Americans Bought These Houses by Mail—They’re Still Standing

What if your home once arrived at a railroad depot in thousands of pieces? For families across America, Sears kit homes made it possible to choose a house from a catalog, order the materials by mail, and build a place to call their own. In this video, we explore the forgotten history of Sears Modern Homes and the mail-order houses that still stand on ordinary streets today. From modest bungalows to spacious family homes, discover how numbered lumber, detailed instructions, and railroad deliveries helped turn catalog pages into real neighborhoods. Step back into the world of Sears, Aladdin, and Montgomery Ward to see how these homes were sold, assembled, and lived in. We also explore why many have lasted more than a century, how the Great Depression changed the business, and why missing records have left so many catalog houses unidentified. Could yours be one of them? Learn about the clues worth investigating, from stamped attic beams and old shipping labels to original paperwork and familiar porch designs. Do you live in a kit home, or remember a family story about a house ordered from Sears? Share the town, the house style, or anything you’ve discovered in the comments. CHAPTERS 00:00 The town that ordered its houses by mail 01:08 The catalog that sold everything 02:31 A house in a railroad boxcar 04:04 Why these homes were built to last 05:35 The mail-order house boom 07:16 The houses hidden in plain sight 09:00 Could your house be a catalog home? 10:33 What these old homes can teach us 11:51 Look for the clues in your own home Subscribe to Forgotten Home Design for the stories behind old house features, practical building traditions, and timeless ideas worth rediscovering. Forgotten home features. Timeless ideas. #ForgottenHomeDesign #SearsKitHomes #MailOrderHomes #HistoricHomes #OldHouseHistory