Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps 1867-1950
This article originally appeared in Exchange,
a newsletter published by the Wisconsin Historical
Society. (Volume 27, Number
3, May/June 1985) It
is the first in a series of articles titled Researching
Community History. The series highlights
the Society's resources available to local
historians.
It was written by Tim Ericson, assistant library
director for archives and special collections at
the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The Wisconsin Historical Society has a rich collection of
primary resources available to those who are interested
in the history of their county, township, or community.
Most of these materials have been distributed throughout
the Area
Research Center network so that the information is available
to community historians and genealogists who are most
likely to use it. For example, records relating to
churches, schools, community cultural or civic organizations,
and businesses all have been transferred to ARCs where
they may be used without requiring researchers to make
a long journey to the Wisconsin Historical Society
in Madison.
However, many collections with important information for the community
historian remain in Madison. Some of these are simply
too large to be housed in a smaller Area Research Center.
Others are in extremely heavy demand by patrons who
come to the Wisconsin Historical Society, and who still
constitute the largest single group of historical researchers.
Still others are of statewide significance, making
it impossible (and unwise) to break them up into small
geographical components.
This is the first in a series of articles focusing upon some of these
important collections that are available to community
historians at the Wisconsin Historical Society.
During the 19th century, fire was one of the most troublesome problems
in American cities and villages. The large number of
wooden buildings, constructed in close proximity to
one another, kerosene or primitive gas lighting systems,
and unsafe ovens and furnaces all contributed to an
environment where fires were frequent and often devastating.
The Sanborn Map Company was founded in 1867 to supply information
to fire insurance underwriters who were interested
in basing their rates according to the relative risk
of fires in the commercial districts of American cities. In order
to provide this service, the Sanborn Company began to produce large
scale (50 feet to an inch) extremely detailed maps (including even
the direction of prevailing winds) focusing upon the downtown areas
of cities. They included the size and number of stories of every building,
the type of construction, the nature of the business or businesses
which occupied individual buildings or larger commercial "blocks," the
presence of fire hazards such as blacksmith forges, large baker's
ovens or stored kerosene, and the existence of firefighting equipment,
cisterns or community water works.
The Sanborn mapmakers developed a detailed set of symbols to indicate the features of individual buildings. As the key shows, color indicated the material of which buildings were constructed. Other symbols were used to show the type of roofing, the presence of fire walls or iron shutters, the number of stories, and the location of windows and doors.
Since communities were always changing, the Sanborn Company continually
updated maps to reflect new construction and different uses of existing
buildings. In rapidly expanding cities, updated versions appeared
frequently. In Eau Claire, for example, Sanborn maps exist for 1885,
1887, 1889, 1894 and 1897. On the average, however, the company updated
maps approximately every five years.
Sanborn maps exist for 325 Wisconsin communities. The earliest date
from 1883, and some have information as recent as 1970. Most, however,
are between 1883 and 1930. Maps were created for small cities and
villages as well as large ones. The selection for Wisconsin includes
communities ranging in size from Milwaukee to Wilson in St. Croix
County, whose 1980 population was only 155 people.
Although the maps were created to provide details about the commercial
district in communities, some residential neighborhoods
are also included — especially those areas within one to three blocks
from downtown.
The Wisconsin Historical Society's collection of Sanborn
maps is extensive, and although the maps do not generally
circulate within the ARC network, some of the Area
Research Centers have obtained black-and-white microfilm
copies for their regions. Several ARCs have original
Sanborn maps for at least one city of their respective
regions. In
addition, the Wisconsin Historical Society has a complete
microfilm edition (in black and white) of Sanborn maps
for the state of Wisconsin available through interlibrary
loan.
The following illustrations show some of the typical information one can find on the Sanborn maps and suggest some of the different ways that they may be used to obtain information about communities, individual businesses, residences or neighborhoods.
We can begin to trace the development of one small portion of a downtown district by examining this 1884 Sanborn map.
At the top is N. A. Thelander's manufacturing business which produces
carriages, doors, blinds and other wood products. The
dotted lines indicate the location of stacked lumber,
and the word "drive" between
the stacks indicates that there is sufficient room
for a carriage — or a fire wagon — to drive through. The
colored original shows that all the buildings were
constructed of wood. Notice how the map shows the location
of wells, pumps and water tanks, and the fact that
the blacksmith shop at the upper left was vacant at
that time. The River Falls Roller Rink was immediately
south of Thelander's, also constructed of wood.
Only seven years later, many changes have taken place. By 1891 the
Thelander property has been purchased by another businessman and expanded
considerably.
The former "Carriage Repository" has been changed into a large "three forge" blacksmith shop, with additions to the west and south for painting, woodworking and harness shops. The 1884 planing mill building is almost gone. Only the front warehouse portion remains and it has been converted into a band room. Note how the distance to the river has been recorded at the upper left corner of the map. This was an important consideration in the days of bucket brigades and hand-pump hose carts.
The old roller rink has been literally picked up and moved away from the street. A two-story brick veneer boarding house has been added to the front and the rink is being used as a theatre.
Between 1891 and 1900 the theater has undergone only minor changes;
but it has come to be known by the more glamorous name
of the "Opera
Hall." However, the carriage factory is totally different. Research
in the local newspaper quickly tells us why: in 1893
Lund's business was completely destroyed by fire. The new building
at the upper right has been constructed of brick and stone rather
than wood. We also can see that the firm has started to sell agricultural
implements. The final map, from 1912, shows continued expansion with
the addition of a large new building for implements, buggies and wagons,
and a line of hardware which was added after 1900.
A close examination and comparison of Sanborn maps can also reveal
important information about changing economic conditions
in a community over the years. The map, below left, shows one block
in a Wisconsin city's commercial district during a depression in 1891.
Notice that in this single block there are three vacant buildings where
businesses have gone bankrupt.
Compare this with the same block only nine years later. The map from
1900 shows every building occupied at that time.
We also can see how stable the businesses appear
to have been. Moving from the top to the bottom
of the map, the hardware store, confectionary,
harness shop, flour-and-feed store, saloon and
billiard parlor, laundry, sample room, saloon, office and
dining room are virtually unchanged from one map
to the other.
Although the Sanborn Insurance Maps focus upon a community's business district, some also include a large portion of the residential area. Individual homes were recorded with the same precision as large factories. For this reason, the maps are an excellent resource for determining when homes were built, and how they have changed over the years. The four illustrations below show a single residential dwelling between 1884 and 1912. Extensive remodeling has completely changed the appearance of the home, and the Sanborn map makes it possible to determine approximately when each of the changes was made. Notice the bay window which appears in both the 1884 and the 1891 diagram. The dotted lines which appear along exterior walls indicate porches, or partially enclosed areas.
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