The Lincoln Log Home

I am so glad that I am writing this book because I get to learn so many cool things in the process. Even if I never get published it will be worth it 1) because I can say I wrote a book, 2) because I will have learned so much about an era that I think is worth knowing about. Enjoy.

Let’s say that you’re a regular family set in 1920. You’ve decided to pick up and move to a bigger city and so you start the process of finding a new home. Housing (like today) inside the city is outrageously expensive so the next logical answer is to move out to the more reasonably priced suburbia and build your new home. You take your family to the nearest Home Depot and begin picking out new tools, lumber, dry wall, pai….Home Depot? How about your Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog? Now you are all set to buy your new mail order home! ( I couldn’t believe this when I saw it, but at the same time marveled at the simplicity and beauty of it.) You can build your own home virtually knowing nothing about how a home is constructed because your home is shipped out to you on the railroad like a brand new set of Lincoln Logs. (How awesome is that?) Everything is pre-cut and ready to put together with instructions to guide your way. Sears, Roebuck & Co. sold over 100,000 homes in-between 1908 and 1940. If you are extremely wealthy you can purchase “The Atlanta” for $2,240 to $4,492. If you’re looking for the more moderately priced home you may go for The Verndale for a modest $900 to $1590. Or maybe you’re looking for a house/vacation home with only a few rooms. The Rosita is available for a very decent price of $314 to $875. After you’ve built your beautiful home you can continue to decorate your new commodity with whatever decorations you please, also available through your Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog.

It’s like playing Sims or building your own doll house, but life sized! I love it! It’s too bad that the depression caused the whole thing to go down the tubes. I would like to see one of these homes today. Is it falling apart due to shabby construction or is it standing tall, defying the test of time. I probably won’t run into many of these unless I moved out East. Something to keep in mind during my life travels.