When the Alpharetta Women’s Club and Sears Roebuck came together

Sears Roebuck was founded in 1886 as a seller of watches by mail order. It has undergone many changes over the ensuing decades, but one of its most ambitious undertakings was the sale of house kits by mail order catalog. Sears claims to have sold more than 100,000 mail order homes in North America between 1908 and 1940 via their Modern Homes program. During that period. Sears designed 447 different home styles, each of which could be modified by a purchaser, thus creating an infinite number of unique homes. Depression era mortgage loan defaults and pre-World War II shortages of lumber and other building materials forced closure of the business. Some estimates are that up to 70 percent of the Sears houses are still standing, but no one knows for sure where the houses are because Sears destroyed the sales records during a corporate housekeeping. There are ways to determine if a given house is from a Sears kit, such as identifying stamps on the lumber.

Seven companies provided kit houses, but Sears Roebuck was by far the largest. As an alternative to the purchase of a complete kit, customers could buy house plans and use local lumber to build the homes.

One of the best-known homes in Alpharetta from that era is found at 112 Cumming Street. The most common and accepted version of its origin is that B.F. (Benjamin Franklin) Shirley (1879--1963) built the Queen Anne style home from a plan purchased in 1908 from a Sears

Roebuck catalog. Shipping a complete kit from the factory to Marietta by train and then hauling the lumber over dirt roads to Alpharetta posed many challenges and B.F. Shirley would have used local lumber for the project.

However, according to a July 1999 article in the Atlanta Constitution, “Right out of the Sears catalog,” the cost of the home was less than $1,000 including shipping and construction of a complete Sears house. In 1911 two other possible Sears houses were built nearby. B.F. Shirley’s brother Obadiah built a house next door, and Sherman Gardner built a house across the street.

According to another version based provided with take-home vials, so you can recharge your pearly whites before a din ner party or event.

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It is interesting to note that John

Franklin Shirley’s father was named Benjamin Shirley and that John had a son named Benjamin Franklin Shirley which may be the cause of some confusion.

The Alpharetta Women’s Club, founded during World War II, purchased the Shirley home in 1962 and used it as its headquarters. It held fundraisers to pay off a bank loan signed for by three of the ladies’ husbands, Troy Carroll of Carroll Realty, Louie Jones, owner of a funeral home, and Q.A. Wills, mayor of Alpharetta and business owner. The club paid off the loan in 1969. Fulton County Bank President, William Barrett presented the club with a silver tea service from the bank. The club had about 30 members at its peak. The women had a favorite charity, Tallulah Falls School, founded in 1909 with 29 mountain children. Located in the town of Tallulah Falls, Georgia, the school serves 500 students today.

The club took an active role in 1965 to establish a permanent library in Alpharetta. Up to that time, the city was serviced by a bookmobile which came to town every other Wednesday afternoon.

The club was a social and community services organization, but over the years membership dwindled and it eventually closed. Former club Vice President Vespa B. Smith says “the Alpharetta Women’s Club was an integral part of the community for decades.” matter how long you have been in a relationship. Perhaps you could trim your beard or experiment with a new hairstyle. Maybe showcase an outfit that feels fun and playful, paint your nails, or try out a new accessory. You may feel that you have already “sealed the deal,” but that certainly doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t continue to garner your partner’s interest.

Postscript: The house was sold in 2017 and is being restored and renovated.

Special thanks to two outstanding local historians, Ed Malowney and Connie Mashburn for their help with this column.

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net.

4. Spend Time Apart. Though this may seem counterproductive, it can, at certain points and for certain lengths of time, play a vital part in enriching your time together. By reserving some time for both of you to “do your own thing,” you can eagerly return to one another feeling recharged mentally, emotionally, and relationally – and feeling ready to reconnect.

5. Swap Out the Usual. Sometimes exchanging a common experience for an uncommon one can really do the trick when it comes to re-energizing your relationship routines. Collaborate