Shopping
Minnetrista features two shops and Farmers Market.
Read More >
          Front view of Minnetrista and greensward Layers of Minnetrista
          Minnetrista has always been a gathering place.  Even before the name was chosen by the Ball family (a Sioux word, "mna" which means "water" combined with the English word "tryst" to form "Minnetrista") people came to the location north of the White River in Muncie, Indiana.
           
          Minnetrista's 40-acre campus is rich in nature, history, gardens, and art. Its layered history began forming just after the last glacial period. The final glaciers that moved across the land helped to shape it as it is today, leaving rich soil deposits. This freshly cleared land with fertile soil allowed for new tree and plant growth to occur. Shortly after, animals began to populate the area.

                     
          As animals continued to thrive off the land, new residents came onto the scene. Early woodland Indian groups also used this site near the river to set up homes and to hunt. 
                     
          Over time, the land became home to various groups of people. Eventually, the site became home to the Miami and Lenape Indians. In the 1780s, the Lenape (or Delaware) Indians established the town of Wah-pee-kah-mee-kunk. This was a town where long houses decorated the high bluff and dugout canoes could be found along the banks of the White River. Here the Lenape hunted and grew food, established life ways, and made homes.
                     
          As European settlers moved into the area, the landscape changed once again. Early mill towns followed the flow of the river, taking advantage of its power. In 1826, Goldsmith Gilbert purchased the land that forms the core of Muncie from Rebecca Hackley, granddaughter of Chief Little Turtle. She received it as part of the treaty with the Miami Indians. The land where Minnetrista now stands was included in this purchase. As consumers came to purchase goods from the mills, more and more businesses opened. This period of growth became the early makings of Muncie. 
           
          Muncie continued to establish itself as a city aided by the natural gas boom of the late 1800s. The first natural gas well was drilled in 1886 north of Muncie, in Eaton. The abundance of cheap fuel attracted many industries to Muncie and East Central Indiana. The population of towns and cities in the region grew quickly as people moved in to work at the new industries. As the population grew, the need for an orphanage developed. The Delaware County Children's Home was located on the eastern edge of our current site. Here, orphaned children found a place to learn and live.  In the early 1900s, a new children's home was built on Yorktown Pike. Frank Ball purchased the land and building and several years later, had the original building razed.
                     
          The industrial boom of the late 1800s brought the Ball family to Muncie. Taking advantage of the natural gas supply the region offered, the Ball brothers moved their glass operations from Buffalo, New York to Muncie, becoming one of the region's largest employers and eventually, the world's leading manufacturer of fruit jars. The Ball family purchased the land along the river to build their homes, naming the site "Minnetrista." Today, all but one of the former Ball family homes still stands along the river.
                     
          Today, people still gather at Minnetrista, but for much different reasons. Visitors come to learn about local and regional history by touring the G.A. Ball house (Oakhurst), view exhibits, enjoy a concert, conduct research in the Library and Archives, shop at Farmers Market, find a gift in one of our shops, or simply enjoy the beauty of our gardens.  Whatever the reason, this site remains a "gathering place by the water."


                       

          Old Picture
          A History of CraftsmanshipDid you know the Ball Brothers moved from Buffalo, New York to Muncie, Indiana in 1887? Minnetrista is part of their family legacy. Read More >
          Hurry and reserve your Workshop seat now!
          ABOUT US NEWSROOM BUSINESS PARTNERS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES VOLUNTEERING FACILITY RENTAL SITE MAP