Montgomery Ward Houses

[Conor Dary]

One hundred years ago you could order a house from a catalog. I grew up in a Montgomery Ward house built in 1921. Found the catalog with our house in it today.

[gm]

Montgomery Ward is one business I miss. I bought many items there through the years, and they were good quality at a good price.

That's a nice looking house.

[lonewolf]

And, last years catalog was a staple in rural pre-WWll outhouses

[gm]

Our family was more of a Sears bunch for that purpose.

[lonewolf]

Our two seater outhouse was built circa 1920s to accomodate a family of 13 siblings so we had both Sears and Monkey Ward catalogs..and two boxes of corn cobs, one active, one drying, for serious preliminary cleansing..
TMI???

[lonewolf]

There is a neighborhood near downtown NW OKC developed in the 1920s-30s outside the old silk stocking area as the city expanded post WWl, that is heavily populated by MW houses like the two examples ahown. Blighted in the 60s, the area is now gentrified and highly desirable.

[lonewolf]

Speaking of outhouses, I am reminded of the time circa 1968, enroute to check out the new Prudo Bay discovery, I stayed in a three story log hotel in Whitehorse, YT that had a walkway completely around each floor with a bridge leading to a three story unheated, no plumbing outhouse.. I was staying on the third floor so was not too concerned about it but I never did figure out the architecture of that outhouse...

[Master403]

Sears sold some 70,000 kit homes between 1908 and 1940.
http://www.arts-crafts.com/archive/k...earskits.shtml
10,000 to 30,000 pieces were delivered by railcar for assembly.
We were at a museum in North Platte NE last summer, and I had this sense of deja vu as I stood outside an early home and said when you go inside there will be a staircase to the right, and proceeded to describe where everything was located upstairs and downstairs.
I found that I was looking at a Sears home that was identical to the one I rented the upstairs in Saratoga Springs 50 years ago. I now see that Sears had models called the Saratoga and the Glens Falls.

[Merner521]

Speaking of outhouses, I am reminded of the time circa 1968, enroute to check out the new Prudo Bay discovery, I stayed in a three story log hotel in Whitehorse, YT that had a walkway completely around each floor with a bridge leading to a three story unheated, no plumbing outhouse.. I was staying on the third floor so was not too concerned about it but I never did figure out the architecture of that outhouse...

Drove by this a couple of years ago.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/two-story-outhouse

Two story outhouse with no access to the second floor.

[lonewolf]

I assume the Whitehorse outhouse had similar staggered drop zones. It was too cold to linger. Was only there one night then on to Inuvik, NWT and the Grand McKenzie Hotel, a only slightly remodeled WWII two story barracks with flush toilets and legally mandated separate bars for travelers and local natives.
It was April, 10F, bareheaded Inuit and Indian kids were playing baseball on an improvised field next door wearing sweaters and wind breakers. Curiously, they played the game clockwise, running from home to third base.. could not find anyone for an explanation.