I discovered
early on in my teaching career that I couldn’t get my point across to students
without a map. I had pull-down maps in my
classroom, but I rarely used them because they were mounted over my white
boards, and they would cover up other information students needed access
to The mounted maps rarely had the
information I needed to show students at the time as well, so I would just draw
a quick outline of the United States on the board, fill the map in with
whatever I was teaching at the time, and then move on.
Recently, I
ran across a map source I was unaware of – a resource used by historical
researchers, city planners, preservationist, genealogists, and even
sociologists.
I’m speaking
of Sanborn Maps – maps that were created from 1867 to 1970 detailing town and
building information for approximately 12,000 towns and cities in the United
States.
The Sanborn Company was founded by Daniel A.
Sanborn in 1867. The original purpose of
the maps was for fire insurance assessment.
Eventually, the Sanborn Company was the largest and most successful
American map company with several regional offices including my favorite
town….Atlanta, Georgia.
In much the
same way as Google has sent out a legion of folks to gather data for Google
Earth, the Sanborn Company used surveyors to visit each town where they
detailed every street and building periodically. Not only would the maps indicate where the
buildings were they also indicated the types of businesses that were in each
location.
Those
involved with history research use the maps to look at how certain areas grew
and later declined. I’ve used the maps
to determine how certain historic buildings in the town I live in have changed
over time and confirm ownership since the early deed records burned in during a
courthouse fire during the 1950s.
You can see
one of my weekly columns here
where I used Sanborn data in my research.
I’m able to research particular lots and can determine at what year the
locations go from vacant lots to structures.
I can tell if the structure was wood or at what point the owner upgraded
to brick or added an awning. The name
of the owner is usually listed as well as the types of businesses that could be
found from year to year.
Genealogist
can use Sanborn maps to confirm ownership of homes and buildings since structures
are very detailed while city planners use the maps to study urban designs over
time. The maps also come in handy for
historic preservationist and demographers.
….and what
about the classroom….would I use them there?
You bet I
would.
Tom Gates,
Associate Professor at Kent State has an excellent online article regarding
Sanborn Maps here
which includes a section on use in the classroom. Gates advises:
The Sanborn digital maps can be used
for individual research and classroom instruction. The changes in a town and the built
environment are recorded in detail and can provide the basis for a number of
projects, which can be visually presented in the classroom.
The study of American literature,
based on novels and travel journals which describe typical Nineteenth Century
American towns, can be better understood by studying maps and their Record
Descriptions which contain references to places in terms that are now arcane in
American English usage.
Architectural design students can use
the Sanborn Maps to analyze various building types and functions exemplified by
cathedrals, synagogues, theaters, hotels, residences, schools, laundries,
bathhouse, department stores, factories, fire houses, etc.
I highly
advise educators to read the entire article and decide for yourself how you
could use these resources in your classroom.
You can find
Sanborn maps at the following links….there are probably more, but this will get
you started! Enjoy!!!North Carolina, 1884-1922
Florida, 1860-1923
South Carolina, 1884-1960
Hallowell, Maine, 1890
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1887-1941
Toledo, Ohio, 1902 –
Muncie, Indiana, 1883-1911
San Francisco, 1900
Colorado, 1883-1922
