company as a photographer by 1923. He was a commercial photographer in Muncie through the 1940s. The Swift collection documents both the ordinary and extraordinary events of daily life in Muncie, primarily in the 1920s. In these images, we have a visual history of Muncie during the time period when the Lynds first came to study "Middletown." There are over 1000 photographs in the collection. In addition to the digital images on this site, the original prints and negatives are available for use in Archives and Special Collections.
Reproductions, including higher resolution digital copies, of photographs from Archives and Special Collections may be ordered through the unit. Contact the Archives for information on how to order. The Photographic and Audio-Visual Use Form provides information on commercial use of photographs and accompanying fees.
These photographs are the sole property of Ball State University. Any reproduction or use is strictly prohibited without the prior written permission of Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, Indiana 47306.
Access to the digital collections is provided on the left side of this page. To see the collections and browse by subject, click on the folder icon. To search for images by word or phrase, used the "Search Titles" box. Check the "Find Exact Matches" to match the word or phrase exactly. If the "Find Exact Matches" box is not checked, search results may include items that contain letters in the search term. For example, if you are searching for the word "cat" and the "Find Exact Matches" box is not checked, the result might be an item containing words like "catalog" or "education."
PLEASE NOTE: After clicking on folder or image reference, the folder listing will return to the top of the page and it may be necessary to scroll down to the selected folder or image reference.