Somerville NJ
4-12-2025 4:58pm

HIstory Buffs: Sears House - Upcoming Roundtable Talk

Monday, April 14—Sears Houses in the Somerville area. What is a Sears house? A Sears house is a house whose blueprints and building supplies were ordered from a specialty Sears catalog, and all of these supplies were shipped, by rail (primarily) to the homeowner (who either chose to build the house himself or use a contractor to arrange the construction).

One of the most fascinating parts of the story, is that the framing lumber

was (in most cases) pre-cut and labeled, allowing the homebuilder to follow an instruction booklet to help in the organized construction process. Included in the overall purchase were all elements needed for the house, from lumber to roofing; wiring and plumbing; windows and doorknobs, and hinges and

nails and screws; staircases and all of their parts, pre-mitered; flooring, bath tubs and sinks and faucets; kitchen cabinets and ironing boards; window screens, window shades, and light fixtures. For some of these items, there were options (type of wiring, heating, plumbing fixtures, for example, or upgrades for flooring and trim wood), and any masonry items were purchased through Sears, but obtained through a local supplier, rather than being shipped by Sears.

To learn more about these unique homes, join us on Monday, April 14 as Marge Sullivan shares this fascinating story. See below for our new meeting place.

Upcoming Roundtable Meetings at 7:00 p.m. at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church,

300 Union Avenue, between N. Clark and N. Richards. Park and enter at the back of the church

Contact:

barthlinda123@aol.com

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