Georgia forestry, Vol. 49, no. 2 (Summer 1996)

floor plans sent in by homeowners, but in many instances altered facades, enclosed porches and other departures from the original building make the identification impossible.
The Sears homes were not limited to humble cottages, bungalows and other modest dwellings; the grandest model offered was the Magnolia, a ten-room mansion featuring great Corinthian columns, gracefully curving walnut banisters, a solarium and servants' quarters. The extravagant buyer back in 1918 had to pay $5,140 for that one.
HARD TIMES
The company enjoyed brisk sales in its homes department in the teens and most of the 1920's, a success attributed to the offering of more than 400 different models and the lenient policy of selling to customers without first meeting them or inspecting their building lots. It was the "Liberal, Easy Payment Plan," however, that ultimately forced the company known as "the farmers' best friend" to repossess some of the homes when the Great Depression swept across the nation.
The accounts of the department were liquidated in 1934, although special homes catalogs were issued through 1940 to sell leftover stock.
Other companies, including Montgomery Ward and Aladden Readi-Cut Homes, also were in the kit-home business, but the pioneering giant that once sold medicine, groceries and even automobiles by mail, easily dominated the homes market.
The company's architects apparently never attempted to create a distinctive "Sears style" house. The wide range ofdesigns from the out-

set reflected traditional features of the era, with modifications as tastes changed in the years that followed. The Dutch, English and American colonials, as well as the wide variations of the bungalow, were the most popular styles, but other influences were prevalent. Swiss chalets with brown stained shingles as siding and an adaptation of Spanish mission architecture were the choices ofmany buyers.
The Sears entry in the home business in 1908 also was the year Frank Lloyd Wright's celebrated Robie house was built in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, but the master's "organic architecture" is a concept not easily detected in the company's versions of the American home.
Sears largest single order for homes came in 1918 when Standard Oil Company of Indiana bought 156 for erection in a 12block section of Carlinville in westcentral Illinois. The company had opened a large coal mine in the

area and the houses were soon occupied by miners and their families, who chose from eight basic two-story styles. Exterior and interior detailing was varied from house to house so they would not be exactly alike.
The coal shortage created by industrial demands in America and Europe during World War I ended in the mid-twenties, however, and the mine was closed. Miners were forced to leave the area for employment elsewhere and the collection of catalog houses became a ghost town.
Fortunately, the neglected houses were again offered for sale in 1935 and buyers paid a mere $250 for a five-room house and only $500 for a six-room model. The new owners cleared away the weeds and vines and set about erasing a decade of damage to the kit homes; some of the more dedicated preservationists chose to retain the quaint light and bath frxtures, cabinets and other original installations.
Although modern improvements have been necessary through the years, there are often distinctive porches, roof structures, bannisters and other architectural features that continue to identify the dwellings as Sears models.
PROUD OWNERS
Today, all but four of the original 156 houses in the Carlinville neighborhood still stand and the proud owners of those homes, as well as Helen Turner down in Lincolnton, Georgia, Clyde and Sharon Reynolds, out on their farm near Lincoln, Illinois and several hundred others across the nation, share in a unique kind of Americana: They're living in mail order homes from Sears!

10I Georgia ForestryI Summer, 1996

FORE.STRY FIELD DAY COMPETITION
KEEN AT FINALS

The FFA Forestry Field Day State Finals were held at Commission headquarters in Macon where 160 students from 16 regional winning high schools competed in the annual series of events based on a variety of forestry related skills.
Winner of the statewide contest was the Brantley County High School FFA Chapter directed by Harold Hogan. Second place honors went to the Jackson County FFA Chapter directed by Jimmy Mock. Don Register, consultant forester with the state's Vocational Agricultural Department, said both winning FFA teams are now scheduled for participation in national competition to test their finely honed forestry skills with the best teams in the U.S.
Competitors in the Georgia FFA Finals emerged from eight regional meets held annually throughout the state during early spring. Winning teams participating in this year's finals included: Bainbridge High, Miller County, Echols County, Irwin County, Perry High, Houston County, Brantley County, Effingham County, Jefferson County, Harlem High, Bleckley County, Wheeler County, Harris County, Troup County, Oconee County, and Jackson County.
Individual first place winners in the various categories included: Reforestation/Jamie Lindsey of Houston County; Standing Pulpwood Estimation/Michael Strausbaugh of Perry High; Standing Sawtimber Estimation/Chad Crews of Brantley County; Dendrology/Rhonda Rives of Jackson County; Ocular Estimation/Danny Moore of Bainbridge High; Land Measurement/Michael Moore of Irwin County; Compass/Jason Reid of Echols County; Forest Disorders /Matt Griffin of Brantley County; Forest Management/ Simon Garrett of Oconee County; Timber Stand Improvement/Lisa Weberry of Bleckley County.

.. THE Wl.NNERS ..
The Brantley County High School FFA Chapte1; under the direction ofHarold Hogan, above, captured.first place at the annual meet and FFA students qf Jackson County High School, below, directed by Jimmy Mock, won second place honors in the highly competitive contest.
Georgia Forestry I Summer, 1996/ 11

LEARNING BEGINS AT
t...::::::=BUFFALO CREEK====-i

Buffalo Creek Education Center, 32 acres of heavily wooded hills and valleys on the west side of Carrollton, is the latest outdoor learning area developed under the leadership ofthe Forestry Commission.
Similar centers in recent years have been established or are planned for Dawson, Houston, Ware, Baldwin, Wheeler, Morgan, Richmond, Macon and Bibb counties.
I & E Coordinator Rebecca Cabe

of the Lamar-Pike-Spalding Forestry Unit, and coordinator of the Buffalo Creek project, said the center features 19 stations along a mile-long path where teachers, students and others can pause to study aspects of the highly diversified forest, vegetation and soils.
The new center formally opened in June, with a group oflocal teachers attending a Project Learning Tree session conducted in the forest. Forester Lee Milby of Pike County was facilitator and Inez

Hawkins of West Georgia RESA aided in the instructions.
Cabe said the center is now open to the public and visitors will have an opportunity to view abundant hardwood species, a pine plantation, beaver dam, soil profile demonstrations, a log cabin adjacent to a colonial-era garden, and an archaeological site with prehistoric material provided by West Georgia College. A small amphitheater is on the trail as a convenient, shady facility for teaching or entertaining.
The coordinator said those walking the long, scenic trail with its several-foot bridges, will have an opportunity to study the forest and other plant life in upland, bottomland and wetlands terrain. Commission foresters have identified the trees and a botanist from the local college provided identification of plant life on the forest floor.

Teachers of Carrollton and Carroll County schools and county commissioners pose at a log cabin in the 32-acre center. The two groups were on handfor the o.fftcial opening of the outdoor education development.
12/Georgia Forestry/Summer, 1996

The acreage for the learning center was provided by the Carroll County Board of Commissioners and materials for the project were furnished by Southwire, Inland Container, West Georgia College, U. S. Forest Service, Wood-Miser, local city and county schools, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Carroll County Extension Service, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and other organizations.
Most of the work on Buffalo Creek Education Center was carried out by personnel ofthe Carroll County Forestry Unit, headed by Chief Ranger Earl Bonner, with help from neighboring HeardTroup Unit.
Commission personnel work on special forestry-related projects at times when there is a lull in firefighting and other duties at the unit are not pressing.

Rebecca Cabe, District I&E Coordinator, of the Lamar-Pike-Spalding Unit, and coordinator ofthe Bl.{ffalo Creek Education Center, stands at a recently erected sign at the new center that will benefit students and others for
many years to come.

Activities on the trail included this "human tree" demonstration directed by Forester Lee Milby. Teachers formed an inner circle representing the heartwood, with those in other rings representing the sapwood, cambium, phloem andfinally those in the outer circle standing as bark. Milby had several rangers lie down to represent roots radiating.from the "trunk'. Teachers said they will now involve their students in the entertaining and educational exercise.
Georgia Forestry/Summer, 1996I 13

LOOKING BACK

1607
The British founded the Jamestown Colony and the export of lumber to England two years later began the history of the American lumber industry.

1732
Trustees of the Colony of Georgia were granted land grants by the crown, with much of the acreage covered by virgin forests.
1772
The initial survey of record on the forests of Georgia was made by William Bartram, an English botanist who listed the species he found in the state. He found the rare specimen "Magnolia Franklinia" in the Altamaha swamps.
1777
The Georgia Legislature passed the "Headright Law" which provided a 500-acre bonus for persons building a sawmill.
1858
The Georgia Legislature declared the stealing oflumber to be an "indictable offense."
1860-1865
The failure of the cotton market in this period, (due to the Civil War and its after-effects) allowed the natural growth of "old field pine" on much acreage formerly cleared for cotton throughout much of the Piedmont area.

Ken Dunn, Commission environmental education specialist, stands between two large GSAMS satellite dishes on top ofMacon's CIGNA building. Dunn coordinates Commission education programs conducted through the new high-tech system capable ofconnecting interactive classrooms worldwide.
COMMISSION EDUCATION CLASSES CAN GO WORLDWIDE ON GSAMS

BY BILL EDWARDS

The Commission is now offering environmental education through GSAMS (Georgia Statewide Academic and Medical System) with plans to expand into other areas through the new high-tech operation that can provide worldwide interactive classroom settings at the push of a button.
"This is new technology and we hope to take full advantage of it," said Ken Dunn, Commission environmental education specialist who coordinates the agency's GSAMS operation. He added that DL (distance learning) signals are bounced from a satellite recently placed in orbit by space shuttle; although the entire network is not based on satellite delivery.
"It gets technical," said Dunn, "but the main thing is that it works very effectively and Georgia has around 2000 GSAMS sites that can

connect up to eight locations for people to see and talk to each other as if they were in the same room. The potential for this sort of thing is tremendous."
The Commission's "Outdoor Classroom Seminars", coordinated by Dunn, have been conducted from the Georgia College GSAMS site located in Macon. Classes connected with four sites in various sections of the state included 200 students. Dunn said Georgia's comprehensive adoption of the GSAMS program enables "virtually every public school in the state to have access to GSAMS either through the school or a nearby community facility."
HOW GSAMS WORKS
The GSAMS network of DL classes is funded by the Distance

14I Georgia ForestryI Summer, 1996

LearningTelemedicine Act of 1992. Telephone lines, known as T-1 lines, connect the Georgia sites. Although GSAMS originated as a telemedicine network from Atlanta's Emory University, Dunn emphasized that uses of the system are limited only by the imagination. For example, during Georgia's 1994 flood emergency, the Georgia Emergency Management Administration used GSAMS to coordinate aid for flood victims.
CONNECTS SCHOOLS
"For basic educational purposes," Dunn said, "the primary intent of the system is to connect schools separated by great distances and diverse environments."
When Dunn's Commission classes are implemented through the GSAMS system, it operates the same as if classes were being extended to other continents. A classroom of approximately 30 people gather at a GSAMS site and are connected to classes at a maximum of eight other locations. Each site is equipped with modems, microphones, video monitors, VCRs, etc.
Dunn said classrooms are regulated so opportunity for interchange is limited to one person at a time in a designated area. A network administrator in the controlling GSAMS site regulates microphone access to the participating classrooms.
SESSIONS CONTROLLED
''Whoever is conducting the session maintains control of the dialogue," Dunn said, "or you would have the same sort of confusion that would be created in a single classroom ifeverybody tried to talk over each other at the same time. In GSAMS, confusion is eliminated by the system going mute if everybody tries to talk - until the monitoring person in charge designates microphone access to a single source."
Dunn said despite high-tech capabilities and operation procedures, GSAMS could be regarded as "simply a television with a phone attached to it."
Dunn said Commission classes

on the environment were well received and resulted in requests for more sessions of this sort. "We're planning some classes that concentrate on ecology and wetlands," he said. ''The other classes filled up in a matter of days, so the only problem we anticipate now is keeping up with the demands."
As GSAMS expands capabilities, Dunn said the Commission plans to expand with it. GSAMS now links K-12 public schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, technical schools, prisons, Georgia's Public Television Network, and even Zoo Atlanta together in an interactive, two-way environment.
COMMISSION'S ROLE
"The Commission is also a part of this system," Dunn said. "Right now, we (Commission) have access to the DOAS (Department of Administrative Services) site in Atlanta, so if we're going to receive training through DOAS, or the Merit System, or whatever, all we have to do is go to a local site, such as Georgia College." Dunn said DOAS administers and manages the overall GSAMS operation in Georgia, while the Academic Programming Office in Athens serves as a central communications site for information and promoting programming.
Although quality of education will inevitably increase due to accessing previously impractical sources, Dunn believes one of the major benefits to the Commission will be derived from saving money on training and routine meetings. "Personnel throughout the state can be brought together through GSAMS," he said. "It's a lot more economical to pay for air time than to pay the multiple expenses of travel, lodging, and individual meeting and classroom expenses."
It is the educational opportunities and possibilities, however, that interest Dunn most. 'We don't have it right now," he said, "but very soon the Commission will have the capabilities through GSAMS to go remote and broadcast classrooms from any area with a video camera."
Based on these remote capabili-

ties, Dunn said one of his top priority projects is to conduct a remote classroom from a distant Georgia logging operation, "so kids in downtown Atlanta can see it live and ask questions while the operation is in process." Dunn expects this logging class to become a reality soon - and he stressed again that "imagination is the only limiting factor for future GSAMS activities."
RUST RESISTANT PROGRESS SEEN AT ARROWHEAD
The Commission's Arrowhead Seed Orchard, one of the Southeast's oldest pine orchards, located near Cochran, has cut 50 acres of a 210 total for rust resistant progeny tests.
An initial 24 acres of rust resistant loblolly are being planted for eight progeny tests. Test trees were selected from the top 10 percent of rust resistant families at the Commission's Baldwin Seed Forest in Milledgeville. This carefully selected stock is expected to produce an optimum future seed source.
Current test data indicates that rust resistant seedlings from Baldwin Nursery, when planted on a high-risk rust hazard site, develop one-third less rust than unimproved seedlings. Arrowhead seedlings, when planted on the same site, have two-thirds less rust than unimproved seedlings. This single improvement offers considerable increase in landowner profits.
Outplanting ofany rust resistant seedlings are recommended only for high-hazard rust sites. The Georgia area most susceptible to infection is located 50 miles north and 50 miles south of a designated line between Augusta and Columbus.
The first Arrowhead Nursery seed harvest is expected in eight years. Mature orchard seed yields are expected to produce 10 million plantable seedlings for Georgia landowners.

Georgia ForestryI Surruner; 1996I 15

Thomson Oak Flooring Company survived a long-term negative marketfor hardwood.flooring and remains the largest plant ofits kind in the state. At one time, the McDuffie County plant was the only such business in Georgia. Declining markets reduced the number of Georgia hardwood flooring plants from 47 to one.

HARDWOOD FLOORING PLANTS MAKE COMEBACK IN GEORGIA

After a 15-year hiatus, hardwood flooring plants are making a comeback in Georgia, according to John Wells, staff forester with the Commission's Forest Products Utilization, Marketing & Development Department.
Wells, who specializes in such marketing studies, said the "comeback" refers mainly to plants specializing exclusively in hardwood flooring production. "There are currently 16 Georgia plants selling hardwood flooring," Wells said, "but only three large plants are in the business of solely manufacturing and selling hardwood flooring on a significant scale."
The remaining 13 plants, Wells
16I Georgia ForestryI Summer, 1996

said, are only partially involved with hardwood flooring. "Some sell only pine flooring," he said. "Some are
Primary contributing factor to popularity of hardwood was the development of polyurethane, a strong thermoplastic covering layer that renders hardwood flooring virtually maintenance free.

involved with combinations of hardwood and softwood flooring, and some are low volume mills." He pointed out that there are other small production operations dealing exclusively in hardwood flooring, but these businesses "make only small runs here and there."
RISE AND FALL
In 1957, Georgia's hardwood flooring industry was experiencing a booming business with 47 manufacturing plants. "This was probably the peak of the hardwood flooring industry in Georgia," Wells said. "Then, in the early 60s, FHA (Federal Housing Administration)

established a ruling that approved fmancing carpet with a home loan. Before this ruling, FHA and VA (Veterans Administration) loans required hardwood floors - neither organization recognized carpet for loan inclusion."
After the carpet ruling, only a few years passed before the number of flooring mills plunged as hardwood flooring was replaced by particle board used as a carpet underlayer. The 1957 high of 47 hardwood flooring plants dwindled to seven by 1964. By 1971, only three plants were still hanging on under increasing economic strain. Ten years later, only one of the three remained in business - Thomson Oak Flooring. This sole survivor, located in the town of Thomson, is still in business and remains the largest plant of its kind in the state with 105 employees. The other two similar hardwood flooring businesses now operational in Georgia are Milwood Specialty Flooring in Ellijay with 32 employees, and Piedmont Hardwood Flooring in Macon with 75 employees.
"All three manufacturing plants are doing a good business," Wells said, "and although 35 employees may not seem like a large business, it should be considered that an operation of this size - concentrating exclusively on hardwood flooring production - can manufacture a tremendous amount of flooring on a full-time basis."

the first thing he should do was to tear out all the carpeting in his house. "But that wasn't very practical," he said. ''The house belonged to my father."
He emphasized, however, that the primary contributing factor to the popularity ofhardwood was the development of polyurethane, a strong glass-clear thermoplastic covering layer that renders hardwood flooring virtually mainte-

nance free. "Anything usually spilled on the
floor will wipe offpolyurethane like cleaning glass," Wells said. "Of course, carpet can be cleaned and maintained, but not so easily."
Durability of a polyurethane hardwood floor is another improvement over the old spar varnish covering that had to be sanded down and refmished every few years.
(continued on page 19)

TOP: Logs are sorted at sawmill ofThomson Oak Flooring. Development of polyurethane is a majorfactor in resurgence ofhardwood.flooring market. BOTTOM: Woodyard across highway from sawmill shows massive stacks ofhardwood to become.flooring. Homeowners magazines now emphasize hardwood.floors as the style ofchoice.

REASONS FOR RENAISSANCE

Wells said to understand the near demise and subsequent resurgence of the hardwood flooring industry in Georgia and other states, a number offactors have to be considered.
"FHA and VA now recognize both carpeting or hardwood," Wells said, "and this has obviously been an influence on the 16 businesses now involved with hardwood flooring in Georgia. The tendency of carpet to retain allergens has also probably been a factor to a population becoming more environmentally and health conscious."
Wells recalled going to an allergist years ago and being told that

Georgia ForestryI Summer; 1996I 17

OUTSTANDING UNITS, DISTRICT AWARDED AT JEKYLL MEETING

Chief Ranger Frank Sorrells, center, proudly displays the Glynn Cowity Unit's Outstanding Unit Award plaquefor Region 2. Other unit personnel are, left to right, Rangers Billy Knight and Terry Palmer, Tower Operator Donna Popwell, and Forester Randy Elmore.

The Georgia ForestryAssociation presented the traditional Outstanding Achievement Awards to a Commission district and two county units during the organization's recent annual convention on Jekyll Island.
The Statesboro District and the Clarke-Oconee County and Glynn County Units were honored for achievements during an awards breakfast in conjunction with the three-day convention.
The Statesboro District, composed of 13 county units, was honored for exceptional service to landowners during the past year and for making significant improve-

Personnel of the Corrunission's Statesboro District, composed of 14 counties, gather at the district oJfice for an official photograph after receiving the Outstanding District Achievement Awardfrom the Georgia Forestry Association. District Forester Dan Gary, far right, holds the plaque presented at the Association's annual convention on Jekyll Island.
18I Georgia ForestryI Surruner, 1996

HARDWOOD FLOORING
(continued from page 17)

ChiefRanger Scott Bryant of the Clarke-Oconee Forestry Unit, center, and Rangers Norris Hawkins, left, and Alvin Layton were honored for high achievements during the year. The personnel received the Outstanding Unit Awardfor Region 1.

ments to Commission facilities within its territory.
Under District Forester Dan Gary's leadership, foresters and rangers have won the respect of landowners, as well as the general public, for their expert assistance, according to the GFA.
The Outstanding Forestry Unit Award (Region 2) was presented to the Glynn County Unit for "the exceptionally fine work Chief Ranger Frank Sorrells and his personnel did during the past year."
District Forester D. C. (Buck) Wynn said the ranger's excellent leadership has "instilled pride and a teamwork attitude" responsible for a long list of unit accomplishments. The unit was moved two years ago to a more spacious location and the employees have worked long and hard to make it one of the most modern and efficient county units in the Commission.
Fire prevention programs were given for more than 4,800 students and personnel coordinated and instructed Boy Scouts in the plant-

ing of 16,000 pine seedlings at a regional public park.
The unit, in conjunction with the Glynn County Tree Advisory Board and Habitat for Humanity, developed a tree planting schedule to set out trees at homes as they are built by the Habitat for Humanity organization.
The Association presented the Outstanding Forestry Unit Award (Region 1) to the Clarke-Oconee County Unit for "remarkable accomplishments during the past year." The unit, headed by Chief Ranger Scott Bryant, fought 114 forest fires and held the average to just 1.88 acres in Oconee County. More than 2,350 burning permits were issued and personnel plowed almost 50 miles of firebreaks.
Environmental, Smokey Bear, Arbor Day and Junior Forest Ranger programs were conducted for 5,200 students and 8,200 pieces of literature were distributed. Southern Pine Beetle smveys revealed 86 locations ofinfestation and landowners were alerted and given helpful information.

"Under normal use, any polyurethane hardwood floor should last many years," Wells said.
The psychological impact ofmarketing has also made its mark on the market. "Hardwood flooring is in - it's in vogue to have a hardwood floor. Magazines depicting upper scale homes now feature a lot more hardwood flooring," Wells pointed out.
In addition to appealing to homeowners, prefinished hardwood flooring also appeals to builders due to easy installation. The wood is already sealed in polyurethane and does not have to be finished after installation. "So far, none of the Georgia manufacturers have initiated a prefinished line," Wells said, "but I think it's just a matter of time because the potential for this market is so big."
HARDWOOD FUTURE
As for future developments in the Georgia hardwood flooring industry, Wells sees an updating of equipment and technology in existing manufacturing concerns, rather than a sudden increase in the number of plants. He also believes it is a good possibility that some plants will begin manufacturing a line of laminant hardwood flooring (a plywood-type product with a hardwood wear-surface and two underlying layers ofless expensive wood). "This reduces the amount of high quality wood needed," Wells said, "but the appearance is the same."
Regardless ofwhat new developments occur, the Commission remains ready to promote this valuable forestry industry in Georgia. "We (Commission) have always worked with these types of companies in getting them involved with export and other phases of marketing," Wells said. 'We look forward to working with anyone interested in developing a hardwood flooring business in Georgia."
Georgia Forestry/Summer, 1996/ 19

~~;::~"~'e1? ... .....,.::
EASTERN OLD-GROWTH FORESTS: PROSPECTS FOR REDISCOVERY AND RECOVERY, edited by Mary Byrd Davis, 420 pages, Photos, illustrations, maps and tables. Island Press, 1718 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20009: Hardcover $50.00.
Old growth forest - loosely defined as forest that appears generally as it would have if Europeans had not settled North America - is now known to be of incalculable value. Eastern OldGrowth Forests: Prospects of Rediscovery and Recovery in the Eastern United States.
Edited by Mary Byrd Davis, the volume offers essays by leading experts that emphasize some old-growth forest areas could be restored to become future wilderness, while others could become nodes of biodiversity. The common denominator linking all these possibilities is that scientists are just beginning to discover valuable characteristics which make old-growth forests biologically unique.
Essays are divided into three basic sections: Biological and Cultural Values, Identification and Preservation/Restoration. The essays are framed in introduction by Robert Leverett who analyzes historic views of forests and current definitions of oldgrowth. Bill McKibben provides an epilogue depicting old-growth forest remnants as a haunting indication of possible future forests in the East.
The authors reveal that the incredible old-growth Eastern forests long regarded as lost to the onslaught of alleged progress actually still exist and can be protected and possibly restored to their original state.

MISS GEORGIA FORESTRY PAGEANT SCHEDULED JULY 18-20 IN WAYCROSS

The 56th annual Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant will be held July 18-20 in Waycross. an event in which a young lady will be selected to represent and help promote forest interests by attending conventions, fairs, parades and other occasions around the state.
The winner in the contest this year will be crowned by Kip Corbin of Thomson, the current Miss Georgia Forestry. During her yearlong reign, the Georgia Southern University nursing student has made many public appearances and was featured in television promotions filmed by the Commission.
The annual pageant was sponsored for many years by the Georgia Forestry Association and more recently by the Commission, but is now conducted by the Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant Association, a non-profit organization.
ELECTRONIC BOARD REVISED, EXPANDED
The Commission's Georgia Forestry Exchange Mart (GFEM), a statewide electronic bulletin board linking buyers and sellers of wood products, has been revived and expanded by the Forest Products, Utilization, Marketing & Development Department.
GFEM participants can sign on through personal computer and modem. Bulletin board information topics now include: lumber, pallets, biomass energy. equipment, specialty wood products, residue, wood recyclers, publications, and various forestry events.
The system may be accessed through 1-800-347-3913. The bulletin board is accessible seven days a week on a 24 hour basis.
For more information on GFEM call Shureka BoldenBattle at 912/751-4416.

For additional information, contact Sheran Strickland, 3887 Scapa Road, Waycross, Georgia 31503. Phone 912/283-8151.

RYFUN NOW HEADS TIFTON DISTRICT

Forester Mike Ryfun, a native of

Brunswick who came with the

Commission in 1970, was recently

named Tifton District Forester.

A graduate of Glynn Academy. he

attended Abraham Baldwin Agri-

cultural College two years and went

on to the School of Forest Re-

sources, University of Georgia, to

earn a bachelor of science degree

in Forestry.

His first assignment with the

Commission was management for-

ester in the Waycross District's

Pierce, Appling

and Wayne

Counties. He

later served for

a brief period in

the Statesboro

District, fol-

lowed by an as-

signment in the

RYFUN

old Midway District.

The forester transferred to the

Camilla District in 1981 and moved

to the Tifton District last year.

Ryfun and his wife, Betty. who

is human resources manager for

Cagle Inc. in Camilla, have four

daughters: Angie, Amy, Alison and

Jessica, and one granddaughter.

Kayla. They are members of the

Baptist Church.

Ryfun has a Black Belt in karate

and is a scuba diver.


It is one thing to learn about the past; it is another to wallow in it.
-Kenneth Auchincloss

20/Georgia ForestryI Summer, 1996

GEORGIA

FORESTRY

<:">

~

(?~_ All~~"~

NEW BOARD MEMBERS APPOINTED

Two new members were recently appointed and one re-appointed to the Board of Commissioners, Georgia Forestry Commission, by Governor Zell Miller.
Larry S. Walker of Oglethorpe was named to replace Dr. Gloria Shatto, president of Berry College, whose term expired last year; Paul (P.W.) Bryan, Jr. ofThomasville will serve the unexpired term of Robert Simpson, III of Lakeland, who

WALKER

BRYAN

was serving his third seven-year term when he died early this year.
James G. Fendig of Savannah was re-appointed to a second term. Others on the board are Jim L. Gillis, Jr. of Soperton, chairman, and C. M. Eunice of Blackshear.
Walker, who holds a master of forestry degree from the University ofGeorgia and a bachelor ofscience degree from Clemson University, is forest stewardship manager for Weyerhaeuser Company. He leads development and execution of strategies to insure the practice of sustainable forestry on his

company's lands in Georgia: he communicates with private tree farmers to encourage adherence to sound environmental practices.
The new board member is a director and past president of the Georgia Forestry Association. He is a recipient of the association's Wise Owl Award and finance and budget chairman of Oglethorpe Baptist Church. Walker and his wife, Beth, have two daughters, Summer and Bonnie Lynne.
Bryan graduated from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 1957 and from the University of Georgia in 1959, with a bachelor of science degree in forestry. He later earned a masters degree in forest land management from UGA.
He worked as a forester for Balfour Lumber Company in Thomasville for six years and was later a forestry consultant in Southwest Georgia.
Bryan purchased Metcalf Lumber Company with others in 1975 and later became partner with J. Mack Robinson in the company. The two owners bought Del Cook Lumber Company in Adel ten years ago and Bryan, a past director of Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association, is president of the two companies. The newly appointed board member and his wife, Lisa, have four children: Thomas D. (Duke), Julie, Ryan and Lane.

When a Cessna airplane crashed into the White House lawn in 1994, it seriously damaged a historic tree and it was feared the 167-year-old magnolia would be lost.
It was planted by President Andrew Jackson in memory of his wife, Rachel, who died in 1828.
Now comes the report from ARBOR AGE that the big tree is expected to survive and if you have a $20 bill in your wallet or purse, you have a picture of the tree. It is seen on the west side of the portico on the back of the bill.

MAGAZINE ARTICLE

TAKES TOP AWARD

Howard Bennett, public rela-

tions manager of the Georgia For-

estry Commission and editor of

GEORGIA FORESTRY. was pre-

sented the Best Feature Article

Award at the recent annual con-

ference of the Magazine Associa-

tion of Georgia.

Bennett's article. entitled "This

Old Store," appeared in the Win-

ter, 1995 issue of the magazine. It

was a story on a 97-year-old coun-

try store near Lincolnton that once

sold everything

from pine cas-

kets to farm

wagons and

continues in op-

eration today as

one of Georgia's

oldest authentic

general stores.

BENNETI

The award also went to

Bennett at the

convention in Atlanta last year for

his feature story, 'The Pencil." It

appeared in the Winter, 1994 is-

sue of the magazine.

The articles were judged in the

association's trade publications

category with revenue under

$750,000. Judges this year were

from the faculty of the University

of Mississippi.

The award this year marks the

third time GEORGIA FORESTRY

has been honored by the Magazine

Association of Georgia. In 1992,

Associate Editor Bill Edwards won

the Best Feature Article Award. His

feature, 'To Burn Or Not To Burn",

clarified the frequently misunder-

stood practice of prescribed burn-

ing.

The Georgia Magazine Associa-

tion has 416 members represent-

ing more than 200 publications.

Reprints of GEORGIA FOR-

ESTRY award winning stories are

available by writing to the Infor-

mation and Education Depart-

ment, Georgia Forestry Commis-

sion, Box 819, Macon, GA 31202,

or phone 912/751-3530.

Georgia ForestryI Summer 1996I 21

_ _ _ .".- _.,.,~~1".'"~~.....J'.,...-~, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

GEORGIANS RECEIVE HONORS FROM ARBOR DAY ORGANIZATION

Two Georgians, flanked by John Rosenow, president ojThe National Arbor Day Foundation; and Mary Yager, the foundation's program director, receive plaques at the organization's annual awards ceremonies. Deen Day Smith ofNorcross, center above, and Gene Carpenter, center below, are the recipients.

The Bull Street Improvement Project of Savannah received the Lady Bird Johnson Award, and a Georgia officer of the National Council of State Garden Clubs was honored at the recent annual awards ceremonies ofThe National Arbor Day Foundation.
The improvement along Savannah's historic Bull Street, a thoroughfare interspersed with many beautiful parks enhanced by ancient oaks and other hardwoods, is privately funded by the Historic Savannah Foundation. It received the high award for its work in restoring the tree canopy along the street.
Mrs. Deen Smith of Norcross, who currently serves as vice president of the National Council of State Garden Clubs, received the Frederick Law Olmstead Award for her commitment to tree planting and conservation through the Garden Club of Georgia and the national organization.

NATIONAL AWARDS

22I Georgia ForestryI Summer, 1996

The ceremonies, held at The National Arbor Day Foundation headquarters in Nebraska City, Nebraska, recognize organizations and individuals throughout the nation who make outstanding contributions to the environment and enhance the beauty of cities, towns and the countryside by planting and caring for trees.
One of the objectives of the foundation is to help communities make streets more beautiful and livable with trees and John Rosenow, president of the organization, said, "street trees are a meaningful element of community forestry programs all over America...The men and women who plant and care for these trees deserve our support."
The Georgia Forestry Commission, a pioneer in urban forestry, works closely with the foundation.

people
1n the news
SHEILA LONG, who began her Commission employment in accounting in 1976, was recently named secretary to the Forest Management Department. A native of Macon and a graduate of Lasseter High School, she worked for Southern Bell before coming with the Commission. She left the Commission in 1981 to work in the private sector, but returned in 1987 to work in payroll and later at the central shop. The secretary

LONG

THORNTON

and her husband, David, have two children, Nathan and Mandy. The family is active in Roundway Baptist Church...Long succeeds GLYNDA THORNTON, a native of Macon and a graduate of Miller High School who came with the Commission in 1960 as a clerk in the Administration Department. She became secretary to the Management Department a year later and served under three chiefs Billy McComb, Druid Preston and Lynn Hooven - during her lengthy career. She was honored at a retirement dinner in the Commission auditorium, an event attended by

WEBB

FARRIS

relatives, friends and many former employees. Thornton and her husband, Tommy, have two children, Lynn and Brent. The family attends East Macon United Methodist Church, where she serves as pianist...TOMMY WEBB, a native of Alabama who moved with his family to the Bowden area at an early age, was recently named chief ranger of the ChattahoocheeMarion County Unit to succeed Todd Bell, who transferred to Lee County. The new chief ranger attended high schools in Bowden and Stewart County. He came with the Commission's Quitman-StewartWebster County Unit in 1973 and also served in the Haralson County Unit. Webb is a member of the Church of God and the Lions Club ... ROBERT FARRIS, Milledgeville District Forester since 1994, recently transferred to the Commission Central Office in Macon to assume the position of Commission training coordinator. He

BAKER

COOK

succeeds Bruce Pierce, a resident of Milledgeville, who resigned to pursue a career in the private sector. Farris, a native of Atlanta and a graduate of the University of Georgia, came with the Commission in 1986 in the Butts-Henry County Unit and later served in the Newnan District Office before his assignment in Milledgeville...JULIA BAKER, who came with the Commission in 1977 and has served in several capacities, was recently named secretary to the Forest Information & Education Department. The Bibb County native and graduate of Cross Keys Christian

Academy began work in the Refor-

estation Department and trans-

ferred a year later to serve as sec-

retary/typist in the Management

Department. In more recent years

she was accounting technician in

accounts receivable in the Admin-

istration Department. The new l&E

secretary and her husband, Tony,

live in Gray and she is a member

of Shurlington Baptist

Church...Baker succeeds HARBYN

COOK, who became secretary to the

Information and Education Depart-

ment in 1991, after having served

as librarian,

secretary to the

Reforestation

Department

and several

other positions

during her ca-

reer which be-

gan in May,

1962. She is a

native of Gordon and a

PIERCE

graduate of

Wilkinson County High School.

Upon retirement, she was hon-

ored at a luncheon given by the

l&E Department and later at an

afternoon reception in the Com-

mission auditorium. Relatives

and a large group of Commission

employees and retirees gathered

for the occasion. Cook and her

husband, Fred, have two daugh-

ters, Leslie and Hannah. The

family attends Pitts Chapel

United Methodist Church

... BRUCE PIERCE, staff for-

ester in the Protection Depart-

ment, has resigned to go into

the ministry. He will attend

Erskine Presbyterian (PCA)

Theological Seminary in South

Carolina for three years.

Pierce, who came with the

Commission in 1982 as a pa-

trolman, is a graduate of the

University of Washington

School of Forest Resources and

a native of Seattle. He was pro-

moted by the Commission to

forester in 1984 and served in

the McRae District. In 1992, he

assumed his current position at

Macon headquarters. Pierce and

his family are currently active

in the Milledgeville Covenant

Presbyterian Church, where he

serves as a deacon. He and his

wife, Elaine, have two children,

David 16, and Julia 13.

Georgia ForestryI Summer, 1996/ 23

BEAR HUG
Pholo by Marshall AvettjJackson Progress-Argus
PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT DRY BRANCH GEORGIA AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES
Approximate Cost of Press Time and Paper Only COST: 3606 QTY: BM

(~,;\
F(:CC
. 1:...';
F&
Li1J/2

Camping out has always beenpopular, but it has drastically changed since this couple took to the woods in 19221 Today, increasing population and industry have made camping a shrinking outdoor luxury in many sections of the United States. Georgia, however, through intense promotion of forestry, has sustained many areasfor camping, including those designated in numerous state parks.
ON THE COVER - Swinging under a big shade tree out in thefront yard is one ofthe simple pleasures ofchildhood, and when Commission photographer Billy Godfrey came upon these youngsters taking turns at the swing, he captured a scene that will surely bringfond memories to all who once knew this innocent summerpastime. Left to right are David Green, Forsyth; Casey Clark, Macon; and Laura Green, David's sister, Forsyth.
2 I Georgia Forestry/Summer, 1996

D r. Hugh Hinely, a retired university professor, has been selected Georgia's 1996 Outstanding Tree Farmer for his 850-acre Cuny Hill Tree Farm in Decatur County.
Located east of Bainbridge, the Curry Hill farm has been in the Hinely family since 1842.

FARM IS LISTED IN THE NATIONAL
REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

Dr. Hinely, retired from Tallahassee's Florida State University as a professor of vocational rehabilitation, has managed Cuny Hill for the past 22 years.
The first forest management plan for Cuny Hill was established 25 years ago with the primary objective being to retain the family property by utilizing income from timber and pecans for operation. A wide variety of soil and forest species compose Cuny Hill. Timber stands range from one-yearold pine stands to mature stands of natural pine and hardwoods.
RAPID REFORESTATION
Rapid reforestation is the main concern following a carefully planned timber harvest. Both natural and artificial regeneration are used to establish future stands.
Dr. Hill also manages Cuny Hill for wildlife species including deer, turkeys and ducks. A road system provides access to hunting and timber areas. Stream crossings,

DR. HUGH HINELY SELECTED TREE FARMER OF THE YEAR

water bars and turnouts are routinely maintained. Prescribed burns are vital in achieving many of the forestry and wildlife plans.
It is Dr. Hinely's intent that the next generation of Cuny Hill tree farmers be well informed concerning forestry and wildlife plans for the tract. To ensure this, he provides educational opportunities for younger members of his family. He believes this educational process will sustain Cuny

Hill as a working tree farm for many years.
Dr. Hinely, who has also received numerous vocational educational awards, including Florida's Outstanding Professor Award, was honored in early 1972 by having Curry Hill Tree Farm listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register plaque is located at the entrance to Curry Hill on Georgia Highway 84.

Georgia ForestryI Swnmer, 1996I 3

11TH Biennial Georgia Fire Equipment Show

It would be difficult today to find a Georgia hamlet or a remote country crossroads community that is not protected by Rural Fire Defense, a program administered by the Georgia Forestry Commission.
The RFD program was established in the late 1960's to help communities obtain firefighting equipment and training for volunteers and has now grown into a statewide network of more than 800 fire stations with approximately 13,000 volunteers. Thousands ofpieces ofequipment, from sophisticated communications systems to rolling stock, have made Georgia the national leader in providing fire protection for all its citizens.
INFORMATIVE PROGRAM
Last month, the Commission sponsored the I lTII Biennial Georgia Fire Equipment Show to bring RFD firemen, city, county and state officials and others concerned with fire protection together for a day of informative speeches, equipment demonstrations and other training events.
A morning program during the all-day event was moderated by Wesley Wells, chief of the Commission's Forest Protection Department, with a welcome address by David Westmoreland, Commission director. Gary Thomas, chief of the Carroll County Fire/Rescue EMA was guest speaker an,d presented a film concerning a plane crash and rescue operations.
The show, held at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, also featured 27 equipment booths representing dealers from Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Mississippi. Several RFD departments

displayed equipment on the grounds.
Don Freyer, RFD coordinator for the Commission, termed the show another successful gathering of hundreds of people vitally interested in fire protection.
THE EARLY YEARS
In the early years of RFD, federal excess equipment - mainly army trucks.- were obtained and outfitted as fire trucks. The Commission set up shops in several county units and when personnel were not engaged in fighting forest fires or other essential duties, they built steel tanks that were mounted on the surplus trucks. The finished product, complete with plumbing and pumping equipment capable of drafting water from lakes and other bodies ofwater, is called the "fire knocker" and has been the mainstay in defense against rural fires.
Now that RFD is well established throughout the state and the rural population is more appreciative of the protection it affords, some counties and other entitles are becoming less dependent on the Commission. Some, through taxation, cost-share programs or other means, are buying new trucks and having the Commission build and mount tanks on the chasis and install front mounts to create Class A pumpers.
Although RFD volunteers are not trained to .fight forestftres ~d ~ not obligated to assist Commission rangers in battling woods fires, they are often on the scene to attend interface situations that extend outof the woods.
The hundreds of volunteer firemen, firefighting officials and oth:ers attending the show this year exchanged information and ideas.

4 /Georgia Forestry/Summer, 1996

Georgia Forestry/Summer. 1996/5

Americans anxiously awaited and eagerly read the big annual catalog and when Richard W. Sears, early in the century, added "Honor Bilt Modern Homes" to the list of 100,000 items featured in the lavishly illustrated pages, thousands of families were able to realize their "dream home." Today, to the delight of architectural historians, preservationists and others, hundreds of the "kit-homes" still exist in cities, towns and rural settings across the country.
MAIL ORDER HOMES

By Howard Bennett

W:en the Sears, Roebuck nd Company catalog ame in the mail in the spring of 1908, Pharmacist T. P.

Mitchell of Lincolnton was fascinated with a brand new section in the familiar "wish book."
It was the year the big Chicago

mail-order house introduced its "Honor-Bilt Modern Homes" section - several pages devoted to handsome pre-cut and ready-toassemble homes "even a novice" could erect with benefit of accompanying blueprints and a 76page instruction manual.
Lured by the advertising copywriter's promises of "happiness and contentment" in home ownership, a liberal payment plan and the choice of several styles

This house in Lincolnton, assembled piece-by-piece in 1910 with materials pre-cut and shipped by rail.from Chicago, is one ofthousands sold in Georgia and across the nation by Sears, Roebuck and Company.
6I Georgia ForestryI Summer 1996

conceived by Sears newly in stalled council of architects, Mitchell placed his order in 1910 for Honor Bilt Modern Home No. 124. He was among the first of 100,000 who would buy the mail order homes during the next 40 years.

BY FARM WAGON

The material for the complete nine-room, two-story "bungalow" cost $1, 103 and consisted of millwork, ceiling, siding, flooring, finishing lumber, building paper, pipe, gutter, sash weights, hardware, paint, mantels, lath, nails and shingles. It came by rail from Chicago to Atlanta and then over to Washington, GA. It was hauled by farm wagon from the Washington freight depot to the building site in Lincolnton.
Practically everything came with the house except the masonry. Local bricklayers were hired to build chimneys for fireplaces in the four bedroom house.
The Mitchell mail order house has stood 86 years at the corner of Humphrey and Dallas Streets in the Northeast Georgia town, and Helen Turner, the present owner of the well-maintained residence, said, "It is nothing special. It just holds a lot of pleasant memories for me." But to many preservationists across the nation, the Sears "kit house" is very special.
In 1982, the Associated Press had member newspapers ask readers if they knew of Sears homes in their areas and the response was overwhelming. It triggered a national search for the hundreds of Sears homes that still exist. Residents of older homes, who were not the original owners, sought clues that would identify a Sears model. Millions of homes somewhat similar to Sears designs were constructed during the three decades, but those from the mail order company have distinctive markings, unless they have been replaced through extensive renovation.

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The popular catalog reached out to the most remote hamlets and rural settlements and the advertising prose was always alluring, promising, convincing.

E very stud, joist, rafter, plate and piece of molding was numbered for easy assembly and a search in the attic or beneath the floor can often determine whether or not a building came by rail from Chicago.
Kitchens "modern in every detail," with built* in folding ironing board.
convenient entry for delivery man to place ice i.n the icebox ...sleepi.ng
porches.... handsome fireplace mantels.. .lots
of space for "phonograph, davenport" and other furnishings in the
Uving room.

Turner, owner ofher Sears house since 1957, said "A Mr. James Murray, the original builder, wore out three sets of blueprints" in erecting the house from thousands of pieces. " It came plank by plank, everything numbered on the back.. .it was like a jigsaw puzzle," she mused. The local pharmacist apparently hired builder Murray to solve his home puzzle.
The attractive house has known several owners since 1910, but Turner has been the most fortunate. She said she was "special as a young child" to Mr. and Mrs. W. T. House, friends of her family who once owned the house. The couple in the fifties presented the residence to her as a gift!

Georgia ForestryI Summer, 1996/ 7

Long Life and Happiness

To get the full share of Good Health, Long Life

and Happiness for yourself and kiddies, to get

the most out of life as our Creator intended it

should be, A HOME OF YOUR OWN is an abso-

lute necessity.

It promotes happiness and contentment, for it

is the most pleasant and natural way to live. It

has the correct environment made up ofthe natu-

ral instead of the artificial.

Green grass, trees, shrubbery, flower and veg-

etable gardens all your own, provide a pleasant

pastime, and an abundance of the things we all

crave. It is the real life that leads to happiness,

for you, and those you love.

Best of all, a home of your own does not cost

you any more than your present mode of living.

Instead of paying monthly rental, by our Easy

Payment Plan you may have all these luxuries

at a lower cost and, in the end, have a beautiful

home instead of worthless rent receipts.

Our plan is simple. It has already enabled

thousands of people to get out of the renter's

class. This pan will put you in your own home

and give you your independence.

On the following pages you will find over 100

designs of homes. Some ofthem will surely meet

with your ideas of what a real home should be.

We will gladly tell you all about any house in

this book and will show you how easy it is to

own a home on our Easy Payment Plan. Write

us. An Information Blank has been placed in the

back of this book for your convenience.

.

Be sure to read about our Ready-Cut System

on pages 10 and 11, and how this system will

save about one-half of your carpenter labor.

Imaginative advertising copywriters sold more than homes in the catalogs; they sold a new way of life, a homeowner's dream where beautiful lawns and flowers would flourish, friendly neighbors would live next door and there would be peaceful independence in old age.

It was logical for the company that sold everything from cradles to tombstones to the American family to ease into the home market in the early years of this century; windows, doors, millwork, roofing, nails and other building materials had been well represented in the catalog for several years.
The company was formed in 1886 by Richard Sears, a watch salesman, and his repairman, Alvah Roebuck, but Roebuck sold
8 /Georgia ForestryI Summer, 1996

his interest to his partnerjust nine years later, leaving the aggressive Sears to come up with the novel idea of offering packaged homes to a devoted public that often accepted the big illustrated catalog as something akin to literature.
The initial sales pitch in 1908 was so successful that a separate homes catalog was issued later that year to promote the first 22 models, including an attractive cottage for $650. With advertising becoming more florid, a later catalog be-

seeched the reader "to get the full share of Good Health, Long Life and Happiness for yourselfand kiddies, to get the most out of life as our Creator intended it should be. A HOME OF YOUR OWN is an absolute necessity."
CHOICE LUMBER
The company's solid, all-wood houses that first made the scene long before homes wrapped in plastic, vinyl, aluminum and other siding substitutes began to dot the suburbs and rural areas, were all ofchoice materials, according to the catalogs.
'We do not handle inferior types oflumber," the advertising stressed. "The lumber furnished for 'Honor Bilt Modern Homes' is bright and new, fine dry Douglas fir or Pacific Coast hemlock for framing and cypress for outside finish..." Oak, birch and yellow pine "in selected, clear grades" also were listed for exterior finish, but the catalog ad writers employed their most persuasive prose when it came to cypress:
"King Tut's tomb, recently unearthed, revealed articles made of cypress that are still in good condition, notwithstanding the thousands ofyears they have been buried under the ground. Cypress is justly called 'The Wood Eternal' and on account of its wonderful weather-resisting qualities, it is specified very liberally by us in all places where material is exposed to the elements."
Boastful statements concerning superior materials were scattered throughout the annual homes catalogs, but present day building contractors who have examined the kit homes say the claims are not exaggerated; they contend they would be hard pressed today to find the straight, knot-free, quality lumber that went into every detail of construction.
M ost ofthe homes that survived are in demand. A little four-room cottage in suburban Washington, D. C. sold for $95,000 and a 1928 Sears

house with a kit price of $1,807 in the same area went for $160,000.
Clyde Reynolds and his wife Sharon came upon a sadly neglected two-story farmhouse near Lincoln, Illinois in 1981 and although it had been vacant six years and would .require major renovation, they realized its potential. They were fascinated with the big wraparound porch, stained glass windows and other architectural features of the four-bedroom house, and after having an appraiser carefully examine the property and finding it structurally sound, they bought it for $65,000.
Before they set about on the restoration, however, their building contractor noticed something in the attic that reminded him of a Sears home he had seen. "I thought he was joking," Reynolds told GEORGIA FORESTRY, "but upon checking with Sears in Chicago and receiving a catalog page that matched the house, it turned out to be just that." It is a 1913 Sears Modern Home that originally sold for $2,000 at a time when the average production worker was making about $250 a year.
Reynolds doesn't claim to be a history buff, but he proudly points out that "of all the millions of homes built in this century, only 100,000 were Sears homes" and that makes his a "limited edition like a classic car." The contractor estimated it would cost about $148,000 to duplicate the farmhouse today ifmaterials ofthe high quality supplied by Sears 83 years ago went into the new structure.

She pointed out it is known it was pre-cut and shipped to the site, as were several homes in the area during the early years of the century, but its true origin remains unknown.
0 livia Anastasiadis, curator of the library, also noted there are "no blueprints available." She said Nixon's father, Frank, built the house in 1912 on a nine-acre site which was a lemon and orange grove at the time. 'We understand it was a catalog home," she said, "but so far we have not determined which catalog...nor if, in fact, it is a catalog home."
A few residents have learned they are living in a Sears home through accidental discovery of fading blueprints in the attic, a find that has prompted some to frame the plans for display on the den or living room wall. Most who suspect their home came in thousands of numbered pieces in a railroad boxcar are not as fortunate and when they run out of clues, they seek help from the 40th floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago. The archive staff searches old catalogs in an attempt to match photos and

NIXON HOME

A brief revival of interest in mail order homes came in 1994 when former President Richard Nixon's nationally televised funeral and burial were held on the grounds of his boyhood home in Yorba Linda, California.
Although it is believed the little house is a kit type model, archivist Susan Naulty of the The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace said in a telephone interview that "we can't verify it came from Sears."

The photo above is one of ten lumber warehouses with 800-joot loading platforms that were maintained by the company. A sash and door plant covered almost 20 acres. Shown above is one of the plants where studs, joists, rafters and other components were cut or mitered to conform to blueprints and numbered for home assembly by the buyer.
Georgia Forestry/Summer. 1996I 9