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Book Title
Portable and Prefabricated Houses of the Thirties The E.F. Hodgson Company 1935 and 1939 Catalogs An Unabridged Reprint
Authors
Paul H. Tedesco and James B. Tedesco
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Description
The E. F. Hodgson Company of Dover, Massachusetts, calling itself “America’s First Prefabricator,” was one of a number of companies who used specialty mail-order catalogs to advertise and sell sectional and ready-cut houses. From a small New England town, the Hodgson Company competed with such economic giants as Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward to catch the eye of a growing America in the 1890s. Using the railroad to market, the specialty house mail-order catalog companies competed all over the United States. There is still a good case for the idea that the Hodgson Company was in the market before Sears and equaled them in production. But even so, Hodgson also became better known outside of the United States in such places as Belgium, Italy, France, Newfoundland, and Jerusalem. We hope that the reproduction of these 1935 and 1939 Hodgson Houses catalogs—long lost to history—will reintroduce to America this fascinating company and its portable houses. From 1892-1944, the Hodgson Company was the most important economic force in a simple agricultural community. It is one the best examples of how small businesses played, and still play, an important role in the United States economy and that of the New England region.
About the Authors
Paul H. Tedesco is an author, educator, and local historian. Dr. Tedesco is professor emeritus at Northeastern University and adjunct professor at the University of Maryland University College-European Division. He is currently president of the Dover Historical Society. He has been president of the New England History Teachers’ Association and the Bay State Historical League. He has written, lectured, and taught American and New England history, and local history for over fifty years. An innovative historian, he holds the A.B. degree in history from Harvard College, A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in history from Boston University, and an advanced graduate degree from Northeastern University. Other books published by Paul H. Tedesco
James B. Tedesco grew up in Dover, Massachusetts, and participated in his father’s passion for young adults and youngsters to experience “Living History.” He lived as a Pilgrim in Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts; as a sailor aboard the Joseph Conrad at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut; and during a winter and a summer as a Shaker boy in Shaker Village, Sabbathday Lake, Maine, with the last remaining Shaker sisters. Jim’s career has been focused on computer and software technologies in marketing and business development roles building indirect channels of distribution in firms such as Data General, Lotus Development, Inso Corp., Scansoft now Nuance Communications, Inc., Parametric Technology Corp., and CoreStreet Ltd.. A creative and inventive technologist, Jim graduated from Tabor Academy, Marion, Massachusetts, and holds the A.B. degree in Political Science and German from Colgate University and an MBA degree from Northeastern University.
Product Details
Retail List Price: $19.95
Softcover: 160 Pages
Binding: Perfect Binding
Publisher: JBT Publishing
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0-9792059-1-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-9792059-1-0
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 lb.
Subject: Architectural History
Publication Date: 3/6/2007
Release Date: 3/12/2007
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or Purchase from Prairie Avenue Bookshop
Reviews
Midwest Book Review - October 2007 - Carson's Bookshelf
In the latter half of the 19th century and their first half of the 20th century the prefabricated house was created, perfected, and increasingly popular for both its ease and rapidity of construction, uniformity of quality and predictability, as well as its relative inexpensiveness when compared with traditional home construction. The E. F. Hodgson Company of Dover, Massachusetts was one of a number of companies specializing in mail-order catalogs to advertise and sell sectional and ready-cut houses throughout the United States. "Portable And Prefabricated Houses Of The Thirties" is a photomechanically reproduction of the E. F. Hodgson prefabricated housing catalogs for 1935 and 1939. A superbly reproduced and unabridged reprint, this catalog showcases the floor plans and blueprints, as well as providing black-and-white photographs of the completed structures. A seminal contribution to the history of American architecture, "Portable And Prefabricated Houses Of The Thirties" is an essential and very strongly recommended addition to professional and academic library Architectural Studies reference collections.
Cary Holmes, Natick, MA - October 2007
Often when driving through small towns, we come across decrepit buildings or foundations of what might have been the site of a local industry. These structures have given way in the late 20th and early 21st centuries to mass market retailers and suburban residential developers. Those remnants that can be seen speak of a rich local past which often overlooked or unknown in the fast paced lifestyle of today.
Portable and Prefabricated Houses of the Thirties by Paul H. Tedesco and James B. Tedesco shed light of one of these often overlooked local industries. Portable and Prefabricated Houses of the Thirties illustrates the concept and adaptability of the E. F. Hodgson Company of Dover, Massachusetts as it grew to meet the demand for inexpensive homes during the first half of the twentieth century. Combining imaginative engineering, modular designs and quality materials, the Hodgson Company created a product that was well received internationally as well as within the United States. Quality, price and ease of construction made the Hodgston line of prefabricated homes a competitor to those marketed by Sears, Montgomery Ward and others mentioned in the Tedescos’ book.
Portable and Prefabricated Houses of the Thirties uses reproductions from the 1935 and 1939 catalogs to lavishly illustrate the Hodgson variations on a residential theme. The catalog clearly illustrates how the Hodgson company developed and expanded their idea for modular construction. Starting with poultry sheds, the basic idea was translated into small cabins and then into custom designed residences. Again, the influence of mass market advertising can be seen in the many testimonials that are common throughout each catalog. Customers were offered the opportunity to purchase a “stock” model or to create their own design using additional modules. The Hodgson modules were used to create meeting halls, schools, government offices, businesses as well as residences in the United States as well as in Italy, Nicaragua, Belgium, Labrador, and Africa. Quality materials, ease of construction, reasonable cost and portability, if needed, made Hodgson buildings popular.
But times and taste change. By the end of World War II, consumers were more interested in Capes, Ranches and Colonials than variations of the bungalow theme that Hodgson offered. There is also a possibility that demand outstripped what Hodgson and others could supply. Nevertheless, the basic concept of a “uniformity system” based on modules as applied to residential construction was a valid one. Witness Levittown and other post World War II residential tract developments.
Little remains beside the unused railroad siding in Dover, Massachusetts where the Hodgson factory once stood. The Town of Dover Department Garage now occupies the site. Fortunately, Paul and James Tedesco have given readers a look at a vibrant local industry that was once there. An added bonus to the Tedescos’ book is their interactive website which provides viewers with a chance to find Hodgson houses thorough out the United States and to add newly discovered ones. Equally interesting are the sections on Frequently Asked Questions, photos of extant Hodgson houses, and Houses for Sale. The Links section is interesting but it would be even more useful if there were links to other websites which treat the history and preservation efforts of prefabricated homes by other manufacturers.
All in all, Portable and Prefabricated Houses of the Thirties is a very enjoyable book and is a wonderful tool for stimulating interest in local history. So much is available almost literally beneath our feet. As Paul Tedesco once said: “you can see most of American history right in your own local backyard.” Portable and Prefabricated Houses of the Thirties nicely illustrates the unexplored richness of the communities in which we live.
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