RHOADES, Charles H. - 1914

RHOADES, PELTON, KNAPP, PFLUGFELDER

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 7/2/2009 at 13:08:31

HISTORY OF
Cherokee County
IOWA
VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
1914
by Thomas McCulla

CHARLES H. RHOADES.

A young man of integrity and enterprise, Charles H. Rhoades has made these qualities the basis of a gratifying degree of success, being today well known in business circles of Cherokee as the founder and upbuilder of the Cherokee Rug Works. He was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, September 24, 1882, and acquired his education in the public schools of his native city. When he was sixteen years of age he began learning the rug business, serving his apprenticeship under C. C. Pflugfelder. He afterward learned carpentering in order that he might be able to build his own looms and at the end of a year and a half he became foreman of the Long Valley Rug Mills at Long Valley, Pennsylvania. This position he retained for three years, and at the end of that time established himself in business in Chicago. He disposed of his interests there at the end of a year and came to Cherokee, where on the ist of November, 1912, he founded the Cherokee Rug Works, of which he has since been proprietor. His plant has grown from a small concern equipped with one loom into a factory provided with six and there is, in addition to this, a branch at Sioux City. Mr. Rhoades makes rugs of all kinds from old carpets and has also a profitable cleaning department, where rugs are cleaned by means of compressed air. He employs six men in the Cherokee factory and has a salesman on the road, so that his selling territory is constantly increasing. His success demonstrates the value of specialization, for he has confined his attention to this line of business since beginning his active career and he consequently understands it in principle and detail. He is a progressive, farsighted and capable business man, well able to carry forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes.

On the 17th of March, 1912, Mr. Rhoades was united in marriage to Miss Myrtle Pelton, a daughter of Watson and Margaret (Knapp) Pelton of Cherokee. Mr. Rhoades is independent in his political views and is a devout member of the Grace Lutheran church. He has made very valuable contributions to the business progress of Cherokee and has gained an individual success which places him among the men of ability and prominence in the city.