Arcade Manufacturing Company: An Industrial History of Freeport's Most Famous Foundry Sunday, July 19, 2026
After researching patents, newspapers, museum archives, city directories, and collector publications, I discovered that the early history of Arcade Manufacturing Company is far more complex than most published accounts suggest. Rather than repeating a single narrative, this chronology compares conflicting historical sources, identifies areas where the record remains uncertain, and synthesizes the available evidence into a cohesive account of the company's evolution from its predecessor firms to one of America's most respected manufacturers of cast iron toys, coffee mills, and industrial products. This free chronology is the first chapter of a larger work exploring the history of Arcade Manufacturing Company and the people who built it.
