1228 Payne Street

In 1936, Leonard and Leona Chittum erected this story and a half, frame, clipped gable roofed dwelling. Although it has not been authenticated it bears a very strong resemblance to a Sears House. When first introduced, the Dover was a popular model for Sears. It was the largest and most expensive of several “English cottage” designs that first appeared in the 1928 Modern Homes catalog. The Dover’s popularity with house buyers was demonstrated by the fact that it continued to be offered by Sears through the early 1940s. This example illustrates how home buyers could customize their kit house by selecting details. For example, the standard Dover featured wood siding but for a small additional charge Sears
catalog enticed prospective owners with equally attractive materials if finished with shingle siding or brick veneer. Other options to finish the house included stone rather than brick for chimneys and front doors of four different configurations with window lights. The Chittums resided here through the 1950s.

About three years ago, the current owners added a master suite and porch at the back by converting the original master bedroom into a huge closet.  The frame garage, added two years ago, exhibits a side roof that mimics the main house, aka as a catslide roof. The “catslide roof” is an English name for a roof that extends lower or longer on one side, sometimes to a point just a few feet off the ground, thus creating a “cat-slide!”

Payne Street is named for “Dr. Robert Jones Payne, a distinguished former mayor of Fredericksburg…[who] took an active part in civic affairs.”

Select Citations:  Shirley Maxwell and James C. Massey, “The Story on Sears: Houses by Rail and Mail,” Old-House Journal (July/August2002): 45.  Edward Alvey, The Streets of Fredericksburg. Mary Washington College Foundation, Inc. (Fredericksburg, Virginia) 1978, p. 65.