American Red Cross, Muncie Area Chapter records and photographs
Scope and Contents
This collection is composed of four series: scrapbooks, organizational records, photographs, and oversize materials. Scrapbooks show activities dating from 1940-1987 through clippings, correspondence, photographs, and ephemeral materials. Organizational records contain annual reports, building records, financial records, newspaper clippings, and printed materials dating from 1920 until 1980. Photographs document activities between 1918 and the 1980s, including wartime activities, as well as training programs. The oversize materials consist of a Muncie Area poster.
Dates
- Creation: 1918-1987
Language of Materials
Materials entirely in English.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections.
Biographical Note / Historical Note / Administrative History
The local chapter of the American Red Cross held its organizational meeting April 25,
1917, at the Commercial Club, corner of Main and Jefferson Streets. The eighteen to twenty
persons in attendance at that first meeting had been working for the Belgium Relief Fund. The
following officers were elected: Theodore Rose, Chairman; Mrs. F. C. Ball, Vice-Chairman; F. J.
Claypool, Secretary and K. A. Osterle, Treasurer. Mr. Rose served as Chairman until his death.
Other early leaders included G. A. Gall, F. J. Claypool, F. D. Rose, E. Arthur Ball and Ralph
Noyer. By-laws for the organization were adopted May 22, 1917, creating 36 directors. In
1936, at the 17th Annual Meeting, the by-laws were amended and the number of directors was
reduced to nine. In 1925, the local chapter became part of the Community Fund.
The first office space for the American Red Cross was at 220-222 E. Main St. Service at
the time the chapter was organized consisted of making surgical dressings, sewing and knitting.
The entire fifth floor of the Johnson Building, 318 S. Walnut, was used by the Red Cross and for
a time surgical dressings were made in the old Masonic Temple at the corner of Main and High.
A workroom was also donated in the Boyce Block, Main & Jefferson. In July of 1918, a Canteen
service was organized to meet trains and aid the traveling soldiers.
In 1924, the Junior Red Cross was organized and in 1930, classes were offered in First
Aid and Life Saving.
With the start of the Second World War, new programs were instituted. Nellie G. Brown,
Superintendent of Nurses at Ball Memorial Hospital, organized the Nurse Aide Program. Dr. L.
R. Mason chaired a committee to solicit blood plasma donors and in 1943, the local chapter
established a Motor Corp. to aid in transporting blood donors and donations. A war relief
program also brought aid to Poland, Finland, England, China and Spain and it was during this
period that the Red Cross offices were moved to 322 E. Washington, their present home.
Extent
12 Cubic Feet (10 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
Series 1: American Red Cross, Muncie Area Chapter scrapbooks, 1919-1987
Series 2: American Red Cross, Muncie Area Chapter organizational records, 1920-1980
Series 3: American Red Cross, Muncie Area Chapter photographs, circa 1918-1980s
Series 4: American Red Cross, Muncie Area oversize materials, undated
Custodial History
This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from the American Red Cross, Muncie Area Chapter on 1990/02/14.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Existence and Location of Copies
Select materials from this collection have been digitized and are available online in the Ball State University Libraries Digital Media Repository:
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 1990/02/19 by D. Tambo. Finding aid revised 2007/07/16 by Maren Read. EAD finding aid created 2009/03/25 by Maren Read. EAD finding aid revised 2012/05/07 by Bethany Fiechter. EAD finding aid revised 2013/08/05 by Leslie Nellis.
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- American Red Cross, Muncie Area Chapter records and photographs
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Stoeckel Archives of Local History Repository
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana 47306 USA
libarchives@bsu.edu