Walking Tour:
The Mirror Works and Furniture Factory
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About 1880, the Starke Land and Lumber Company operated a sawmill on this site. After the sawmill burned in 1906, the Starke Company converted its lumbering operation to the Arcadia Furniture Company to better use the remaining hardwood forests. The factory produced low- to medium-priced bedroom furniture made chiefly from hard maple. In addition, they owned and operated a general store (far right in the photo) and a railroad at this location. Today on the site, the cement block building with the Arcadia Marine sign is the same building that used to house the furniture company's Mirror Works. Here skilled craftsmen produced mirrors for bedroom suites and custom-made mirrors. The Arcadia Furniture Company was in business until 1952. It was the township's largest employer, and it sustained the local economy for decades. In 1959, the buildings were deeded to a poultry business who installed automatic feeders and heaters. Fire destroyed the old factory complex on April 17, 1960, but the cement block building survived. Today the site serves as a campground. See Also: "The Arcadia Furniture Company" |
