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[Identification of item], Box [insert number], Folder [insert number and title], Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Ms. Rosemary Thornton
Gift. Accession #A2011-18
Rosemary Thornton was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1959, to Thomas Hoyt Fuller and Betty Brown Fuller. Thornton spent most of her childhood in Virginia, where her father worked as an assistant manager at Skippy Peanut Butter. In 1974, her father left Thornton and her mother, and would not return to Thornton's life until the early 2000's. Most of Thornton's life from then on was spent in Illinois.
As an adult, Thornton's career has revolved around real estate. She first worked as both a realtor and freelance writer in Alton, Illinois. Later, she and her husband started a small rental property business. She continued to do freelance work, along with her real estate business, and published her first book, "The Reality of Real Estate", in 1993.
Thornton made Sears homes and writing her primary focus and career from that point on. She spent the remainder of the year completing her manuscript for her second book and published it in 2002. In less than two years, the book sold several thousand copies, and Thornton received several hundred e-mails and letters about possible Sears homes and praise for her book. She published two more books about Sears homes following that two-year timespan, as well as a re-print of "The Houses That Sears Built".
Thornton later moved from Illinois to Norfolk, Virginia and re-married in 2007. She traveled to more than 24 states to give lectures on Sears homes. Thornton made appearances on several television programs to promote her writing and bring attention to the existence of kit-homes. Since publishing her second book, hundreds of Sears and kit-homes have been found across the United States.
The success of kit-homes began to falter in 1930. The Great Depression, coupled with demand for more intricate house designs, slowed house sales. Sears was forced to liquidate $11 million in mortgages. Sears closed the Modern Homes department in 1940. All sales records were destroyed during the company's corporate house cleaning, leaving no record of where the houses were located. Thornton's third book, "Finding the Houses that Sears Built; A Guide to the 60 Most Popular Designs", revolves around identifying Sears homes, as the only way to find them now is one by one. All other companies closed down their kit-home departments or were out of business by 1982.
The contents of the collection include catalogs, photographs, and estimates from kit-house manufacturers, along with letters, photographs, newspaper clippings, and e-mails received and sent by Thornton.
The collection is organized into two series: Series I: Kit-House Manufacturers; and Series II: Rosemary Thornton Correspondence.
This series contains catalogs from kit-house manufacturers such as Aladdin Homes, Montgomery Ward and Company, and Sears, Roebuck and Company, as well as advertisements, estimates, floor plans, and photographs. The series is arranged in alphabetical order.
Photograph: Montgomery Ward and Company: Group Photograph of Workers Outside Building, undated, Box 1, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Publication: Montgomery Ward and Company: Lighting the Path to Economy, undated, Box 1, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Publication: Sears, Roebuck and Company: Peerless Wall Board, Roofing of the Future, undated, Box 1, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Building Estimate: Sears, Roebuck and Company: Catalogue of Millwork, Specifications and Bill of Materials for Modern Home, undated, Box 1, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 1, Aladdin Homes: The New Home, Advance Messenger of Aladdin, 1914, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 2, Montgomery Ward and Company: Book of Homes, 1915, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 3, Sears Home Construction Division, America's New Low Cost Homes, circa 1934, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 4, Sears, Roebuck and Company: HonorBilt Modern Homes, HonorBilt Homes, Concrete Machinery, Starr Garages, The Book of Modern Homes, Modern Homes, 1938-1940, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 5, Sears, Roebuck and Company: Modern Plumbing and Heating Systems, Building Materials and Millwork, 1921-1930, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 2, Folder 6, Sears, Roebuck and Company: The Kit House in Southeastern VA, 2005, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Building Plans for The Crafton, Model 3318, 1930-1931, Box 3, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Building Plans for The Osborn, Model 2050, 1917-1920, Box 4, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Building Plans for The Somerset, Model 7008, 1920, Box 5, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Aladdin Catalog, circa 1920, Box 6, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Gordon Van-Tine Catalog, circa 1948, Box 6, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Sears, Roebuck and Company, "HonorBilt Homes", 1929, Box 6, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Sears, Roebuck and Company, "Summer Cottages", circa 1927, Box 6, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Sears, Roebuck and Company, "Simplex Sectional Buildings", 1921, Box 6, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Sears, Roebuck and Company, "HonorBilt Homes", 1924, Box 6, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Sears, Roebuck and Company, Book of Modern Homes and Building Plans, circa 1908, Box 6, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Gordon Van-Tine, "Book of Homes", circa 1941, Box 6, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
International Mill & Timber Company, "The Famous Fifty and Other Favorite Homes, Built by the Sterling System", 1916, Box 6, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Sears, Roebuck and Company, "The Book of Modern Homes", undated, Box 6, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
This series contains letters, photos, and publications received by Thornton on the subject of kit-houses. It also contains responses from Thornton and notes on possible and confirmed kit-houses. The series is arranged in chronological order.
[Identification of item and date], Box 7, Folder 1, Notes, Letters and Photos, 2001, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 7, Folder 2, Notes, Letters, and Photos, 2002, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 7, Folder 3, Notes, Letters, and Photos, 2003, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 7, Folder 4, Notes, Letters, and Photos, 2003, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 7, Folder 5, Notes, Letters, and Photos, 2004, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 7, Folder 6, Notes, Letters, and Photos, 2005, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 7, Folder 7, Notes, Letters, and Photos, undated, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
E-mails and Correspondences, 2002-2004, Box 8, Rosemary Thornton Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.