Ready for a fun rabbit hole? Take a look at our list of links and suggestions on how to research the history of your home. You may want to cancel all your weekend plans because you’ll find hours of fun diving into the different maps, photos, and history that shape your neighborhood’s past.
Take a peek
If pouring over pictures is your thing check out the following for glimpses of the past. Newspaper Archive's free trial is fab and it may be worth signing up for the real subscription. We gave it a test drive on one of our past listings in Loxley Court. Although we weren’t able to find anything on the exact address, we did catch up on the drama of the courtyard on July, 2nd 1862. Mary Ford apparently helped herself to $80 that was hiding under a resident’s pillow “the accused was observed acting suspiciously about the room”. Did she actually do it? Will we ever know? Aside from accused thieves you’ll also find obituaries of residents of your property, marriage licenses that were issued, and work for hire notices. We looked up another recent PHG address and discovered that the home was once a boarding house that was passed through a few landlords “$300 takes everything” was in one 3-line ad. The mundane happenings of life become fascinating tales.
Newspaper Clipping: newpaperarchive.com
Looking to save your subscription pennies for renovations? Check out Philly History. They have an extensive archive of maps and photos. Be prepared to be wowed by broken curbs and potholes from the 1960s. Joking aside, if you dig deep you’ll find cool photos of wagons, panoramic street views, and brick homes that are still standing. We looked up a recent listing we had in Powelton Village and found not only interior shots provided to the Historic Archives but also a sweet pic of a 1957 neighborhood cleanup day and a next-door mom gardening with their child on the front lawn in the late 60s.
Photos: City of Philadelphia, Department of Records via Philly History
X Marks the spot
There is something about a map that lets your imagination run wild. Greater Philadelphia Geo History Network has a cool feature that overlays archived maps over today’s google maps. Click the tabs and see how your neighborhood has changed. As the author of this blog, I couldn’t resist tapping in my own Port Richmond addy. I discovered there was a grammar school where a current playground stands at the end of my block. The next step of course was to cross reference with The Library Company Of Philadelphia. This brought up a postcard with students standing just outside the no longer existing building. Now when strolling past it makes it exciting to envision the past.
Other map options include a robust collection from Penn State and a burial ground map from the Philadelphia Archaeological Forum.
Map: philageohistory.org | Postcard: digital.librarycompany.org
Not so long ago
If you are looking for more recent and helpful info head over to the Philadelphia Atlas and Philadelphia Property. Toggle between the two to find your polling place, what ward you are located in, your trash pick-up day, and your local civic associations. Tax info and property assessment can also be located here. You can see the history of who has previously owned your home. Sadly it doesn’t record all owners, just the ones since the records were established which tends to be in the late 80s to 90s
You can also see what permits in the past have been pulled for your property. For example, the Port Richmond property mentioned above, reveals a permit from the 1950s. It shows when the faux stone facade was applied. This of course led to googling “Form Stone” and learning the history of the hand-sculpted concrete material. We even discovered a John Waters documentary entirely devoted to this subject! Yay internet!
Give me more!
Now that you scratched the surface of your neighborhood or home, you may be ready to take the next steps. The Free Libary published this helpful and dense document outlining how to conduct research on your property that would make the most studious historian proud. Relive your college days, grab a thick notebook, and your backpack, and head to the archives. Many are by appointment only, so be sure to call first.
One of our fav pastimes at PHG is to look at the history of our listings or homes clients are going to call their own. If you want to find your own home to research, give us a call and we can start the process to list or house hunt together.
