Oklahoma’s First Sears Kit Home: The Saratoga
Built in 1912, it’s claimed that this Sears Saratoga was the very first Sears kit home in the state of Oklahoma. And this was a mere five years after Oklahoma became our 46th state. According to a nomination form for National Register of Historic places, this Saratoga is “architecturally significant” because it was “the first Sears and Roebuck precut home to be constructed in Oklahoma, (2) it was one of the first to be built west of the Mississippi River, and (3) it is one of the best examples of the Sears Modern Home Number 146 in the United States.”
It’s entirely plausible that this house in Chelsea, Oklahoma was the first Sears kit home in Oklahoma. However, Sears didn’t start offering their pre-cut homes until somewhere in 1914 or 1915. Rebecca Hunter and I are still debating the precise date. :) Prior to 1914/1915, Sears kit homes were not “precut.” In other words, sufficient lumber arrived to build your new house, but each and every piece had to be carefully cut to fit.
Sears started offering kit homes in 1908, with a 44-page catalog that offered 22 designs. (The nominating form also states that Sears started selling pre-cut houses in 1909. That’s okay. This form was filed in 1981, and there was a lot of errant info floating around.)
The Saratoga in Chelsea, Oklahoma was built by Joe Hogue, a cattleman. (Is that like a really old cowboy?) Seems that when Mr. Hogue visited Chicago in 1912, he saw a display of Sears building materials at Sears headquarters, and included in that display were a few “Sears Modern Homes.” He liked the Saratoga (then known as Sears Modern House #108; houses weren’t given names until 1918). The house was shipped to /Chelsea via The St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad.
What’s most remarkable to me is that (as of 1981), the house has remained in the same family since 1912.
Thanks to Rachel Shoemaker for providing all the photos, and sending me a copy of the nominating form. All extant photos are copyright Rachel Shoemaker and can not be reproduced without permission.
According to The National Register of Historic Places nominating form, this was the first Sears kit home in Oklahoma. It is a beautiful example of a Sears Saratoga.
Said to be the first Sears Home in Oklahoma, this Saratoga is in wonderful condition.
The Saratoga, as seen in the 1921 Sears catalog.
And from the 1916 catalog.
Close-up shows the original planters by the front entry
And they're still in place!
Close-up of the Saratoga's side.
And the house in Chelsea. Nice match!
Close-up of the Saratoga's attic window
Another nice match!
Rear of the Saratoga.
And the train tracks were nice and close, too!
A close-up of the floor plan shows it was a spacious home. This is from the 1916 catalog, and the 1921 catalog shows an identical house, but with a different price! In 1921, the price had jumped to $3,491.
One feature on the Saratoga that you are NOT going to see on any other Sears house is the placement of this chimney. It's at the peak of the roof's intersection. For the novice homebuilder, this a complicated place for a chimney.
This is my favorite "unique item" on the house. The gas meter is next to the sidewalk. In all my travels, I have never seen such a thing.
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I checked my notes. Joe Hogue’s only child, Erskine Hogue-Stansberry, lived in the house until her death in 2005. The only changes she ever made to the house was adding carpet, and the heating and air conditioning. I think I also read that she was a school teacher, can’t find where I read that. I don’t think she ever had children either.
I interviewed Erskine Stansberry before her death and was given a wonderful tour of the home. Erskine was an English teacher all her life and taught in Tulsa. She was so proud of the house - hope the current owners realize what a treasure they have. She told me there is another Sears home in Chelsea - I can’t find the address now - but it is small and rather poorly taken care of.