And here’s where we start peeling back the layers...Mead acquired Premier Cycle Works...so there's is a possibility the frame could be a Mead?
Interestingly, the frame does have design similarities of the Sears Chief made by the Davis Sewing Machine Co. (of course the Chief didn't have the trumpet lugs). But Sears was notorious for plagiarizing and rebadging manufacturers top tier bikes then would sell them for less in their catalogs.
Plus, they had a strange relationship with Davis...some say they controlled Davis, had them manufacture several spin-off name brands. (I haven’t found evidence of any coercion just this small article).
There's plenty documented evidence that Sears was Davis's biggest client and when Sears ended their contract with Davis to make their sewing machines, it forced Davis to file bankruptcy!
Also did you know Sears proudly promoted their owned bicycle manufacturing factory…stating they made almost everything in-house…or did they? It’s a mystery!
Plus, during this period manufactures didn't have control of their product's destiny...it was the jobbers who control everything! They were feeding the mail-order “beast,” supplying and buying for them in large quantities! Or assembling their own nameplate bikes. They'd secretly purchased from multiple manufacturers and if complete bicycles were not available, they would buy just the frames and piece the bikes together (the forks and cranksets were in the jobbers’ wheelhouse). No one was the wiser? Because who was checking that the parts were incorrect? This was a big issue with the manufacturers!
This may account for the many unexplainable parts and anomalies found on bicycles from this period? This frame maybe a jobber's special brand?
Then there were the second hands bikes! This frame's origins may have been a trade-in or even stolen. Parts; chainrings and handlebars, and saddles were swapped out and frames repainted....this was pervasive nationwide.
Then there were the manufacturers with their overstock bikes, selling them to whom ever for cheap.
Everything I've posted above is merely food for thought...there were so many unknowns during this period. Asking to ID a frame with so little to go on is very difficult...the best we can do is to offer wild conjectures. Shawn's absolutely right...your best bet on ID'ing this frame is finding the badge that matches the ghosting on its head tube.