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 Introduction
Due to this collection's large scale maps and their detailed information, fire
insurance maps are one of the most popular items at our Library for architects,
realtors, urban planners & developers, environmental assessors, genealogists,
geographers and historians. The UIC Library holds a unique collection of fire insurance
maps, especially of Chicago and Illinois.
Fire insurance maps, like left (image from Robinson's atlas of the City
of Chicago, UIC Special Collection, click to enlarge), generally describe outlines and
exterior types of buildings, housing numbers, parcel lot boundaries, locations
of windows and doors, street names and widths, and other landscape features
(rivers, etc.), for example. For more information on fire insurance maps and
Sanborn Map company, please refer to additional information on this
page.
Collections
The UIC Library has three different types of fire insurance materials, available
at three different access points, paper maps/atlases (Special
Collection,
3rd floor), microfilms (Documents - Microforms
Section, 2nd floor), and
electronic scanned maps (UIC access only, including UIC Library in-house
computer access).
Type |
Location |
Year(s) |
Coverage |
Descriptions |
Paper |
Special Collection |
1886 |
Downtown Chicago (map) |
Robinson's atlas of the city of Chicago, Illinois. New
York: E. Robinson, 1886
(Call#) G1409.C6 R62 1886
(Same maps are available from the Encyclopedia of Chicago website) |
Mircrofilm |
Microforms Section |
1886 |
Downtown Chicago (map) |
Robinson's atlas of the city of Chicago, Illinois. New
York: E. Robinson, 1954.
(Call#) MICROFILM G-4
(Same maps are available from the Encyclopedia of Chicago website) |
Paper |
Special Collection |
1890 |
Southside Chicago (map) |
Rascher's atlas of the north half of Hyde Park...
Chicago: Chas. Rascher, 1890
(Call#) G1409.H9 R37 1890 |
Paper |
Special Collection |
1891 |
Downtown Chicago (map) |
Atlas of the City of Chicago: Central Business Property
Volume. Philadelphia: G. W. Bromley & Co., 1891
(Call#) G1409.C6 B7 1891 |
Paper |
Special Collection |
1891-1892 |
Downtown Chicago (central and south) |
Second atlas of the City of Chicago. Chicago: R. R.
& R. H. Donnelley, 1891-92.
(Call#) G1409.C6 G7 1891 |
Paper |
Special Collection |
1891-1892 |
Downtown Chicago (central and north - map) |
Atlas of Chicago. Chicago: Rascher Insurance Map
Publishing., c1891-92
(Call#) G1409.C6 R2 1891 |
Paper |
Special Collection |
1954 |
Chicago |
Chicago. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1954.
(Call#) G1409.C6 S3 1954 |
Mircrofilm |
Microforms Section *Guide* |
1883-1951 |
IL - including Chicago (after 1905- sanborn - volumes ) |
Sanborn fire insurance maps. New Jersey: Chadwyck-Healey,
1983.
(Call#) MICROFILM G-1 |
Mircrofilm |
Microforms Section *Guide* |
1894-1989 |
Chicago area (after 1905- sanborn - volumes ) |
Fire insurance maps from the Sanborn Map Company
archives, late 19th century to 1989. Bethesda, MD: University
Publications of America, 1992.
(Call#) MICROFILM G-3 |
Electronic resource |
UIC access only *Guide* |
1894-1970 (1951 - last known date) |
IL - including Chicago (after 1905- sanborn - volumes ) |
Digital Sanborn Maps 1867-1970. S.I.: Bell &
Howell, 199u-
http://sanborn.umi.com/
UIC access only (including UIC Library in-house
access)
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Search Strategy
Here is a basic organization rule - follow this rule to find a map sheet that
you need.
| State |
|
Cities |
|
Date/Year ** |
|
Volumes |
|
Sheets |
| Select a state first. |
> |
And then a city.
Note: maps are arranged by place of a particular time that you are going to
choose. Some newer
cities/suburbs might be listed under a nearest major city. * |
> |
Sometimes, it is a range of dates, i.e.
1894-1951, which indicates the data the mapmakers began work on the map
and the date of completion (some sheets have updated information on a
pasted paper - showing only the latest state, hiding the original
information..) |
> |
For large cities, each set
was bound by volume, which contains approx. 100 sheets. Use index map(s) to
identify a volume number in the first volume in the set,
after the edition (year)'s title page - OR consult an accompanying
guide. |
> |
Each set is divided into
numbered sheets. Index sheet is located on top of all the numbered
sheets, after the set/volume's title page. |
* For example, if you are looking for a
map of a suburb near Chicago, you may want to check the volumes that cover parts
of Chicago and Cook County - check a volume index, which is located in the first
volume in the set, after the title page of the set/edition.
** What are "new and additional sheets"
in Sanborn Map Collection? What year were they published?
These are updated sheets created by the Sanborn Map Company intended to replace
sheets of previous maps. The image of the sheet will refer to what sheet it
replaces (- from a help file from Digital Sanborn Maps). But, typically, there
is no clear indication of the year of the updated information!
User Guides
Microfilms
User guide binders for the microfilm series, G-1 (1883-1951, IL) & G-3
(1894-1989, Chicago), are located on
top of the microfilm cabinets. Each guide includes descriptions of the
collection and a reel guide.
Digital Sanborn Maps (Electronic Database)
A user guide for the Digital Sanborn Maps database can be found in its help
page (from homepage - bottom), "Help
with This Collection" (http://sanborn.umi.com/HelpFiles/index.html)
- see under the "browsing the database." Note: this database is
accessible only on campus or through UIC access - including the UIC Library
in-house access.
Additional Information
This listing is not comprehensive. It represents a sampling of the supplemental material that is available. Please consult the librarians at the Documents/Map Information Desk for assistance.
Other Fire Insurance Map Collections in Chicago
Encyclopedia of Chicago
http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/
Information about Chicago fire insurance maps, as well as maps from 1886 Robinson's fire insurance atlas are available from this site.
Chicago Historical Society
http://www.chicagohistory.org/index.asp
Collection of many original fire insurance maps/atlases for Chicago and some
suburbs. (1866-, paper & microfilm)
Illinois Regional Archived Depository (IRAD), Northeastern Illinois Univ.
http://orion.neiu.edu/%7Eneiulib/about/libcollections/irad.html
A nearly complete set of Sanborn Fire Insurance maps for northeastern Illinois, Cook County and the City of Chicago.
(1970s, paper).
Center for Research Libraries
http://www.chicagohistory.org/index.asp
Holds microfilm of all Sanborn fire insurance maps of United States in the Library of Congress
(1867- 1970, microfilms)
Chicago Public Library
http://www.chipublib.org/
Some of the Chicago Public Library branches hold original papger Sanborn fire insurance maps of local area. Also check your local libraries if you live outside of the City of Chicago. Some libraries have genealogical research collections including paper/digital Sanborn maps.
Websites
Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML)
Union List of Sanborn & Other Fire Insurance Maps
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/sanbul.html
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Books
ON ORDER (coming soon to the UIC Library)
Szucs, Loretto Dennis, Chicago and Cook County: A Guide to Research
A comprehensive guide for the Chicago historical researchers. If you do historical research in Chicago/Cook County a lot, you may want to purchase this book: ISBN: 0916489620
F548.25 .D86 2005
Dummelle, Grace, Finding Your Chicago Ancestors: A Beginners Guide to Family History in the City of Chicago
Another comprehensive guide for the Chicago historical researchers. If you do historical research in Chicago a lot, you may want to purchase this book: ISBN: 1893121259
Z6026.I7 U54 1981, Atlas Section
Library of Congress, Fire insurance maps in the Library of Congress : plans of North American cities and towns produced by the Sanborn Map Company : a checklist,
1981
Includes bibliographical references (available also from this
website) and indexes.
HG9771 .O89 1997
Diane L. Oswald, Fire insurance maps : their history and applications
A study of the fluctuations in Chicago land values.
Maps
Chicago-L.org
http://www.chicago-l.org/maps/route/index.html
One way to check an old street name is to see old historical street maps. Luckily, in Chicago, we have this website, where you can see historical maps of Chicago "L" (elevated) train systems from 1898 to present.
G4104 C6 1904 B55
Blanchard's Map of Chicago with the New Street Names. 1904.
Shows street car lines and street numbers in even hundreds.
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