1842 Strack Furniture ad
From the early days furniture makers prospered in Pennsylvania. A variety of sturdy woods were available and local craftsmen had the skills to fashion them into pleasingly utilitarian pieces.
Charles Strack of York regularly ran the advertisement below in the York Gazette of 1842 reminding residents of the vast selection of furniture he could manufacture for your family. He could fit you out from the cradle to the grave. In fact, as you can see from the ad, he would even take you to the grave.
"CABINET WARE ROOM.
The undersigned respectfully informs the public, that he has opened a Manufactory and Wareroom of
Cabinet Furniture
on the S.W. corner of South George and Princess streets, in the Borough of York, opposite Kline's tavern, where he is prepared at short notice, to manufacture any article in his line, in the best and most fashionable manner--and where he has on hand and will constantly have for sale, at moderate prices,
Furniture of every description
INCLUDING
SECRETARIES,
SIDEBOARDS, BUREAUS,
BEDSTEADS, CENTRE-TABLES,
Card Tables, Breakfast and Dining Tables,
Sofas,
&c. &c. &c., of every quality and fashion.
Persons desiring any article in his line, are invited to give him a call and view his assortment--and the undersigned feels assured that his work will be pronounced by all competent judges fully equal in beauty and superior in durability, to any city furniture every brought to this county.
ALSO--
PIANOFORTES REPAIRED
in the best manner.
The undersigned is also prepared to furnish
COFFINS
of Mahogany, Cherry or Poplar, and has a hearse for attendance at funerals.
CHARLES STRACK."
Strack would even repair your piano. Later on furniture manufacturers became more specialized and huge factories developed. Click here to read about the Weaver piano and organ factory.
Click here to read about an earlier maker and his bedbug-proof bed.
More about George Doudel and his furniture.
The Strack furniture company was in business for a long time. Do you have a labeled Strack piece that was handed down in the family or maybe purchased at a public sale?
This was my Great Grandfather and much of what he had earned in life was lost, unfortunately his son Charles Strack died from cancer in the 1970's and left everything he owned to a woman that he had married just a year prior to his death. This was a major loss to my uncle and father that should have inherited his estate but were left with very little.
Thanks Steven. Wasn't there also a connection with the Strack and Strine funeral home in York too? As Charles Strack's 1842 ad shows, furniture makers were also coffin makers. I know a lot of York County's old furniture stores and funeral homes started out as one business. They sometimes eventually became separate firms. For example Zarfoss and Burg in Red Lion split into Zarfoss' Furniture Store and Burg Funeral Home.
I just did a Google search on Strack+furniture and came up with danielstrack.com the website of a fine woodworker in Chicago who makes beautiful furniture and guitars. Wonder if he is related.