Guide to Resources on Urban History and Environment (History 300) 

Information Sources for Urban History - PowerPoint presentation given by Linda Zellmer during class.

Historic maps can be used to show the changes that have occurred in an area over time.

Digital Map Collections - Illinois

Illinois Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps – Fire insurance maps were developed to help insurance companies set insurance rates, based on the types of structures and types of businesses in an area. They contain information on the outline of each building, property boundaries and street names. The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Illinois are available in black & white through ProQuest.

Historic Illinois Maps Online – a collection of digital maps showing the history of Illinois and the Midwest.

Illinois County Plat Books and Atlases - a site with information on the plat books and county atlases available at the Illinois State Library. Plat books show land ownership; early atlases may include early maps of Illinois cities.

Federal Township Plats of Illinois - the plats show Illinois townships before settlement.

Illinois Land Cover in the Early 1800s - provide a record of the Illinois landscape before settlement.

Digital Map Collections - All Areas

David Rumsey Collection – Includes maps of many places, including a historical atlas of Illinois by Warner and Beers. Maps can be downloaded as JPEG images.

Maps in American Memory (Library of Congress) – American Memory is is a digital record of American history. It includes maps of many cities (primarily birds-eye views), sometimes with multiple dates.

Readex U.S. Congressional Serial Set – The Serial Set is a collection of primary source material detailing with all aspects of American history. It includes Reports and Documents from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, including many early annual reports of Executive Agencies. These early reports include maps, illustrations and statistics. This index is available on a trial basis only.

U.S. Census Atlases, 1790-1920 - The Library of Congress has scanned the historical U.S. Census atlases. They are part of American Memory.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for U.S. States and Canadian Provinces – the Union List of Sanborn and Other Fire Insurance Maps is available from the University of California - Berkeley. Click on the state name to determine whether digital maps are available for a particular state.