In the late 1880s the Ball brothers moved their glass making operation from Buffalo, New York to Muncie which had plentiful supplies of natural gas for their ovens. A few years later after establishing most of their operations in Muncie they purchased a large property on the north side of the White River to raise their families within easy walking distance of each other.
These porch columns are all than remains of the original home C. F Ball named Minitrista "Meeting place by the waters" which now applies to the whole area.
This sculpture graces the courtyard in front of the main building which houses a nice collection of Indian artifacts. Well worth seeing although they do not allow photography. While organized as a botancal garden the country estate origins dominate the facility and the visitors center is one of the few new buildings.
Other than the modern visitors center the garden is much like wandering through an upper middle class neighborhood today. These original family homes would fit into a lot of developments. Today they are primarily meeting centers and offices for the garden.
These backyard friends are part of the play area behind the homes. I have mentioned several times now that Lori likes pigs so this guy almost as big as "Rachel" in Seattle, Washington was her favorite. The cow is also full sized and reflects the heavy farming nature of the region.
While within easy walking distance, the homes also had space for some well developed gardens mostly reflecting the lady of the house. Today they are popular wedding venues and I really liked the fountain.
These sculptures and walkways behind the visitors center that replaced the original Minitrista house are about as close as it gets to the formal gardens normally so prevalent in a botanical garden.
Being a big kid my personal favorite is the wilderness garden. There are several paths wandering through the woods on the hill and all sorts of nooks and crannies that would be just perfect for hide and seek with all the siblings and cousins around.
The pond here would be of special interest to the boys with the frogs and bugs.
I also imagine it was originally a swimming hole in the days before air condition was available.
Now the pond is mostly filled with the years of sediment. I very much enjoy the lily pad flowers. Although the day was fairly warm in June I don't remember much in the way of mosquitoes with the dragon flies and their voracious appetite. The raspberries were just starting to ripen although they tend to be more of a July berry with the black variety waiting until August or September. This was such a nice garden we became members since they offered a combination garden and science center entry at a reasonable price for seniors. Unfortunately the price went up in 2011 so we joined another garden but we will keep coming back as we pass through the area.