If you were to examine the area at the north end of Lake Arcadia, you would find little left of the Arcadia Furniture Company, but that's where it stood. The building referred to as "The Mirror & Glass Works" is still there. Concrete marks the foundation of the water tower's support structure. The factory, the sawmill, the warehouses, the offices, and the train station are all gone, but you can't tell the story of Arcadia's history without trying to recreate them.
Aerial View: Arcadia Furniture Company Factory (looking northwest)
The building at the bottom of the picture just right of center is the Mirror & Glass Works,
which stands today.
Source: Arcadia 1880-1980
"From Forest to Furniture"
Towns that sprung up around lumbering generally came and went with the forests, and if not for a fire, Arcadia may have had the same fate. In 1906 the Starke Sawmill burned down, and instead of simply rebuilding it, the company, guided by Charles J. Starke, adopted son of Henry Starke, decided to replace the sawmill with a furniture company. Why? Precious hardwood would be used more slowly, and instead of sending raw lumber to other cities for processing, local people could be employed to do that... more jobs for more years. The Arcadia Furniture Company's furniture factory was born.
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The company produced low- to medium-priced bedroom furniture made chiefly from native hard maple. The 1907 catalog, produced jointly with the Fox & Mason Furniture Company of Corunna, Michigan, included a variety of dressers, beds, and other pieces used in bedroom suites. The 1909 catalog was the Arcadia Furniture Company's first catalog of its own and a symbol of the company's growth. At first the company supplied small furniture dealers in Michigan and bordering states, but eventually buyers for large stores in Chicago and New York were ordering Arcadia-made furniture. By the 1940s the company had 15 salesmen and designer Carl Eggebrecht of Grand Rapids. |
The factory itself grew to handle the demand. Blueprints dated October 1, 1930 list these buildings:
- Boiler House
- Engine Rm. and Machine Shop
- Furniture Factory
- Sawmill
- Warehouse & Office
- Veneer Dry Kiln
- Veneer Storage
- Dry Kiln
- Fire Pump House
- Oil Shed
- Stock Room
- Storage
- Mirror & Glass Works
The blueprints also show that the Warehouse & Office building included the railroad office and waiting room.
Visit the 1909 Furniture Showroom.
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