Chapter 6

“SHORE HAVEN,” OUR SECOND SEARS ROEBUCK KIT HOME

Shore Haven is the museum’s newest acquisition. The exterior has been restored to its 1924 look, with the exception of the sun porch, a modern addition. Subsequent owners did so much renovating and updating that it was impossible to bring the interior back to 1924. Some parts remain, though. The walls are the same ones the original owners put up after the Florida heat destroyed the walls provided by Sears.

The three Mayer brothers from Erie, Pennsylvania (Ross, Martin, and Joe) often vacationed on Sanibel. They were captivated by the island’s charm and in the early 1920s decided to purchase land on the beach fronting San Carlos Bay, not far from the Sanibel Packing Company (later the Bailey Store). The Packing Company was a collection of buildings on Matthews Wharf. The daily steamer docked at the wharf, bringing whatever was needed, wagons from the hotels met guests, and gas pumps were located on the wharf to service the few automobiles that were transported to the island. Owning land and building a home in this busy and convenient stretch along the bay was considered to be a smart move.
Ross and Martin Mayer had children close to the same age and decided to live side-by-side and share facilities. They both chose Sears Roebuck kit homes. Martin and Ada Mayer purchased the Springwood model, now known as Morning Glories and completed it in 1926. The two-story Verona model home, now named Shore Haven, was built by Ross and Daisy Mayer. Daisy loved to fish, and she could often be seen on the fishing pier behind her house.

Shore Haven and Morning Glories shared an artesian well, an electric generating plant, and a bath house. The bath house had a porch and two rooms – one for the girls and one for the boys. Each home had its own servants’ quarters that had a privy, a garage, and a cistern for collecting rainwater.
The Sears Roebuck kit homes were available through the Modern Homes catalog of Honor Bilt Homes from 1909 until the 1940s. The homes were very popular with factory towns; a large company could order as many as needed for their employees and have them constructed in the same location. They were extremely well-built houses, available in three grades. Sanibel’s two examples are of the middle grade.

The electric lights and the bathroom were unusual on the island at that time. The brothers’ families shared a generator that allowed enough power for lights and a plumbing pump but not enough for a refrigerator.

DAISY MAYER – Daisy was an “early islander” winter resident in the 1920s. She and her husband, Ross, lived in a Sears Roebuck kit house that was on San Carlos Bay. They called their home “Shore Haven.” Daisy loved to fish and she could often be seen on the fishing pier behind her house. She also spent a lot of time with her nieces and nephew who lived next door. These children had lost their mother at an early age and were living with their father and a housekeeper in another Sears kit home called ‘Morning Glories.”
Daisy Mayer – Daisy was an “early islander” winter resident in the 1920s. She and her husband, Ross, lived in a Sears Roebuck kit house that was on San Carlos Bay. They called their Sears kit home “Shore Haven.” Daisy loved to fish, and she could often be seen on the fishing pier behind her house. She also spent a lot of time with her nieces and nephew who lived next door. These children had lost their mother at an early age and were living with their father and a housekeeper in another Sears kit home called “Morning Glories.”