Among these homes is one owned by retired teachers, Ben and Mary.
They purchased their Sears home in 1962 for $6,500.
They even celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary in the same house, standing as strong and proud as the day it was built.
Carlinville’s transformation into a hub of Sears homes began with its history as a housing development for coal miners.
An oil company, seeking to provide housing for its workers, purchased several of these kit homes.
Each came with 12,000 parts, hundreds of pounds of nails, and a 75-page instruction book.