How to Read Sandborn Maps
D. A. Sanborn started the Sanborn Map Company in 1867. He started making fire insurance maps which are used to estimate the fire risk for urban structures. These maps contain structure data, such as the construction material used, building height and functions, and all of the lot lines. More than 12,000 American cities have been mapped and are periodically updated by the Sanborn Map. Most of the symbols originally used on these maps are still used today. These hand-drawn maps were in color, but today they are black and white. Today's maps are in CAD (computer aided design), so they are fully digitized with key layers.
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Instructions
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Select the state in which the city of interest is located. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included in the Sanborn Maps Library.
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Select the city of interest. Check the dates listed for the city of interest to make sure you have the map that reflects the time period that you want to view. Once you have the map, check the date box to see if there is any new or additional maps associated with this map.
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Select the volume that contains the information that you are interested in reviewing. For example, you may have a specific address that you want to research. Larger cities are grouped into volumes. Each volume has a Key Sheet, which is a grid map that shows you the geographic boundaries for each map in the volume. In addition to the Key Sheet, some volumes have an alphabetical Street Index sheet which allows you to look up the address of interest.
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View the thumbnail images which are available in the digital version only. When you click on the desired thumbnail, the corresponding map will open up to be viewed.
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View any notes which may be available once the map is open by clicking on the "Editor's Comment" link.
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Refer to the Sanborn Legends (Key) which is where you will find all of the symbology used on the map.
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References
Resources
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