Mapping History Class at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts

Dear Diary: Mapping U.S. History Using Local Diaries

The Ball State University Libraries’ Digital Media Repository (DMR) provides online access to a range of digitized primary sources, including films, artwork, maps, and photographs.  But also included in the DMR is a collection of unique local diaries dating back to the 1800’s.  So the Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) used excerpts from some of the diaries to research different eras of American history in coordination with maps related to historical events.

The GRMC will provide a presentation of this unique look at history tomorrow, September 27 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts in downtown Muncie.  The class, Dear Muncie: Mapping History Using Diaries, will use the diaries of city founder Thomas Neely, Muncie single working woman, Norene Hawk, and Muncie teenager Thomas Ryan to reveal some of the important events and places in the city at the turn of the 20^th century. 

The diaries describe how national and world events affected the people of Muncie.  And coordinating maps track where Norene and the “Thomases” traveled in Muncie.  Other local diaries will show how people across Indiana reacted to world events through the end of World War II.

The class is free and open to the public.  The Cornerstone Center for the Arts is located at 520 East Main Street, and free parking is available.