Michael Stachelberg (1837-1895) emigrated from Prussia or Russia, depending on the source of information, and settled in New York City.  In 1857 he established M. Stachelberg & Co. as evidenced by this ad in the November 22, 1901 issue of the Tobacco publication.  The origin of M. Stachelberg & Co. can be dated on or about January 1, 1873 as stated in the case Stachelberg et al. vs. Ponce decided on December 7, 1888 by the US Supreme Court.  This case states that  Michael Stachelberg and Asher Bijur, established a partnership in New York under the name of M. Stachelberg & Co. to continue making the La Normandi brand cigars that Bijur made from 1858 to 1865, year in which he sold, transferred and conveyed the La Normandi name to Michael Stachelberg, his heirs and assigns.

Upon Michael Stachelberg's death on April 4, 1895, his son Charles G. Stachelberg (1865-1900) took over the firm which got to employ more than three hundred workers importing cigars from Cuba and making Clear Havanas at their factory at 154 S. 5th Ave. in NYC.  Charles died unexpectedly just five years later when his brother Edgar J. Stachelberg (1867-1939) became the principal of the company.  

This March 28, 1902 edition of Tobacco publication, states that in 1902 M. Stachelberg & Co. had outgrown their location in West Tampa from where they planned to move to a new factory on Lafayette St. (now Kennedy Blvd.), move that never happened.  In 1903, M. Stachelberg & Co. purchased the Blas Trujillo & Co. factory building built in 1894 on 14th Ave. & 17th St. in Ybor City which had been vacant since Mr. Trujillo’s death by suicide in 1900.  Sometime prior to 1908, M. Stachelberg & Co. and Esberg, Gunst & Co. consolidated, but each one continued to operate their own separate factory, both of which were destroyed by the great Ybor City fire on March 2, 1908.  

This factory building was constructed in 1902 at the corner of 13th St. &  8th Ave. as an addition to the V. Martinez Ybor & Co. factory building. It was known as the Stemmery Building because it was here where the tobacco stems would be separated from the leaves.  The original V. Martinez Ybor & Co. factory complex, originally built in 1886, eventually consisted of three buildings on the same city block, the last one being the warehouse building where the Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurant was for 25 years until it closed in 2016.

An article on the May 6, 1908 edition of the Tobacco Leaf Publication states that the Stachelberg and Esberg-Gunst combination acquired a piece of land from W. C. Clarkson of P. San Martin & Co. to build a new three and a half story cigar factory on 19th St. between 2nd Ave. & 3rdAve.  Construction started in 1908 for the Esberg-Gunst Co. who reportedly used it for only two years or so.  It was later the home of Corral-Wodiska & Cia.  

M. Stachelberg & Co. leased the building pictured below in 1915 and remained a tenant until March 28, 1932 when they ceased operations in Ybor City and relocated to Trenton, NJ.  The vintage picture below identifies the M. Stachelberg & Co. factory building, which name is often confused with that of  Seidenberg & Co., even certain sources have incorrectly identified them as being one as the same.