On March 4, 1886, the Florida Southern Railroad had arrived in the small community of Arcadia (48 miles east of Sarasota) with its first passenger train. Construction of the Charlotte Harbor Railway began on July 17, 1885 in Bartow, the county seat of Polk County, along a route surveyed that summer under the supervision of Albert W. Gilchrist. On September 19, 1885, the roadbed was extended to Fort Ogden (the largest town in what was then Manatee County) and by Christmas of 1885, Fort Meade was anticipating the arrival of its first train. Due to unmitigated circumstances, the train did not service Fort Odgen until July 7, 1886, leading settlers to Arcadia instead.
Originally known as Tater Hill Bluff, the small community was later renamed Arcadia by Reverend James M. Hendry, after the daughter of his friend Thomas H. Albritten. On November 19, 1883, Arcadia received its first US Post Office. By the time the Florida Southern Railroad had arrived, Arcadia had only sixteen families in the surrounding vicinity. Canter Brown notes in his book Peace River Frontier, “By October (1886) the town had about 40 dwelling houses, mostly two stories and about ten more being erected…four general stores, general merchandise, all doing a rushing business; three boarding houses, all doing a good business and still many campfires can be seen in town.”
On December 6, 1886, Arcadia became an incorporated city and by November of 1888, it had become the county seat of Desoto County replacing the town of Pine Level. In the last decade of 19th century, Desoto County was considered to be as violent and dissolute as the Wild West. Gunfights endured on Arcadia’s main street and in 1892 the town had corroborated its first lynching of Walter Austin, strung up by an angry mob. Cattle rustling, shootings, and murders were frequent.
By the late 1890’s, Arcadia was gaining a reputation as home to some of the wealthiest and most progressive citizens in Desoto County and coming in second to Punta Gorda in population. Wood-framed cypress and heart pine buildings built during the boom of the 1880’s and 1890’s dominated the commercial business district. Arcadia did not have a public water system or fire fighting provisions. On November 30, 1905, Thanksgiving day, forty-three buildings in the business district would be consumed by fire causing over $250,000 in damage. Only three buildings would survive the devastating fire: the D.T. Carlton Building (built in 1899), the William Seward Building (constructed in 1900), and the First National Bank of Arcadia established in 1900.
In George Lane Jr.'s The Day Arcadia Burned he writes: "Arcadia's only newspaper, The DeSoto County News, was also a victim of the flames. Their offices and printing press had perished but it didn't prevent the newspaper editor from ‘reporting the news.’ He [the editor] boarded the first train north to Zolfo Springs and went to the offices of the Zolfo Springs Advertiser where he published an extra edition, the DeSoto County News on December 1, 1905 and reported Arcadia's losses, dismay and shock."
The newspaper stated the following:
ARCADIA FIRE SWEPT - Quarter of a Million Dollars Worth of Property Destroyed Including Nearly Every Business House in the City - The Desoto County News, Arcadia, Florida, December 1, 1905.
Today (Friday), Arcadia presents a scene of ruin and desolation rarely ever visited upon a city. Where yesterday stood substantial business houses well filled with merchandise now repose a bed of smoldering ashes.
Today, businessmen who were yesterday counted financially strong are again poor and are preparing to again begin life after a few short hours' ravages of the fire fiend. About 8:30 last night fire was discovered enveloping a small stable in the rear of Gore & Scott's store, and, in about three hours, nearly every business house in the city and several residences were in ruins.
The fire had gained considerable headway before it was discovered; and, assisted by a strong wind blowing toward the main business houses of the town, soon communicated the flames to Gore & Scott's store and it was soon seen that, with no effective means of fighting the flames at hand, the town was doomed. Gore & Scott's big building was soon a mass of roaring flames and, in a few minutes, had ignited the buildings west across the street and the buildings adjoining on the east. From there the fire rapidly swept east two blocks on each side of Oak Street to the railroad and south one block to and including the "DeSoto County News" building and three residences south across the street. Here the flames were finally checked at Heard & Reynolds' packing house after a fierce fight. In all forty-three buildings were burned, all excepting three being business buildings.
Dynamite was used in a number of places in effort to check the flames but all efforts along this line failed, and every hand was turned to saving goods in the various stores. The only buildings saved in the path of the flames were the First National Bank Building, Seward's store and the Carlton Block, all being substantial brick buildings. The total loss on buildings, fixtures, and merchandise was estimated at close to $250,000, probably one-fourth of which was covered by insurance.
The following is a list of the losers, but at this hour an accurate estimate of the loss of each individual cannot be made:
F. Morqus, jewelry; F. Morqus, shoes and harness; C.C. Wheatly Co., paints and paper; J.J. Hendry, meats and groceries; Lee Gibbs, barber shop; L.D. Harley, merchant tailor; A.G. Frederetre, jewler; Thad Carlton, harness and saddlery; J.W. Craig, livery stable; DeSoto County News; W.H. Seward, warehouse; D.T. Carlton, damages to building; Arcadia Mercantile Co., damage to stock; Dr. D.G. Barnett, damage to dental outfit; Arcadia Electric Light, Ice, & Telephone Co.; Jake Wey, warehouse; W.F. Espenlaub, meats and building; J.M. Lanier, fruits and confectionery; F.S. Gore, two store buildings; R.E. Whidden, building.
Many years later, Mrs. Kate Appleby told this story about the Arcadia fire in her 1978 interview: "It seems just like yesterday, I was just a girl but something like the big fire, you don't forget. It was a horrible night which lasted, it seemed, a very long time and destroyed so much of our town." She also noted, "Since so much [sic] we needed was lost in the fire, supplies had to be shipped in by rail from Wauchula, Bartow, Ft. Ogden, Punta Gorda and other Florida cities, to help us out." She continued, "it was like only a few days before new brick and stone buildings were being built on the ruins."
In fact, many of the buildings in the business district imprint the date of 1906 on the tops of the buildings as evidence and as testimony to rebuilding after the great fire. The Old Opera House (circa 1906) was one of the first to be rebuilt at the original location of its wooden counterpart. To the west of Oak Street remain many of the older wood-framed boom-town architecture of the 1880's and 90's, including the Mourning Jones House circa 1892, Thomas Gaskin Sr. House circa 1886, Micajah Singleton home circa 1889, The Parker house circa 1895, and the The Old St. Edmonds Episcopal Church circa 1897.
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