Our Story

Facing Middletown was born out of a shared desire to preserve multifaceted histories and honest storytelling in Muncie, Indiana.

Because researchers and journalists have held up Muncie, Indiana as
Middletown, USA, a representative American hometown, instead of approaching
as its own place, we are committed to providing a space to unearth and archive
some of the unique stories, trials, and tribulations of people living in Muncie, Indiana in 2025,

whereby the people of Muncie have a say in their own story.

History

A century ago, Robert and Helen Lynd arrived in Muncie to begin research for what would become Middletown: A Study in Modern American Life (1929). The book's success inaugurated a tradition of studying Muncie as Middletown that has continued down to the present. The anniversary of the first investigation offers an ideal opportunity for the community to explore its past, consider its present, and imagine its future, as "Facing Middletown" promises to do. The process of storytelling, reflection and sharing embedded in The Facing Project model provides a powerful way for residents to strengthen social and civic ties and deepen their attachment to our community.

"Facing Middletown" also offers a chance to address problems that marred the work of the Lynds and many of the researchers who followed them to Muncie. Middletown was enormously influential but also deeply flawed. It focused on some groups at the expense of others, particularly racial and religious minorities. Too often "Middletown" research has approached Muncie as "a city of 66,000 lab rats," to borrow a journalist's phrase, stripping away many of the city's distinctive qualities to define it as typical. Over the past half century, community groups have spearheaded efforts to overcome these limitations. "Facing Middletown" offers an opportunity to advance that work, developing a portrait of the community that captures its many dimensions and better reflects local understandings of Muncie's character.