DUGuides: Olin Library: Architecture : Maps

Sanborn Map Sample

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of 1886. Find the full size using the link in the box to the right for Missouri.

Google SketchUp + Google Earth

Google SketchUp is a great tool to create maps.

Import Google Earth images into SketchUp to create topo maps and models.

Video tutorial: "How to Create a Topo Map with Sketchup" from Designer Hacks

Map Web Sites - A selected few of many possibilities

David Rumsey Historical Maps
The David Rumsey Map Collection Database has many viewers and the Blog has numerous categories. The physical map collection is housed in the David Rumsey Map Center at the Stanford University Library. The historical map collection has over 96,000 maps and related images online. The collection includes rare 16th through 21st century maps of America, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Pacific, Arctic, Antarctic, and the World.
Missouri Digital Heritage Collections - Maps
Topographic, highway, railroad, insurance, demographic and historical maps
Old Maps Online
OldMapsOnline developed out of a love of history and heritage of old maps. The project began as a collaboration between Klokan Technologies GmbH, Switzerland and The Great Britain Historical GIS Project based at the University of Portsmouth, UK thanks to funding from JISC. Since January 2013 is the project improved and maintained by volunteers and the team of Klokan Technologies GmbH in their free time.
UT Austin Library Map Collection
Univ. Wisconsin - Milwaukee Library
The American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection contains over 14000 maps, ranging from early maps of Asia to historical maps of Wisconsin and Milwaukee, and other American cities, states, and national parks. The digital collection is under continuing development

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Sites

Below is a list of sites with a limited number of digitized Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps made available through various state and academic institutions. These are older maps now in the public domain. To see a large, beautiful, physical 2-volume set for Springfield from 1956, head down to the Library Center on So. Campbell to the local history rare book room. It's worth the trip.

Missouri Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
The Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Company, established in 1867, compiled and published maps of U.S. cities and towns for the fire insurance industry to assess the risk of insuring a particular property. The maps are large scale plans of a city or town drawn at a scale of 50 feet to an inch, offering detailed information on the use made of buildings, their size, shape and material. Some residential areas are also mapped. The maps show location of water mains, fire alarms and fire hydrants.
St. Louis, MO - Sanborn & Other Maps
Washington University Libraries Digital Project
Alabama Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (+)
This is a collection of 3,121 city maps produced by the Alabama Inspection and Rating Bureau (AIRB) of Montgomery, Alabama, and the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company of New York, New York. The AIRB maps are courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. The Sanborn Fire Insurance maps are courtesy of the W. S. Hoole Special Collections Library.
California (San Francisco) Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
The black and white maps presented here are from six volumes that covered San Francisco in 1899 and 1900. Courtesy San Francisco Geneaology.
Colorado Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
The Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Collection is a digital collection of Sanborn fire insurance maps of cities across Colorado. Courtesy University of Colorado, Boulder.
Florida Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
This collection of public domain maps was digitized from the printed maps held in the collections of the Smathers Libraries' Map & Imagery Library, on the campus of the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL).
Georgia Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
The Sanborn Maps® database is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia as part of Georgia HomePLACE. The project is supported with federal LSTA funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
Indiana
Scroll down on the page that opens at the Indiana University Library for a list of counties with downloadable PDFs of pre-1923 maps for Indiana.
Indiana (Indianapolis) Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Courtesy of IUPUI
Indiana (Muncie) Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Muncie, Indiana Collection consists of 200 maps depicting the commercial, industrial, and residential sections of the city from 1883 through 1911. Courtesy of Ball State University Libraries.
Kentucky
From the University of Kentucky - Explore Kentucky Collection
Kentucky (Frankfurt) Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
31 maps courtesy David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Maine (Hallowell) Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
8 maps courtesy of the David Rumsey Historic Map Collection
New Hampshire Sanborn Maps
Courtesy of Dartmouth Digital Libraries Collection
New Jersey Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Princeton has scanned many of the Sanborn Maps for New Jersey. At the bottom of the 1st paragraph on this link, there's a link to an Excel file of them. Courtesy Princeton University
New York, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
search "fire insurance maps" or "sanborn map company" Courtesy New York Public Library
North Carolina
Courtesy of the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill Libraries.
Ohio (Cincinnati) Fire Insurance Maps
Courtesy of the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
Pennsylvania
Courtesy of PennState University Libraries. "Penn State University Maps Library has a near complete collection of Sanborn Fire Insurance maps for the state of Pennsylvania. The print collection can currently be accessed by contacting the Maps Library. The digital collection will continue to grow as we determine copyright status and as 1923 maps come out of copyright starting in 2019."
Pittsburg PA Historic Maps
The Historic Pittsburgh Maps Collection comprises five series of maps helpful for studying and tracing the physical development and changes of the Pittsburgh area landscape. Courtesy University of Pittsburgh Libraries
South Carolina Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Courtesy University of South Carolina Libraries
Texas & Mexico Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
1877-1922. Courtesy University of Texas - Austin, Libraries
United States - Library of Congress - Sanborn Maps
Library of Congress owns a vast collection. Limit by various states using the menu on the left.
Utah Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
University of Utah, J. Willard Marriot Library CONTENTdm collection.
Wisconsin (Milwaukee) Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Digital Sanborn Maps of Milwaukee 1894 and 1910. Courtesy University of Wisconsin System
Nevada
University of Nevada, Reno