http://www.cherryhillantiques.com/ ARCACIA FLORIDA and More http://www.cherryhillantiques.com/images/prozdmakin_r4_c6.jpg http://www.cherryhillantiques.com/mmkcart/main.asp?LowCt=0&action=cat&cat=ARCACIA FLORIDA Copyright 2005 5/11/2005 1:49:07 PM http://www.mmkcart.com http://www.cherryhillantiques.com/mmkcart/main.asp?action=PROD&PROD=DA1&CTMP=1&LowCt=0 The excitement starts as you drive down quaint Oak Street, and see all the colorful historic buildings. Most downtown buildings were built around 1905, and are painted in an array of colors more colors than in the rainbow. These colors not only are beautiful to the eye, but also show the individuality of each business. You can see the personality of each business even before you enter their doors. Many stores have their favorite flowers welcoming customers to their doors, and their favorite items in their artistically merchandised windows.
Get ready to talk. All the downtown stores are friendly family owned and run, so you will get to know all the stores, merchandise and their families. Many stores have their mothers, fathers, or kids helping run their businesses. When you enter each store you will find each has an individual look, style, music, and feel. The business owner`s tastes are usually reflected in their store whether it is primitives, oak, retro, Shabby Chic, Jewelry, military, etc. Whatever your taste, you will find it in Arcadia.
It is easy to shop Downtown Arcadia. Park your car once, and you won`t have to get in it again until you leave. All this fantastic shopping is in a 4 block area. There is plenty of easy parking too. There are free parking lots behind almost every building along with free on street parking.
In order to shop all the downtown businesses, it will take a full day if not two. When you get hungry, eat lunch at one of the two Restaurants on Oak Steet. Or even better eat lunch at one restaurant and dessert at another. Need a pick me up? After a long day of shopping, get an Ice Cream, it will give you the boost you need to continue shopping. There is even a beautiful park where you can relax, or even eat your lunch. For your comfort, Public Restroom are also located in the park.
Please be patient with the businesses, for each one has it`s own hours. All are small family businesses, and all have their own lives which are different from their neighbors. Antique dealers can`t order their merchandise from a company. They drive to Auctions, Flea Markets, Estate Sales, Other Stores, even Garage Sales to find their treasures. Antiques are not easy to find so dealers drive hundreds to thousands of miles weekly, and many make trips to other states. Please call your favorite stores to make sure the days and hours of operation. Most stores are open Wednesday Sunday.
We guarantee you will arrive as a customer, but will leave a friend to most if not all the stores.
Written by Marc Washicheck Cherry Hill Antiques]]> http://www.cherryhillantiques.com/mmkcart/main.asp?action=PROD&PROD=CH1&CTMP=1&LowCt=0 The forerunners for the new county seat were Fort Ogden, Brownville, Nocatee, Punta Gorda, Pine Level, and Arcadia with Nocatee as the favorite. Sources reveal there was a yellow fever outbreak that quarantined many communities, so a second vote was postponed. On August 4, 1888 a second vote was taken, and again failed to produce a majority vote. Finally, on November 6, 1888, a third vote was taken, and Arcadia won the county seat by 21 votes. At the time, Arcadia wasn`t much of a town at all. Residents of the county soon started moving closer to the new county seat which caused Arcadia to grow, but drove many communities to extinction such as Pine Level, and Fort Winder to name a few.
The railroads that were completed through Desoto County changed the growth of the county, and brought wealthy for many. Phosphate was discovered on the banks of the Peace River that flows through the county. Mining of this mineral brought much prosperity for many years. In 1921, Desoto County was divided into present day Desoto, Charlotte, Hardee, Glades and Highlands counties.
Today, Arcadia is the ``Heart`` of the county, and a very visible pride in their history can be found virtually everywhere in the city. Most of the historical buildings you find today were built after 1905 when on Thanksgiving day a fire destroyed a major portion of the town. Much like it was over a hundred years ago, Desoto Counties main source of economy relies on agriculture, citrus groves, phosphate and cattle.]]> http://www.cherryhillantiques.com/mmkcart/main.asp?action=PROD&PROD=H1&CTMP=1&LowCt=0 The valley became a frontier gateway to southwest Florida, and the Arcadia area survived the Civil War, the range wars of the area`s turbulent early days, a disastrous fire, the boom and bust of the 1920s, and the state`s explosive growth of the 1970s and 1980s. Within this city`s 58 block National Historic District are some of the best examples of Florida`s late 1880s, and early 1900s ``boomtown`` architecture.
Arcadia was condidered one of the wildest towns in Florida during the 1890s due to a series of ``Cattle wars`` in which many lives were lost over cattle rustling, and other issues. Railroad played a major role in the development of the city. Arcadia was once connected with such cites as Bradenton, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Boca Grande, and Punta Gorda by the Florida Southern Railroad.
Agriculture, especially cattle and citrus, has played a major part in DeSoto`s history. Today the county is one of Florida`s top citrus, cattle and watermelon producers. Arcadia is home to the oldest rodeo in the southeastern USA, the famous Arcadia Rodeos.
Arcadia became one of Florida`s first five ``Main Street Cities`` in 1985. The National Historic District was established shortly afterward. These days downtown Arcadia has become known as southwest Florida`s finest historic district, and largest antiquing center with more than two dozen shops and stores.
Adapted from information provided by George Lane Jr.]]>