by Mindy Price and Susan Smith
The goal of the Minnetrista Heritage Collection is to document, preserve, and share the rich history of East Central Indiana for our community. Each year, we receive exciting new additions to the collection, and 2025 is no exception.
We are very grateful to the generous donors who have chosen Minnetrista Museum & Gardens as the desired repository for their treasured items. Here are just a few of the donations that we have received this year:
Richard Gruelle, Watercolor Paintings
Laura Seset donated two watercolor paintings by Richard Buckner Gruelle and one pastel by Henry Ryan MacGinnis (also spelled McGinnis). Richard B. Gruelle (1851-1914) was one of the five Impressionist painters in the Hoosier Group, known primarily for their Indiana landscapes. Gruelle moved between Indiana and New England, painting both landscapes and seascapes. With these recent additions, the Minnetrista Heritage Collection is now fortunate enough to have examples of work from four of
the five artists— J. Ottis Adams, William Forsyth, T. C. Steele, and Richard B. Gruelle. Indianapolis-born Otto Stark is the only one not yet represented.
Henry MacGinnis, Pastel Painting, 1900s
Born in Martinsville, Henry Ryan MacGinnis (1875- 1962) met Hoosier Group artist J. Ottis Adams during his time in Muncie. Adams became a mentor and introduced MacGinnis to other Hoosier Group artists and painting en plein air, meaning to paint outdoors in open air. MacGinnis briefly served as director of art
at the new Eastern Indiana Normal School in Muncie (the precursor to what is now Ball State University) before moving to Munich, Germany to study art. After five years in Europe, he returned to the United States where he eventually became head of the art department at the School of Industrial Arts in Trenton, New Jersey. Completed in 1900, the donated pastel was likely created during MacGinnis’ time in Muncie just prior to his European training. This is the first work by MacGinnis to join the Minnetrista Heritage Collection.
Seneca 8 glass plate camera, 1900s
Cindy Sollars donated a Seneca 8 glass plate camera with a wooden tripod and carrying case for glass plate negatives on behalf of the Pittenger Estate. The camera, which was manufactured in the early 1900s, was owned and used by Delaware County artist and photographer Emma Pittenger (1874-1961). Known primarily for her portraits, Emma owned and operated her own photography studio in Albany, Indiana for many years. This exciting addition complements previous donations of photographs taken by Emma Pittenger.
Glass -related research material archives
The Midwest Antique Fruit Jar & Bottle Club donated their library of research materials to the Archives. These resources are now available to the public and cover a wide range of glass-related topics. In this collection, one can find patents, glass collector
club newsletters, identification and price guides, and books on specific types of glass with a focus, of course, on fruit jars and bottles. This is a wonderful addition to the existing glass resources in the collection, and we look forward to continuing to add to these materials.
Ed McClurg, fire phone 1960s
Rick McClurg donated the fire phone used by his father, Gaston Fire Chief Ed McClurg. Before pagers and cell phones, volunteer fire departments often relied on a system of dedicated fire phones and firehouse sirens to alert firefighters of emergencies.
Fire officers and fire chiefs often had separate landline phones installed in their homes that were solely capable of receiving incoming emergency calls. The responding fire officer would then trigger the town siren to alert the other firefighters to make their way to the station to gather equipment and respond
to the scene. Ed McClurg began working for the Gaston Fire Department in 1957. He was selected as Fire Chief in 1960 and served in this role until his retirement in 1992. The fire phone was installed in McClurg’s home during his 35-year tenure with
the fire department.
Gear-O-Gram Newsletter
Jeff Koenker donated a collection of 33 employee newsletters, the Gear-O-Gram, from Warner Gear/ Borg Warner Corporation covering the years 1945-1970. These provide company news as well as employee human-interest stories. Information about the company’s sports teams, employee trainings, family news like birth announcements, promotions, retirements, product development, and industry updates can all be found in the detailed newsletters.
These thoughtful donations enrich our collection by filling gaps and complementing existing materials. If you are interested in donating items to the Minnetrista Heritage Collection, please contact a member of the Collections team to learn more about the process.
Susan Smith, Archivist
ssmith@minnetrista.net
765.287.3544
Mindy Price, Collections Manager
mprice@minnetrista.net
765.287.3535