LibGuides: Labor History Resources in Archives and Special Collections: Manuscript Collections

Manuscript Collections

By action of the Board of Trustees in 1979, the collection of local history materials at Archives and Special Collections was named after Althea L. Stoeckel, Ball State University Professor of History from 1960-1978. These collections contain a wealth of materials concerning Muncie and Delaware County, Indiana, including numerous collections documenting labor history in Muncie and Delaware county. The following are descriptions of these relevant collections with links to online finding aids.

ABB/Westinghouse Muncie Plant Records, 1955-1998 (MSS 182)
Contains administrative records, blueprints and drawings, construction records, maps, news releases, newspaper clippings, plant layouts, publications, and scrapbooks of the Asea Brown Bovery (ABB)/Westinghouse plant in Muncie, Indiana.
Charlie Anderson Papers and Photographs, 1954-1992 (MSS 249)
Contains documents and correspondence relating to the Ball Brothers Corp., Anderson’s work with The Republic of Cyprus’ union leaders, his research in Denmark, and his career working for UAW Locals 93 and 662.
Borg Warner Gear-O-Gram Magazines, 1944-1972 (MSS 185)
Contains a complete run of issues of the Gear-O-Gram magazine, “published for and by the Employees of Warner Gear Division of Borg-Warner Corporation.” See also the Yohler collection, MSS 178. Photographs in P 49, P 65, PN 49, POVA 18, and PSC 19.
Everett W. Ferrill Papers, 1955-1959 (MSS 40)
Contains scrapbooks from the 1955 Delaware County Economic Conference sponsored by the United Auto Workers and the Congress of Industrial Organizations and the 1958-59 Surplus Food Program. See also photographs in P 5.
Hurley Goodall Papers, 1946-1999 (MSS 90)
Contains personal records from his involvement in community and local government. The collection includes notes from conferences, speeches, correspondence, scrapbooks, and other documentation related to the history of organized labor in Muncie.
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See also photographs in P 5.
Richard A. Greene Collection, 1945-1982 (MSS 1)
Contains over 10,000 “Seen and Heard in Our Neighborhood” columns written by Richard Greene for the Muncie Star, 1945-83. It includes columns on Muncie’s first Labor Day celebration and labor strikes in the 1940s and 1950s.
John Hardacre Transportation History Collection, 1941-1997 (MSS 250)
Contains photographs, schedules, employee bus passes, uniform patches, signs, bus employee information and union materials. See also OVA 250 and photographs in PSC 278 and PN 250.
Indiana Refrigeration Lines Strike Collection, 1964-1971 (MSS 183)
Contains photocopies of company president Rodney Tetrault’s scrapbook, which included news clippings and photographs documenting violence during the attempt to unionize Indiana Refrigeration Lines drivers. See also photographs in PSC 281.
Marhoefer Packing Company Records and Newspaper Clippings, 1978-1980 (MSS 184)
Contains attorney files concerning employee pension benefits, union worker rights, miscellaneous notes of Mr. Jones, copy of statement and notice of lien, transcript from union meeting on January 5, 1970, correspondence from lawyer Richard Reed...
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& Indianapolis attorney’s Kroger, Gandus & Regas. Pension publications, such as Labor guide to group insurance and the Amalgamated Meat Cutters & Butcher Workmen of North America’s constitution and bylaws. Also included is a copy of Marhoefer pension plan, an amended pension plan from 1977, correspondence from Department of Labor, application for employee benefits and additional miscellaneous notes.
Robert Satterlee Papers and Photographs, 1928-2001 (MSS 220)
Contains information about the Gear-O-Gram, Muncie
Central High basketball, Muncie Central High School class of 1929, Borg-Warner, and manuscripts written by Satterlee, as well as Indianapolis 500 programs noting photos byRalph Satterlee. See also P 65 for photographs of BorgWarner and the Indy 500 race.
Robert D. Snider Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen Local 19 Collection, 1960-1985 (MSS 134)
Contains the papers of Robert D. Snider, long-time officer in the local bricklayers’ union.
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Included in the collection are the constitution and by-laws of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen-Local 19 of Indiana of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen AFL-CIO Jurisdiction, organized January 19, 1972; Mr. Snider’s daybooks, 1972-1980; proceedings of the Indiana State Masonry conference, 1960-1978; yearbooks, 1970-1982; and results of a 1980s lawsuit against the local union. A copy of the AFL-CIO News from September 19, 1981 can be found in OVA 40.
UAW-CIO Local 287 Records, 1935-2015 (MSS 165)
Contains the records of UAW-CIO Local 287 as well as national UAW publications.
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The Local 287 records include the original charter (1936), agreements between UAW-CIO Local 287 and BorgWarner (1938-1986), Constitution and Bylaws (1942-1986), brochures related to pensions and benefits (1961-1980), a history of the Local (1978), minutes (1937-1985), and the Labor Beacon newspaper (1952-2000). The national records include proceedings from national conventions, reports from UAW presidents, and other publications for union members (1951-1995). The oversized materials include union charters and oversized newspapers. The collection also includes awards and plaques presented to UAW-CIO Local 287 and there members. PSC 205 includes photographs of union conventions, parades, and other photographs of UAW-CIO Local 287 activities and BorgWarner.
UAW-CIO Local 499 Records and Photographs, 1939-2006 (MSS 248)
Contains numerous labor, wage, seniority, and benefits agreements relating to Local 499 mostly from the 1950s, and early 1960s. Notes from meetings of Local #499 are also contained, dating from 1941 to 1943 and 1953. Local 499 represented employees at Muncie Chevrolet.
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Calendars published by Local #499 are included. The collection also contains copies of “The Informer,” Local
#499’s newsletter from 1964 to 1987. PSC 285 contains photographs from the 1950’s and 60’s. See also OVC 42 for blueprints of the Muncie Chevrolet Plant.
Bill Yohler BorgWarner Collection, 1920-1991 (MSS 178)
Contains brochures, newspaper clippings, organizational charts, personnel lists, programs, and publications of the Warner Gear Division of the Borg-Warner Corporation. See also MSS 185 and photographs in P 49, P 65, PN 49, POVA 18, PSC 19, and PSC 160.

Small Manuscript Collections

The Stoeckel Archives of Local History Materials contains small manuscript collections of one or two folders of items as well as the larger manuscript collections described in the guide. The following is a list of the small collections related to labor history in Muncie and Delaware County.

The Indiana Record Review, September 1963, vol. 2, No. 8 (John Wells, editor) (SC 119)
“Our First Ten Years” history of Local 459 of the International Union United Automobile, Aircraft, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW-CIO) Acme-Lees, 1937-1947 (SC 088)
Agreement between the City of Muncie, Muncie Fire Department and Local 1348, International Association of Firefighters, AFL-CIO (SC 287)

Oversized Collections

Bricklayers’ Union Number 9, Muncie (OVB 6)
A copy of the AFL-CIO News from September 19, 1981. (OVA 40)
ABB/Westinghouse Muncie Plant Records - Oversized Materials (OVB 23 and OVC 9)
Muncie Chevrolet Plant Architectural Drawings (OVC 42)

Additional Manuscript Resources

Local History Files by subject. Contains newspaper clippings, student papers, and other documentation gathered in subject files.
Muncie Times Newspaper (OVA 50)
Includes volumes of the Muncie Times newspaper published by owner and publisher Bea Morten-Foster since 1991. This bi-weekly publication serves the African American communities of Muncie, Richmond, Marion, New Castle and Anderson, Indiana. Digitized volumes are available in the Digital Media Repository (https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/).