The Sears Magnolia - in Benson, NC
Thanks to a FOSH (Friend of Sears Homes), I found the 5th known Sears Magnolia in the country. Joy sent me a link last week to a story on a Sears Home just outside of Raleigh. When I clicked on the link, I had no idea the show would be featuring a Sears Magnolia - the Creme de la creme of Sears Homes!
Monday afternoon, I returned from Illinois (where I spent three weeks doing research on a new book on Sears Homes), and Tuesday morning (yes, the next day), I left my house at 6:00 in the morning to make the drive to Benson. By 10:00 am, I was sitting in front of the Sears Magnolia.
The happy owners of the Magnolia allowed me to tour the inside of the house, where I found proof that it was indeed a Sears Magnolia (as if there were any doubt). Click on this link to read more about that.
This was the second Magnolia that I’ve been inside. The first was in Canton, Ohio. In 2002, PBS’s History Detectives did a segment on Sears Homes, and invited me to be part of the program. That was one of the best days of my life. After hours of filming, I took a nap inside the house, and that was one of the happiest naps of my life!
There are also Sears Magnolias in Indiana, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
Below is the Sears Magnolia in North Carolina.
Original catalog image from 1922 Sears Modern Homes catalog
I believe there is a Sears Magnolia near Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, NJ. I was dropping a friend of too college, and saw this house. Could it be number 6?
@James Manser
Send me a photo! I’d love to see it. And yes, it’s possible, as there was a huge Sears mill in Newark, NJ so not surprisingly, there are many Sears Homes in New Jersey.
Love the Magnolia!! First saw it in the book “Houses By Mail” many years ago. I live in NJ and have noticed many Sears Houses here. Some can be quickly identified. Others have been remodeled through the years and can be a challenge to identify . It is interesting to see the slight variations on the architectural styling of each Magnolia. For instance, the front columns ( Ionic and Corinthian ) and the dormer window. I would love to see the interior. Maybe there are some pictures out there.
We just bought a home in Ray Township Michigan. While remodeling the home we found that in the attic all the rafters are labled with numbers and also say MAGNOLIA on them. Could this be a sears home ? How do I fond out for sure ? The home was built on the lot in 1952.
@Jeff Babisz to my knowledge your home would be too new to be a Sears Kit Home. Ms Rose has steps listed here to follow to help you identify your home.
You’re 100% correct!
Sears didn’t start offering these homes until 1908 and sales were very, very slow until the mid-1910s. It’s extremely unusual to find a pre-1915 Sears House. And the Magnolia was not offered until 1918.