Virtual Middletown

The Center for Middletown Studies collaborated with the Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts and University Libraries to create Virtual Middletown, a 3-D simulation of 1920s Muncie that draws on the archival record generated by Middletown research. One module of the project provides a simulation of the Ball Glass factory from early 20th century Muncie, Indiana. Another reproduces a Muncie performance of the Wild West, Buffalo Bill’s famed touring exhibition.  

The text of Middletown, along with photographs, film footage, oral histories, and manuscript materials make it possible to re-create specific historical sites in virtual form and to develop interactive experiences that enable users to explore the social experiences connected to them.   

Virtual Middletown received funding from Ball State’s Center for Media Design and from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. You can learn more about the project and explore the virtual spaces here and here.