Richard W. Sears started his business in North Redwood by selling watches from his railroad station job and mailing order catalogs. He later moved to Chicago and partnered with Alvah Roebuck to form Sears, Roebuck & Company. Sears helped popularize modern conveniences in homes by the early 1900s through catalogs offering materials and instructions for entire pre-cut homes, including options for central heating, indoor plumbing, and electricity. The article encourages searching for original Sears home designs in one's local community as a scavenger hunt, though original owners may have customized the plans over time.

1. March 2016 | March Weekender 7
By Paul Hunter Zaid
Our community often takes for granted the fact that
Richard W. Sears birthplace is right here in our own
backyard in North Redwood. Sears, with its famous
catalogs, received it's start when working as a railroad
station agent he received a shipment of watches which
were unwanted by a local jeweler. Sears purchased
them, then sold the watches for a profit to other sta-
tion agents, then ordered more for resale. Soon he
started a business selling watches through mail order
catalogs. The next year, he moved to Chicago where
he partnered with Alvah Roebuck, who joined him in
the business and eventually grew their business into
Sears, Roebuck & Company.
In its storied 130 year old history Sears was innova-
tive by offering popular home design kits by catalog
with the added advantage of buyers to modify the
houses and hardware according to their own tastes.
Sears Modern Homes offered home kits from about
$500 upward to $5,000 and the buyer picked out
their houses according to their needs, tastes, and
pocketbooks. Sears helped popularize the latest tech-
nology available to modern home buyers in the early
part of the twentieth century by offering central heat-
ing, indoor plumbing, and electricity. Although all
these new developments were available to buyers, not
all of the homes were designed with these conven-
iences.
Once ordered, entire homes would arrive by rail-
road, from precut lumber, to carved staircases, down
to the nails and varnish. Sears provided all the mate-
rials and instructions for assembly by carpenters.
Central heating not only improved the livability of
homes with little insulation but it also improved fire
safety. Indoor plumbing and homes wired for elec-
tricity were the first steps to modern kitchens and
bathrooms. Sears Modern Homes program stayed in
line with any technology that could ease the lives of its
home buyers and gave them the option to design their
homes with modern convenience in mind.
How many Sears homes in our community can you
locate? Locally you can find houses that were part of
the many model of homes provided by Sears. Research
home models on the internet and turn the past-time
of taking a family drive around town and looking at
homes into a scavenger hunt. If you discover a Sears
home please post it on the Redwood Gazette Facebook
page.
Remember that the original owner may have cus-
tomized the home, so look closely, because the plan
may be reversed, a window may have been added, or
the original buyer may have chosen brick instead of
wood siding. Many towns, cities, and counties have a
local history commission, landmark commission, and
even town historians who might provide some insight
into your house.
Can you find
a Sears Home in your town?