The Big Red Riggin Barn

Most prominently, there is the old horse barn, a majestic red brick structure on Riggin Road that was built in 1937.
This version of the barn was built to replace a previous wooden horse barn, which burned down in 1937 and was a part of the original homestead of the dairy’s founder, and my great grandfather, Rea Riggin. The two horse barns were used to house the horses that for decades would pull the dairy’s milk delivery wagons to customers in and around Muncie. In the woods behind where the old dairy plant sat, one can find remnants of equipment that was once in operation at the dairy, including 1930s- 1940s- era delivery trucks succumbing to the elements, an old butter churn, the remains of a rusted bottling machine, a cooler half consumed by the earth, and all manner of disused watering troughs and feed buckets. Other material fragments of the Riggin’s Dairy past, including milk crates, cans, and bottles, hand painted advertisements, office equipment, and even a couple of the original horse-drawn wagons, sit scattered around the property and adjacent farms that surround what was once the site of this bustling dairy enterprise. 

Though the Riggin’s Dairy ended its operations over three decades ago, these material fragments still play a prominent role for many Muncie residents in defining the past, understanding the present and envisioning alternative futures. Many who are old enough to
remember the Riggin’s Dairy speak of the nostalgia generated by driving by the old horse barn- perhaps related to school field trips hosted at the dairy over the decades, of the comings and goings of the iconic Omaha orange delivery trucks plying Muncie’s roads, or maybe the sight of scores of local teenagers earning a few bucks around the dairy by bailing hay, working the fields, or washing the delivery trucks and milk bottles.

The material fragments linger for decades, some decrepit and overcome by the surrounding nature, yet they maintain an integrating force for Muncie’s cultural memory- one that recalls a simpler time of family-owned businesses, civic pride and participation, and of course delicious dairy products that were locally produced, bottled, packaged, and delivered from right down the road. When the Middletown study of Muncie was first carried out in the 1920s, the Riggin’s Dairy was in its early days, scaling up operations, expanding its product line, and generating a loyal customer base. As we approach the centenary of that study, the Riggin’s Dairy is nothing more than material fragments of its former self. Yet those material fragments have a staying power in Muncie’s cultural memory, in the
stories and myths that make the city whole, and of course in the visions of what the next 100 years could bring to Middletown.

-Tyce Shideler, Anthropologist, Writer, Muncie native connecting to his hometown from afar 

Have your own Middletown Studies origin story a story in 2025?  Reach out to us at facingmiddletown@facingproject.com

Important note from the Editor: Our blog is a storytelling and engagement tool to inspire writers, storytellers, and Muncie people to share their histories and to solicit participation in the Facing Middletown Documentary and Book Project.  The Facing Project book "Facing Middletown" will include stories using the Facing Project model. Some of those stories will be inspired from our blog in the spirit of pairing storytellers with writers. 

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Thank you! -Aimee Robertson-West 

Learn more about the Facing Project model: Visit: www.facingproject.com