Social media sites such as Facebook have allowed people to connect in ways that no one could have predicted 50 years ago. One Facebook group has given the Muncie community an interactive, online history book, complete with its own set of historians available with just a click of the mouse.
The Lost Muncie Facebook group was created eight years ago to allow community members to share memories, learn more and reminisce about the city.
The idea of sharing Muncie memories in an online format first came from Larry Broadwater. Many years before the Facebook page was created, Broadwater created his own website, sharing old photographs of the city.
Once the Star Press created its message board section on its website, Broadwater then transitioned into posting pictures on the “local interest” section. His photos began to attract others, including Jeff Koenker. Koenker, inspired by Broadwater, began to share his own memories on the message board. The two quickly became friends.
In 2009, Broadwater decided to create the Lost Muncie group, asking Koenker to be his co-administrator. The pair wanted the group to be a place where others could share memories of the city.
At the start, they had a goal of attracting a few hundred followers.
“Neither of us ever expected it to take off like it did,” Koenker said.
Today, the Lost Muncie Facebook group consists of almost 20,000 members. New photographs, videos and memories are posted constantly. Koenker estimates that he alone has posted in the group almost 6,000 times in the past eight years.
Members regularly posts images of memorabilia from Delaware County high schools, photos of Muncie businesses and buildings from back in the day and numerous stories of times spent at Ball State.
Angela Smith, who was born and raised in Muncie, visits the Facebook page almost daily. She comes back each day because she loves seeing pictures of her hometown from the past.
“I enjoy reading the stories people share," she said. "It makes me feel like a child listening to the more mature folk tell of a time before I was born."
Brenda Grice, another member of the group, enjoys seeing the photos and memorabilia shared on the page.
“I think any time you get people together to share memories, it brings them together,” she said. “Ball State students looking at the page can learn a lot about Muncie’s history, as well as getting living people’s insights and memories.”
However, Lost Muncie has not only served as an interactive history book for its members — it has also served as a tool to connect with others. Many who grew up in Muncie have been able to find their childhood friends through the group.
Group member Steve Stanley has been able to find his friends from his days spent in elementary school — almost 60 years since he last saw them.
“I have been given the pleasure to relive many old memories as I have walked through this page,” he said.
For some, even, it has been a way to connect with family members who are no longer with them.
When someone posted a photo of an old business, group member Jonna Reece was speechless. The image was actually a picture of her dad’s business.
“I was so thankful,” said Reece. “Lost Muncie has been a treasure trove of history and memories for me.”
In today’s world, social media sites such as Facebook are often filled with arguments and hate, Koenker said. Pages like Lost Muncie, though, allow people to get away from the stresses of daily life and reminisce about their childhoods.
“[There are] so many good comments every day that it puts a smile on my face [knowing] Lost Muncie has put a big smile on someone else's face,” he said.
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