How To Research A Historic House
Did you know there are a ton of free resources to help you research your new historic house?
If you’ve recently bought a historic home or are considering buying one, keep reading to learn some free ways to learn about the property.
Baltimore Museum of Industry Collections Database
The Baltimore Museum of Industry houses a variety of collections in their digital database.
Collections that might be useful to research historic homes and neighborhoods include county historical society materials like these from Anne Arundel County and other surrounding counties.
You can also view historical maps such as this collection of Baltimore transit maps and directories.
Some collections even have old guides to Baltimore neighborhoods, including this walking guide of Fells Point.
The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)
By visiting the Digital Public Library of America online, you can find more images and maps going as far back as 1838.
The DPLA has many historic images of streets in Baltimore that you can use to learn about your neighborhood or house.
You can also see some old real estate records, which can give you some basic information about a house.
Sheridan Libraries (Johns Hopkins)
The Sheridan Library with Johns Hopkins is another great resource.
Their maps and atlas collections provide many historic maps of Baltimore city and county. They also house Baltimore development plans, which show how the city planned to tackle different urban issues including land use, transportation, and more. This collection includes plans from 1926 to the present.
Google Books
With Google Books, you can view many books and other publications for free. Some sources only have a preview available, but in general, they provide a good portion of the material even in a preview.
If you type the name of your neighborhood into Google Books, you’ll get a list of materials about that neighborhood.
These can help you learn about the architectural styles in your neighborhood, any significant monuments or landmarks, and other history.
Google Books has good resources for a lot of neighborhoods in Baltimore that include a ton of historical images, photographs, and records.
Baltimore Heritage on Instagram
Baltimore Heritage is a nonprofit organization for historic preservation. In addition to their virtual and in-person programming on Baltimore’s history, they highlight cool historic buildings around the city on their Instagram page.
Their Instagram is a great resource to visit for folks looking to connect with other people interested in Baltimore’s history.
To connect with other history buffs, try going on one of their walking tours or heritage walks.
Visit the Baltimore City Archives
You can view records and resources from the Baltimore City Archives online and in person.
They have useful information for people buying a historic home including land records and real estate records.
You can also see their collection of photos from past housing surveys on Flickr from 1938-1941.
Researching Your Historic House or Neighborhood
There are lots of reasons people research historic houses, both fun and practical.
It’s definitely interesting to learn more about the place you live, but what you learn can also help with planning permits and renovations.
Whatever your reason, there are many free resources to help you learn about your new house or neighborhood.
If you want to learn more about the history of architecture in Baltimore, try checking out our post on architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen next.