By Mary Giorgio
In 1929, the city of Muncie, Indiana, became famous when it served as the research subject for Robert and Helen Lynd’s famous sociological study, Middletown. Although the Lynds attempted to keep the city’s identity a secret by referring to it simply as Middletown, it didn’t take long for Americans to figure out that the city in the study was Muncie, Indiana. The revelation catapulted Muncie into the national spotlight.
Robert and Helen Lynd wondered if American culture had changed significantly as a result of the rapid economic progress of the Second Industrial Revolution. They chose Muncie because it was an average American city. The Lynds extensively researched the city, pouring over old newspapers, city documents, and statistics. They also conducted interviews and surveys of Muncie’s white residents. The Lynds ignored African-American culture in the study, claiming it was too small a population.
