cultural studies in the heartland of america

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Volume 8: Julia Hahn (2008): A Footprint of American History: Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Observed from a German Perspective

Heartland 8 / WVT 2008

ISBN 978-3-86821-091-0

€ 18,00 • $ 25,00

Fire insurance maps were mainly produced from 1850 until the mid nineteenth century in the United States. At that time the maps provided insurance companies with explicit information about the entities they insured. Today, these magnificently detailed maps draw a clear picture of America's urban past. The Sanborn Map Company, among many other producers, started publishing fire insurance maps and with time established a monopoly on the market. This work examines the historical development of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps and their current use in various fields of research, such as genealogy or urban history, and includes a visual tour through a building's history by using Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps as sources. German historic city maps are introduced and compared to their American counterparts in respect to application, availability and usability and thereby reveal cultural components. The concluding analysis of implicit cultural influences in both maps completes this study.
109 pp., 53 fig.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction 5

2 Introduction to City Maps in America 6
2.1 Short History of American City Maps from the 17th to the 20th Century 6
2.1.1 Limitations of Engraving 7
2.1.2 Lithography and its impact on map making 9
2.2 Map Classification and Content 10
2.2.1 Scale 12
2.2.2 Map Keys 12
2.3 Map Types 13
2.3.1 Bird’s-eye View and Panoramic Maps 13
2.3.2 Marketing Maps 14
2.3.3 Real Estate Maps 14
2.3.4 Fire Insurance Maps 16
2.4 Characteristics of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps 17
2.4.1 General Contents 18
2.4.2 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps – Map Format and Price 18
2.4.3 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps - Scale 19
2.4.4 Fire Insurance Map - Map Key 19
3 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps 21
3.1 History of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps 21
3.2 History of the Sanborn Map Company 25
3.3 The Production Process of a Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 29
3.3.1 Surveys 29
3.3.2 Publishing 31

4 Success of the Sanborn Map Company 34
4.1. Sanborn’s Competitors 34
4.1.1 Philadelphia 34
4.1.2 New Jersey 35
4.1.3 Midwest 35
4.1.4 California 36
4.1.5 Canada and overseas
4.2 The Sanborn Map Company Today 37

5 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Today 42
5.1. Distribution of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps 42
5.1.1 The Library of Congress 42 4
5.1.2 The Bureau of the Census 43
5.1.3 Further Distribution from the Library of Congress 43
5.1.4 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps on Microfilm 43
5.1.5 Digitalized Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps 45
5.2 Searching for Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps 48
5.3 Today’s Applications of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps 49
5.3.1 Authors 57
5.3.2 Model Railway 58
5.3.3 Genealogy 58
5.3.4 Architecture and Restoration of Historic Houses 58
5.3.5 Industrial and Urban History in America 59
5.3.6 Environmental Site Assessment 60

6 Two Aspects of European Involvement in the Development of Sanborn Maps 62
6.1 The Rise of Fire Insurance and Firefighting in London, Great Britain 62
6.2 German Involvement in the Business of Fire Insurance Maps in the U.S 63

7 City Maps in Germany 66
7.1. History of Maps in Germany 66
7.2 City Maps of Frankfurt am Main, Germany 67
7.2.1 Three-Dimensional Maps of Frankfurt am Main 67
7.2.2 Two-Dimensional Maps of Frankfurt am Main – The Beginnings of Modern City Cartography 68
7.3 Distribution and Availability of Historical City Maps of Frankfurt am Main 70
7.4 Today’s Application of the City Maps of Frankfurt am Main 71
7.4.1 Historical and Urban Research 71
7.4.2 Urban Planning 77
7.4.3 Genealogy 77

8 Why aren’t there any Fire Insurance Maps in Germany? 79

9 Conclusion 80
9.1 Comparing Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps and City Maps of Frankfurt am Main 80
9.2 American Culture in Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps 82

10 Core Terminology – Map Production 84

11 Appendix 87
11.1 Figures 87
11.2 List of Figures 100
11.3 Bibliography 104
11.4 Online Sources 105

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