My Visit to Arcadia, Florida

Downtown Arcadia on Oak Street.

I decided to take a day trip to Arcadia, Florida a few days ago, partly for the antique stores and also to visit and soak in some of the local history. To tell briefly about how Arcadia was founded, James Hendry, a Baptist preacher, decided to open a sawmill in the area in 1883. On his way to where he planned to build the mill, he stayed overnight with a pioneering family by the last name of Albritton. Hendry mentioned to them that night that his birthday was the following day, so as a kind gesture, Mrs. Albritton and her 22-year-old daughter Arcadia decided to bake a cake for him the next day. Hendry was so touched by the gesture that he decided to name the area that he predicted would grow, Arcadia. That same year a post office was established near where Hendry’s sawmill was located.

I arrived in town around 10am on Tuesday September 6th. I had a paid day off from work, so I decided to put that day to use historically. When I arrived in town, I parked near the corner of Polk and Oak Street and walked around a little bit. I found that some of the antique stores off Oak Street were just opening. Some of the antiques stores were closed on certain days because of the slow season. One store was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, in which I was out of luck. Arcadia is the hub of the antique community in the state of Florida. Many people from different parts of the country come to Arcadia for antique shopping. On the fourth Saturday of every month the antique shops hold a big antique showing and people come from all over the country, including the television show Antiques Roadshow. It gets so busy that parking is half a mile away sometimes.

Another view of downtown Arcadia.

The corner of Oak and Polk Streets.

I visited Miss Patty’s Consignment Shop and then the Treasure Chest antique store. Tim, at the Treasure Chest, mentioned that he remembered when Hurricane Charley hit the town in 2004. The eye of the storm passed right over Arcadia with winds up to about 110 mph. Most of the downtown section was destroyed. There was so much devastation that the National Guard had to be called in to handle the situation. Tim said it was discerning to see soldiers with automatic rifles casing the local grocery stores and other establishments. Hurricane Charley destroyed many businesses in the downtown section of Arcadia, especially off Oak and Polk Street, right near where I decided to park my car. The hurricane destroyed 3,600 homes and displaced 16,000 people. Two people died in Desoto County. Because of the storm, many residents of Arcadia evacuated and never returned.

The town is familiar with devastation throughout its history. A fire that started in a livery stable in 1905 destroyed most of the town. One of the currently standing buildings that was built a year after the fire was the Heard Opera House. I went to visit the historic building and met a local music teacher named Krissy Constantino, who gave me my own private tour of the building. I took a photo of a portrait of J.J. Heard, the builder of the opera house, and she mentioned that right behind me was Heard’s office and that people have seen the ghost of Heard in his office, dressed in period clothing and solid as a real person, not transparent like an apparition. She also showed me the backstage area and the first motion picture camera used to show movies at the opera house years ago. Krissy and her non-for-profit organization Team Arcadia is currently working on revitalizing the building to be used as a community center offering classes in ballroom dancing, music lessons, choir rehearsals, theater for kids, martial arts classes, and other classes. Even adult and children’s plays are put on frequently in the main stage area. The Heard Opera House did get damage during Hurricane Charley when part of the roof was destroyed, and water penetrated the structure.

Stairwell leading up to the Heard Opera House from the street.

The portrait of J.J. Heard.

Backstage area. Those reddish sections in the cinderblock wall were originally holes in the wall used for air conditioning.

The original motion picture camera used to show movies. A reel of film still sits in the canister from years before.

Stage actress Mabel Paige performed at the Heard Opera House several times. Graffiti was written on the wall when she performed in 1922.

I decided to get lunch in the town and a couple of people recommended The Yellow Deli restaurant. It was one of the best sandwich shops that I had ever been to. My Turkey Pesto sandwich and carrot cake for dessert were to die for! The waitress mentioned that all the employees of the restaurant lived nearby in one house as a commune, which I thought was fascinating.

The Yellow Deli sandwich shop where I had lunch on Polk Street.

Just about everyone remarked that Desoto County is one of the poorest counties in the state of Florida. I found it interesting that almost everyone pointed this out. You wouldn’t believe it though by the amount of culture that exists in the town. The citizens of the town work well together to overcome the stigma of being in one of the poorest counties.

My fellow co-worker at the Edison Ford Winter Estate, Megan Kissinger, suggested that I visit the local cemetery in Arcadia, Oak Ridge Cemetery. Since I like to peruse cemeteries, I decided to go. Megan mentioned that a section of the cemetery had the graves of twenty-three Royal Air Force pilots who were killed in training flights during World War II on south Florida airfields used for pilot training. I had trouble finding this section while driving around. Megan then gave me instructions on how to find it by finding a flagpole that had a Union Jack flag, which made it much easier to discover. During my search I observed a lone deer walking in the cemetery, who seemed to be curious about why I was there. When I stepped out of the car and walked to the memorial, I counted twenty-four graves and realized that the extra grave was of John Riddle, who was a co-owner of the flying school and died in 1989.

The deer that I noticed.

The RAF gravesite.

Another view of the RAF gravesite.

The grave of John Riddle.

The Union Jack flag.

A grave of one of the twenty-three RAF pilots.

Overall, my trip to Arcadia was a pleasant one and I appreciated all of the nice townspeople who told me different stories about the history of Arcadia. Definitely a great place to visit concerning antique stores and history!