This page is the collected history on the Frank Foundry property found through articles, archived photographs, anecdotes, and other sources. If you have any additional history or photos of the property before it fell into disrepair, please share them with us. We would love to enhance the information on this page.
newpaper image from Ball State University Library Archives.
Overview
The property locally known as Frank Foundry is a tract of land in south Muncie currently owned by the non-profit Farmished. The site is just under 13 acres of land situated in the Blaine neighborhood and bounded by E 8th Street on the south, S Brotherton Street on the west, E 6th Street on the north, and the Cardinal Greenway on the west.
Originally built in 1898 as Muncie Foundry & Machine, this former industrial site operated under various owners and names until 2003, however is most well known for its longest occupant, Frank Foundry, who operated there until 1985. After that time, the foundry operated sporadically under various owners. Following a fire in 2009, the city of Muncie ordered demolition of the property.
| Time | Identified / Inferred Use | Source |
| 1911 to 1929 | By 1911, the north-central portion of the Property was developed by the Muncie Foundry and Machine Company. A residence was located west of the foundry structure, while a set of north-south trending railroad tracks and a rail spur were located to the east of the foundry on the eastern portion of the Property. | Sanborn Map (1911) City Directory Image(1929) |
| 1948 to 1998 | By 1948, the foundry had been expanded to extend the entire north-south length of the Property. A casting cleaning building was located on the south end of the Property, while an air compressor and pattern shop building were developed on the northwest portion of the Property. Three dust collectors were located on the south end of the Property near the casting cleaning building. Two oil tanks were depicted east of the original foundry building across the railroad tracks. A second set of north-south running railroad tracks were depicted on the far east side of the Property in aerial photography. Sand storage areas were also apparent east of the railroad tracks in the middle of the Property. The Property was identified as “Frank’s Foundries Corp” from 1959 to 1985, and as “Muncie Casting Specialties” in 1996. | Aerial Photographs (1948 – 1998) Sanborn Maps(1950 – 1972) Topographic Maps (1952 – 1984) City Directory Images (1959 – 1996) |
| 2003 to 2013 | By 2003, the foundry was no longer in operation and the Property was overgrown by vegetation. The City Directory image from 2003 identified the Property as “Muncie Warehousing Technology, Inc.”. From 2010 to 2012, the foundry buildings were demolished starting in the north portion of the Property and proceeding southward. By 2013, the factory building and air compressor structures remained intact. Construction debris was visible throughout the Property in aerial photographs. | Aerial Photographs (2005 – 2013) Topographic Maps (2010 – 2013) City Directory Image(2003) |
Industrial History of the Site
In 1898 Muncie Foundry and Machine opened for business in a smaller building at 1324 S. Brotherton Street. By 1911, the north-central portion of the site was developed and a residence was located west of the foundry structure. Between 1911 and 1929, a set of north-south trending railroad tracks and a rail spur were located to the east
Frank Foundry, makers of iron castings for trucks, tractors, forklifts and off-road construction equipment, purchased the original building from Warner Gear Division of Borg-Warner Corporation in 1942. By 1948, the foundry was expanded to extend the entire length of the site. A cast cleaning building was located on the south of the site, and an air compressor and pattern shop were developed on the northwest portion. Three dust collectors were located on the south near the cast cleaning building.
Between 1948 and 1998, two oil tanks were added east of the original foundry building and a second set of north-south running tracks were added at the far east. Sand storage areas accumulated.
From 1959 to 1985, the site was identified as Frank’s Foundries Corp.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the neighborhood complained that houses and cars were being ruined by airborne metal particles emanating from the foundry. Prior to March 1973, Frank Foundry installed a new scrubber system to reduce the emissions.
In February 1977, an explosion scattered small fires throughout the plant. The explosion was caused by the combination of hot coke and water. No one was injured in the blast.
In August 1982, Frank Foundry completed work on a 400-pound casting for the Eiffel Tower in Paris, however in 1985, the Foundry closed leaving 105 workers without jobs.
In 1989 Muncie Iron Works acquired a loan to operate at the former Foundry site, then defaulted on the loan 2 years later and closed.
Beginning in 1991, the neighborhood petitioned the city to demolish or secure the site.
In 1993, after an FBI investigation, Baker plead guilty to making a false statement on the loan application and was fined by Indiana Department of Environmental Management for violations at the foundry.
In 1995, developer Stephen Reed bought the foundry equipment in a foreclosure sale and eventually acquired the property.
In 1996, the site was identified as Muncie Casting Specialties and a Muncie appraiser deemed the site to be “unmarketable”. At some point Baker gives ownership to Milton McCarter, a convicted thief with a lengthy criminal record. McCarter brought waste to store on the site including tires and capacitors containing PCBs. In 1998, McCarter was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing some of Reed’s equipment and IDEM cited McCarter for illegal storage of more than 10,000 waste tires.
In May 1999, the former foundry was cited by the EPA as an “imminent and substantial endangerment to public health, welfare and the environment”. In August, hazardous waste was removed and the US EPA completed a cleanup of flammable and hazardous liquids on site. The EPA removed more than a hundred 55-gallon drums of waste.
Post-Industry
By 2003, the foundry was no longer in operation and the site became overgrown with vegetation. At this time the City Directory listed the site as Muncie Warehousing Technology Inc.
In 2007, firefighters responded to a small fire at the site that had broken out around the roof of a deteriorating building. It appeared to have been sparked by the use of a cutting torch.
In 2009, another fire broke out at the foundry and the city issued a demolition order for the 10-acre complex of buildings on site. From 2010 to 2012, the foundry buildings were demolished starting at the north and proceeding southward. In 2010 the EPA conducted Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments.
In 2013 the factory building and air compressor structures remained intact.
In 2014, the current owner Stephen Moorehead donated two land parcels to Farmished with Stephen Reed donating a third (northwest corner) to the City of Muncie, which was eventually acquired by Farmished in 2016.
After 2015, new Phase I and Phase II assessments were performed and plans for clean up developed between 2015 and 2017. The 2015 site investigation found “damaged and friable ACM (asbestos-containing materials) in debris piles throughout the site.” The soil was screened for lead and found some areas as high as 746ppm (natural levels are between 50-400, with 400 being the maximum allowable for play areas).
In April 2017, the site was declared an EPA Superfund Cleanup site and all buildings condemned. In May the last structure was demolished and asbestos-contaminated debris piles were removed. During the building demolition, a production well was exposed. Testing levels revealed the well exceeded the maximum contaminant level for lead for drinking water, thus requiring capping. More drums of wood stripping solution were discovered for removal. Asbestos-containing roofing material was identified and removed from the soil, and a magnetometer survey identified waste drums and/or containers buried on the site. Between April and June, the cleanup transported 5648 tons of material related to ACM debris, disposed of 110 gallons of wood stripper solution, 10 gallons of waste capacitor oil and 31 capacitor carcasses, and pumped 500 gallons of liquid from the underground storage tank.
In December 2017, Heartland Environmental located and removed underground storage tanks and supply lines.
In October 2019, Farmished was issued a comfort and closure letter from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management [IDEM] stating that the previous clean up meets applicable residential cleanup criteria with restrictions.
Remnants of the former occupants and operations still exist on site – in the partial walls, pavement and structure leftover from demolition, as well as in the leftover casting sand that coats the ground and lingering environmental pollutants in the soil.
Foundry a blight on its neighborhood The eastside property has been closed, mostly unused since 1985.
By KEITH ROYSDON Muncie Star Press (IN) December 17, 2007MUNCIE — The Frank Foundry on the city’s east side has been closed since 1985. In the past 22 years, the sprawling, gray industrial complex has been the focus of a lot of legal wrangling and the site of some clean-up work. The foundry remains, however, an eyesore. Its run-down buildings and broken windows cast a pall over the neighborhood around Eighth and Brotherton streets. Property owner Steve Reed — who came into possession of the property in the 1990s, after a former owner failed to pay property taxes and defaulted on hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans — said last week he was frustrated by failed efforts to get brownfield funding to clean up the property. In the meantime, Reed said, he’s slowly cleaning up the property.
Muncie firefighters responded to a small fire at the abandoned Frank Foundry around 11 a.m. Tuesday. The fire broke out around the roof of a deteriorating building in the facility at Brotherton and Eighth streets. No one was injured…A cause for the fire was not immediately known. Firefighters said a worker at the foundry was believed to be using a cutting torch in the area where the fire broke out
MUNCIE – Muncie firefighters responded to a small fire at the abandoned Frank Foundry around 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The fire broke out around the roof of a deteriorating building in the facility at Brotherton and Eighth streets.
No one was injured. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze. A …
MUNCIE – Firefighters were called to the site of the former Frank Foundry at Eighth and Brotherton streets around 11:15 a.m. today. The 10-acre property is ranked as the city’s second-worst brownfield – abandoned or under-utilized real estate contaminated or potentially contaminated by hazardous..
MUNCIE – By 12:30 p.m., firefighters had the fire at Frank Foundry mostly extinguished.
The blaze, which caused relatively little damage, appeared to have been sparked by a cutting torch, according to officials.11:35 a.m. – Firefighters battling flames at Frank Foundry
MUNCIE – As of 11:35 a.m. today, firefighters were pouring water onto one of the better-looking buildings at the former Frank Foundry. Some smoke was visible, but no flames.11:25 a.m. – Fire reported at Frank Foundry …
The Muncie Fire Department battles a fire at the former Franks Foundry at Macedonia Avenue and 8th Street on Monday night.
A fire at an abandoned factory is out after the Muncie Fire Department battled flames late Monday.
All units of the fire department were dispatched to the factory, the former Frank Foundry, around 10:40 p.m. Monday after a passerby called Delaware County Emergency Communications.
The fire department used 30,000-40,000 gallons of water to …
12:30 AM, Oct. 28, 2009
Benjamin Archey hopes Monday night’s fire at the abandoned Frank Foundry will serve as a wakeup call.
“Maybe this will make somebody wake up and do something about it,” said Archey, a retired Indiana Steel and Wire factory worker who has lived near the foundry since 1964. “It’s just an old building sitting down there with creatures living in it. It’s an eyesore.”
His wish came true on Tuesday when the city issued a demolition order for the 10-acre complex of buildings, many of which appear to be unsafe, structurally impaired, a fire hazard, a public health hazard and a public nuisance. Some of the
