Before internet shopping and quick deliveries, Americans had a different way of buying things. Huge catalogs were common in every home, offering a variety of items, including tools and home goods. But what stands out the most is that people could actually order a whole house.
In the early 1900s, Sears Roebuck changed the way people bought homes. Families would send money to Sears and eagerly wait for their new home to arrive. Picture the excitement as 12,000 pieces of a house were delivered by train, ready to be put together by the new homeowners.
In Carlinville, Illinois, there’s a special neighborhood with over 150 houses ordered from Sears catalogs. It’s like a living museum of American history and clever thinking.
One couple, Ben and Mary, bought their Sears home in 1962 for $6,500. They celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary in the same house, still as strong as the day it was built.
