Since the late nineteenth century, the Sanborn Map Company (later Sanborn-Perris Map Company) has produced maps of cities and towns throughout the United States. Maps for many North Carolina cities and towns are available from 1884 through the 1980s.
While they were originally intended to help insurance companies determine the risk of fire, the maps can provide detailed historical information about a city or town and its development.
This research guide explains how to access Joyner Library's digital and material holdings of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. It also offers resources to help users interpret the maps and provides examples of their use in different disciplines.
Users of this research guide will be able to:
A multicolor Sanborn Map Company map of Greenville, N.C. showing Dickinson Avenue, Evans Street, Greene Street, and 7th Street. Originally dated 1929.
For more images like this, visit the Joyner Library Digital Collections database.