Nearly one hundred distinct settlements existed in what we now call Delaware County. Since the end of the American Revolution, Native Americans, pioneer farmers, industrialists and factory workers settled across the county in hamlets, villages and towns of all sizes. Some of these communities survived the ebb and flow of history to prosper, while others disappeared, becoming lost in the collective memory. Today, many residents would only recognize the city of Muncie and the towns of Albany, Daleville, Eaton, Gaston, Selma and Yorktown. A few might know of villages such as Desoto, New Burlington, Smithfield and Wheeling. Most have probably never heard of Dogtown, Gate's Corner, Granville and Soccum. Drawing on years of research, local historian Chris Flook uncovers the stories of these lost towns.

On a warm night in September 1985, teenagers Kimberly Dowell and Ethan Dixon were brutally murdered in Westside Park in Muncie, Indiana. Their killer has never been charged. Early on, police focused on a family member of one of the teens as a primary suspect. The investigation even ruled out fantastic scenarios, including a theory that the perpetrator was a Dungeons & Dragons devotee. The case grew cold. Only decades later did a dogged police investigator narrow the scope to a suspect whose name has never been publicly revealed until now. Keith Roysdon and Douglas Walker, authors of Wicked Muncie and Muncie Murder & Mayhem, have followed the investigation into the Westside Park murders for decades and, for the first time, report the complete and untold story.

ABOUT THE BOOK INDIANA's LOST & BURIED TREASURES, Volume I (Revised Edition): The Treasure Hunter's Field Guide is the indispensable guidebook and operator's manual for: Treasure Hunters Prospectors Metal Detectorists Ghost Town Buffs History Enthusiasts Tourists Travelers Each of the 77 county-by-county listings included within Volume I of INDIANA's LOST & BURIED TREASURES 381 pages feature a map with colored numerals individually keyed to each narrative entry of lost and buried treasures, placer gold and diamonds, ghost towns, and historic sites, along with accurate latitude and longitude map coordinates for both the narrative targets and adjacent towns or other physical elements; a feature of immeasurable value for quickly and accurately pinpointing site locations. The preamble chapter entitled I. BEFORE YOU DIG outlines rules, regulations, and laws pertaining to digging for treasure and prospecting in the state of Indiana while the APPENDICES A & B include related Indiana Department of Natural Resources regulations for Public Use of Natural and Recreational Areas and Indiana Prospecting Regulations. The chapter entitled II. TREASURE HUNTING ETIQUETTE discusses metal detecting, digging procedures, and etiquette, including the Metal Detectorists' Code of Ethics. Also included are Chapters III. INDIANA ROAD MAP and IV. INDIANA COUNTY MAP. Not only is INDIANA's LOST & BURIED TREASURES, Volume I an invaluable resource for Indiana residents, but treasure hunters, prospectors, metal detectorists, and tourists from other locations, especially the adjacent states of Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Kentucky, will find its pages jam-packed with solid information, travel directions, tips, and hints for pursuing their hobbies in Indiana.

Explore the notorious and unusual side of Muncie's history. Muncie is the classic small American city. But for much of the past two centuries, the city fell victim to murder, corruption and the bizarre. Mayor Rollin Bunch went to prison for mail fraud, while his police commissioner faced a murder rap. Viola "Babe" Swartz ran a brothel out of a truck stop that was raided by police at least a dozen times but ran for sheriff in the 1974 primary election. June Holland, of the locally famous Holland triplets, killed her neighbor for refusing to sell her house.

Named for the Delaware Indians who lived in the area from about 1794 to 1820, this Indiana county was organized in 1827. It soon developed an economy based around agriculture, which remains important today. The area's first railroad, from Indianapolis to Bellefontaine, Ohio, came to Muncie in 1852. Indiana's first commercial gas well was drilled in Eaton, and many more wells were drilled in the area, which brought glass, metal, and other industries to the county, especially in towns such as Albany, Eaton, and Muncie. After the gas supply failed, automobile components--from gears to batteries--became a thriving industry. During World War II, Delaware County produced goods for the war effort ranging from land mines to submarine interiors. Ball canning jars were the area's most famous product until Jim Davis's Garfield (the cat) came along. In the 1950s and 1960s, Delaware County experienced growth and prosperity with the addition of machine and tool shops and small businesses.