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| Rare Sears & Roebuck home survives at Marshall |
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| Question: I am interested in Sears and Roebuck houses. Do any exist in Boone County? |
| Answer: From 1908 until 1940, a family could order "the entire house" from a
Sears catalog. Several companies, such as Sears, offered complete houses, down to the
nails and trim, factory direct.
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 Catalogs were not a new phenomenon. Folks had been ordering goods by mail order
for several years. Prospective homeowners were offered several building plans,
with step-by-step instructions, and special money-saving deals from Sears and Roebuck,
making their houses a grand offer in 1908. Although only three were featured in the
1908 catalog, persons could request a catalog showing a larger selection of home plans.
Prices ranged from $725 to $4,000 for a Sears home. For $725 and their free
plan, with " how to assemble" instructions, the homeowner could build, paint and have
completely ready for occupancy, a six room cottage. Please note this was a $1,100
house, but Sears offered it at a lower price of $725.
The house consisted of six fair sized rooms. The first floor featured a large kitchen,
14 ft x11.9ft; a parlor 12ft x10.6ft; and a bedroom 8.6ft x11.9ft. The second floor had
two bedrooms, 8x10 ft. and 8x11 ft., and one large attic 14x11 ft. Bedrooms had closets
but the plan did not include bathroom facilities. Sears catalog said, "this modest
little home is not a mansion, so send for our book of house plans if you are considering
building a larger home."
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| The 1908 Sears and Roebuck catalog featured two other homes families could
order for $1,700 and $1,995. The $1,700 home had eight rooms; windows of glazed
glass with leaded or etched art; doors of Nona Pine with carvings; and hardware finished
in copper or antique bronze. For an extra $57 one could purchase an Ever Ready
pneumatic water supply outfit and for $79 a Sears heating and ventilating furnace could
be installed.
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| The handsome $3,000 nine room home was offered for $1,995. The home was
constructed of 8-inch by 16-inch concrete blocks, and according to Sears, the material
had the handsome appearance of hand finished stone. This home could be built in less
time than most, using one of Sears Wizard or Buckeye Concrete Block Machines, which
could be shipped with the complete package. This price included the cost of hired labor
but an extra $209 had to be paid for a hot water heating plant. By the way, this home
had an indoor bathroom!
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| As a note of interest, the cost of the following items in the 1908 catalog seem
like real bargains compared to 2005 prices: Solid birch front door with beveled French
glass, $9.45; Complete bathroom outfit including water closet, lavatory and bath tub,
$43.80; Ornate hardwood bed, $4.90; Double door chiffonier in solid oak, $14.35;
China cabinet with bent glass front, $12.25; Kitchen cabinet with drawers, shelves, bins
and racks, $19.85; 100 piece Royal China Dinner Set, $15.50; and one of the most
shocking prices, a two carat diamond solitaire ring, first quality, set in 14-carat gold,
sold for $460. But then, you have to think how hard money was to come by at that time -
maybe they were not bargain prices after all!
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| One beautiful Sears home stands in Marshall, Arkansas, and is visible from
Highway 65. Located just off the corner of the court house square, you can see the
the two story gray home, standing on the hill above the highway. Dr. Charles
Daniel is the owner of this historic home. I also know of Sears homes in Manila,
Arkansas, and several in Searcy, White County, Arkansas.
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| The Heritage Museum has information on many homes in the area but we do
not have proof of a Sears and Roebuck home in Harrison. There were surely some
erected by local residents, so if you know of a Sears Catalog home in town, give us
a call. Mail order homes are a fascinating piece of American history just waiting to
be rediscovered and celebrated.
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| The Heritage Museum is located on the corner of South Cherry Street and
Central Avenue. Hours are from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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| Please note: Work will begin sometime in late October or early November on the
Beller-Jenkins Cemetery, located near the site where the Mt. Meadows Wagon Train
formed before heading west. Headstones and fencing are in need of repair, along with
major cutting of vines and brush.
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| Interested persons are urged to contact the Heritage Museum at 741-3312. |
| A fund has been set up by Ed Holland of Houston, Texas, a Beller descendant,
for the upkeep of this cemetery after major cleanup is done. Stones in this cemetery bear
the following names: Baines, Beller, Carlton, Casey, Crump, Eoff, Guy, Ingram, Jenkins,
Pugh, Robertson, Staples, Treadwell, Wilson, Wright and several graves only
marked with stones. It is important that this historic cemetery be preserved.
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| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Smith can be contacted at bchm@windstream.net |
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