In the 1800s, a man named Charles S. Harden, Sr. bought a sawmill on the winding Fish Creek in upstate New York. It was the beginning of one of the oldest, family-owned businesses in the furniture industry. Not surprisingly, the sawmill evolved into a shop for producing kitchen chairs, which, about 70 years ago, turned into a full-blown furniture manufacturing company called Harden Furniture.

Today, this venerable furniture maker is run by a fifth-generation Harden. And while the company has continued to produce its popular 18th-century hand-carved line, its designers have also broken out into developing more contemporary and Colonial designs. During the past few decades, the company has also incorporated the use of various woods in its lines. Originally, Harden crafted most of its furniture from mahogany, maple and, on occasion, birch. In the late 1930s, the company turned to using native cherrywood, making that its first choice for case goods.

Unlike many other furniture manufacturers, Harden owns its own woodlands and sawmill operations. The company owns thousands of acres in upstate New York and, as a result, is able to maintain an abundant supply of cherry and maple trees and manage those natural resources without draining them.