Sears Dover in Waterford, Michigan

Catalog image of Sears Dover (1935)
Image courtesy of AntiqueHome

First introduced in 1928 Modern Homes catalog, the Sears Dover was a popular model for Sears. It was the largest and most expensive of several "English cottage" designs that first appeared in the 1928 catalog. The Dover's continued popularity with house buyers was demonstrated by the fact that it continued to be offered by Sears through the final Modern Homes catalog in 1940. I've found 10 examples of the Sears Dover in Oakland County searching mortgage records for houses financed through Sears Roebuck. This Sears Dover in Waterford Township is one of four examples that can be found in the Township which is home to over 50 authenticated Sears houses.

Sears Elmhurst in Silver Spring, Maryland

As I previously shared in my post about the Sears mortgages of Montgomery County, one of the Sears houses that I located through mortgage records was a Sears Elmhurst. Similar to the Elmhursts I've authenticated in the New York City area, this house had a substantial mortgage of $11,000. The mortgage between Edwards D. Ford and Allen H. Gardner was recorded in September 1930 which means the house was likely constructed in either late 1930 or early 1931.

Kit House Reading List - April 2016

Photo Copyright
FreeStockImages.org

Some of my favorite kit house researchers have been busy sharing great new posts about kit houses. Go and give them a read!

• Sears House Seeker: Sears Belmont: The Brick Lynnhaven - Learn about one of Sears high-end brick models 
• Sears Houses in Ohio: The Nine Sears Alhambras in Cincinnati - The Alhambra is one of the most distinct models from Sears and Cincinnati has a bunch of them!
• Sears Homes of Chicagoland: The Skywater Summer Cottage - While best known for selling kit houses, you could also purchase cottages from through the "Modern Homes" catalog. Check out these examples from the Chicago area. 

Update on Sears Mortgages of Takoma Park, Maryland

208 Hodges - Takoma Park, MD - Sears Hathaway
Image courtesy of Bing Maps

In March, I shared an initial review of the Sears mortgages in Takoma Park, Maryland. Since that update, I've identified a couple more houses bringing the current total for Sears houses with mortgages financed by Sears Roebuck in Takoma Park to 60! Examples of the models found in Takoma Park include this rare variation of the Sears Hathaway with unclipped gables. I've updated the original post to reflect the updated numbers including the number of each kind of model house found in Takoma Park. Read the updated post!

4,000!

5316 Gallatin - Hyattsville, MD - Sears Hathaway
Image courtesy of MRIS

Back in February, I shared how the national database of Sears houses had passed the 3,000 house mark. Just 2 months later, I'm pleased to report that thanks to the over 100 Sears houses in Prince George's County, Maryland that I added today, the list has cleared the 4,000 house mark! Among the 4,000 entries are over 1,500 authenticated Sears houses, most -  like the Sears Hathaway to the right - have been confirmed through mortgage and deed records. Although these 4,000 houses only represent approximately 5% of the estimated 70,000 homes sold by Sears through their Modern Homes Division, it's still the most comprehensive known list of likely and authenticated Sears homes. As I said before, it's only going to get bigger and better over time! If you know of any Sears houses in your town, let us know with a comment.

Sears Mortgages of Prince George's County, Maryland

Seal of Prince George's County, Maryland
Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Back in February, I shared the results of the mortgage research I did in Montgomery County, Maryland, where over 100 Sears houses were authenticated using mortgage records. Like Montgomery County, Prince George's County is a suburb of Washington DC, sharing a border with most of the northeast and southeast portions of the District. Through researching mortgage records for the County, I've been able to authenticate over Sears 100 homes in Prince George's County. The total number of homes authenticated to date exceeds the number authenticated in Montgomery County. Together with the homes authenticated in Washington DC and Montgomery County, I've been able to authenticate over 500 Sears homes in Washington DC and the surrounding Maryland suburbs.