Bygone Muncie: Delaware County played its part in the First World War
Chris Flook
On Nov. 11, 1919, President Wilson wrote that "to us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service." This first Armistice Day observed the 1918 ceasefire of the Western Front of World War I, signed on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m.
In 1954, the observance was renamed Veterans Day to honor veterans of all wars "who fought valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom."
Although the First World War began in Europe in 1914, the U.S. did not enter the conflict until 1917. Over 4,700,000 Americans served in military units during the war, with 2,800,000 deployed overseas. 130,670 Hoosiers fought in the conflict including 2,600 from Delaware County, 53 of whom died in service.
Like most of the United States, Delaware County residents turned their full attention to support the war. Within a few weeks of the U.S. declaration of war on Germany, a Patriot's Day Rally was held by the Commercial Club in Muncie to, in the words of Frank Haimbaugh, "impress upon the community something of the solemn obligations of the hour."
A massive night parade was held on Friday, April 21, in downtown Muncie. The Muncie Morning Star reported that "an army of 10,000 strong marched through the streets" while 20,000 lined "the sidewalks as the vast patriots' army wended its way over the outlined route." From that point forward, the entire county mobilized for war.
On April 10, 100 local men had volunteered for service, 30 of whom left the next day for training. The Muncie Evening Press reported that the recruits "were eager to get on their way to the front. Relatives and sweethearts seemed anxious that they go and proud that they were going."
Of the 2,600 soldiers from our county, 150 were African American. Hurley Goodall and Elizabeth Campbell wrote in "The Other Side of Middletown," that these soldiers "saw their participation in the war as a way to demonstrate their patriotism, believing that a valorous display of service might finally earn them full and unrestricted citizenship at home."
The local effort was mostly coordinated by the County Council of Defense, with sub-committees organized to specialize in specific tasks. The Council worked to facilitate enlistment, morale, and food production efforts, along with the sale of bonds. The council raised a staggering $11,500,000 from local residents for the war. Most of this came from war bonds (Liberty Loans) issued in four iterations facilitated by local banks.
Operating as a division of the council, the Women's Council of Defense was created to mobilize women for "food production and home economics, food administration, child welfare, maintenance of existing social service agencies, health and recreation, education, Liberty bonds...and in home and foreign relief work in co-operation with the Red Cross." 16,000 women in Delaware County worked in some capacity with the WCD.
In early 1918, a local chapter of the American War Mothers was established to complete a variety of morale boosting endeavors for soldiers on the front, returning veterans, and families who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
The Delaware County Farmers Institute drafted plans to improve food production, the deployment of which was administered at the township level. In Muncie, the Municipal Garden Association provided guidance to convert residential backyards into Victory Gardens that increased both food production and morale.
Several local factories significantly contributed to the war effort as well. True to form, the Hemingray Glass Company manufactured insulators for telephone lines, the Ontario Silver Company produced eating utensils for the military, the Moore Manufacturing Company made beds for the army, and the Durham Manufacturing Company made fireless cookers (hayboxes). Kitselman Steel and Wire employed 1,000 workers who produced millions of miles of telephone/telegraph wire and several hundred thousand tons of barbed wire for the trenches. The Liberty L-12 aircraft engine was cast in Muncie, while the Gill Clay Pot Company pioneered a new crucible used in the manufacturing of periscopes.
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These efforts continued unabated until the end of the war. When the armistice was signed, Delaware County residents rejoiced. On Nov. 11, the Star reported that "crowds were filling the streets, giving expression to their pent-up feelings, some noisily, some quietly, but the common heart of all united in a prayer of thanksgiving that the world war — the greatest in history's record — is over."
For a full account of Delaware County during the First World War, read Lannes McPhetridge's "Delaware County in the World War" at: https://goo.gl/Fi7b4A. Our historical society also has a small exhibit up at the Moore-Youse Museum.
Chris Flook is the president of the Delaware County Historical Society and is the author of "Native Americans of East-Central Indiana." For more information about the Delaware County Historical Society, visit delawarecountyhistory.org.