In 1880 the Henry Starke Land & Lumber Co. began operation. The company owned a sawmill in Arcadia and managed local timber land. In 1881, Henry Starke began construction of a narrow gauge railway to carry logs to the sawmill. In 1893, the railway was converted to standard gauge as the Arcadia and Betsey River Railway.
In 1898, when Henry Starke died, adopted son Charles Starke continued his father's operations. In 1906 when the sawmill burned down, instead of simply rebuilding it, the board agreed to replace the sawmill with the factory for the Arcadia Furniture Company.
After college, Robert Starke, son of Charles Starke, left his job at Armour & Co. in Denver to return to Arcadia to help his father with the growing business. In 1922, Charles and Robert Starke donated 110 acres of Lake Michigan shoreline land to the Walther League for what would become Camp Arcadia. In 1933, upon the death of his father, Robert Starke and Adolphe Hasse Sr. began managing the Arcadia Furniture Company during its most difficult times in the Great Depression.
See Also
This room includes furnishings from the offices of three generations of Arcadia businessmen: Henry Starke, Charles Starke, and Robert Starke.
Animated View:
Arcadia Furniture Factory Office
This large cabinet on the left contained a wealth of information used in the development
of this web site. (6 images, 5 second delay)
Closeup: Mirror Sample
The factory office includes this mirror from the MIirror & Glass
Works. Note the etched glass and beveled edges.