Posted by: Karen M. Vincent on Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 5:00:00 pm
Earlier, I introduced the Ball brothers, their parents, and their sisters. This month, we’ll meet the wives.
William was the first brother to marry. His bride, Emma Wood, was born in Massachusetts, graduated from Concord Ladies Seminary, and then moved to Buffalo, New York, where she met William. In Muncie, she was active with the county humane society and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her obituary noted that “She was one of those kindly, generous people who derived their chief satisfaction in helping others….”
Posted by: Karen M. Vincent on Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 12:00:00 am
The next time you drive by Westside Park in Muncie, look to the north as you pass Hutchison Avenue. One hundred years ago, you wouldn’t have seen houses, trees or a nursing home. Instead, you would have seen Port Glass Works, a large operating glass factory, where hundreds of workers made fruit jars by hand...
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Posted by: Dustin Stillinger on Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 9:00:00 am
It’s time to stop by your favorite garden retailers to pick up some plants for your summer garden. Before doing so, here are some plants you should avoid or at least use with caution.
Posted by: Ashley Lichtenbarger on Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 12:00:00 am
See the Ball FreshTECH Automatic Jam and Jelly Maker at work making a batch of pepper jelly!
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Posted by: Karen M. Vincent on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 9:00:00 am
As the five Ball brothers – Lucius L., William C., Edmund B., Frank C., and George A. – grew to adulthood in Canandaigua, New York, their uncle George Harvey Ball watched for business opportunities in nearby Buffalo. Uncle George, brother of Lucius Styles Ball, was a pastor of a Baptist church in Buffalo. In 1878, the first venture that he recommended was making wooden containers to pack fish in. Frank and Edmund were the principles in this endeavor. This venture ended when their entire product was destroyed in a fire. The brothers returned to Canandaigua...
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Posted by: Karen Vincent on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 9:00:00 am
Several years ago, Minnetrista’s former curator of business and industrial history, Dick Cole, asked me if I knew what made a Mason jar a Mason jar. He was thoroughly surprised when I was able to tell him, because he knew that my main interest in our large collection of jars is the stories that they can tell. I am not an expert on closures and markings, although I’ve certainly learned a lot in my time at Minnetrista. I also know that I can call on Dick to answer my questions, because he loves to share his knowledge of fruit jars. Anyway, read on and you’ll know why Mason jars are fruit jars, but not all fruit jars are Mason jars...
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Posted by: Clair Burt on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 9:00:00 am
Oakhurst is my favorite spot to enjoy spring flowers here at Minnetrista. There are lots of different flowering plants that provide beauty throughout the whole season. The first acts of the spring show—winter aconite and snowdrops—are already fading, with Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica) and Glory of the Snow (Chinodoxa luciliae) coming on next...
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Posted by: Ashley Lichtenbarger on Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 4:30:00 pm
Canning season is fast approaching! Have you looked in your canned good cabinet, your cellar, or on your shelves to find those few remaining jars from last year? Perhaps you’ve noticed a dwindling number of total jars. If you are anything like me, and I suspect many of you are, you may have some pickles, tomatoes, jellies, and applesauce left. You may also notice that your shelf of empty jars has fewer occupants than in the past. You might be wondering if it’s time to get a new canning rack or other basic supplies. It is time to think about what foods you want to can this year and a good time check all of your supplies to make sure you are ready for the canning season...
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Posted by: Karen Vincent on Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 9:00:00 am
If it wasn’t for the Ball fruit jar, Minnetrista wouldn’t exist. That humble jar, so important to food preservation, generated an industry that put Muncie on the map and provided the Ball family with the wherewithal to give back to their community, particularly in the form of Ball Memorial Hospital, Ball State University and, later, Minnetrista...
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Posted by: Karen M. Vincent on Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 9:00:00 am
Before the discovery of the Trenton Gas Field in the late 19th century, East Central Indiana was almost exclusively an agricultural area. The Gas Boom became a defining moment in the development of the region. Natural gas had an enormous impact on the history, culture, and life of the region and produced a period of economic growth, marked by a dramatic surge in the number of energy-dependent industries that took advantage of the relatively cheap source of fuel to build new factories in the area. Principal among these industries was the manufacturing of glass...
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