Putting Sears Homes on the Map: The Mail Order House Phenomenon of 1906-1982

General merchandise mail order catalogs were established in the 1880’s, offering a wide variety of goods to the rural market. House plan books appeared at about the same time. In 1906 a combination of these two marketing techniques first came on the scene – mail order houses. Sears Roebuck is the best known of all the companies that sold mail order homes, although Aladdin Company was the first in the business. In this presentation with guest speaker, author, and avid researcher of Sears Homes, Rebecca Hunter, we will learn the history of mail order homes and view images of homes from the eight major producers of these homes.