Skip to navigation Skip to content

Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection

Title

Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection

Description

History

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 fire risk. Between 1955 and 1978, the Library of Congress withdrew duplicate sheets and atlases from their collection and offered them to selected libraries. Maps for Missouri towns and cities were given to the MU Libraries.

Scope and Contents

Documenting the layout of 390 Missouri cities from 1883 to 1951, the 1283 maps in the collection are an invaluable research tool for urban historians, architectural historians, environmentalists, genealogists and preservationists.

The large scale (1:600) offers detailed information on the use made of commercial and industrial buildings, their size, shape and construction material. Some residential areas are also mapped. The maps show the location of water mains, fire alarms and fire hydrants. They are color-coded to identify the structure (adobe, frame, brick, stone, iron) of each building.

Microfiche copies of the maps are also available.

Commercially prepared microfilm of maps for 55 Missouri cities dating from 1941-1992 supplement the collection.

Holdings: 1283 maps (10,351 sheets)

Access

A portion of the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection has been digitally scanned and is available in the University of Missouri Digital Library.

The paper maps must be used in the Special Collections reading room during service hours or by appointment. The microfiche and microfilm copies are available all hours that Ellis Library is open in room 303. Microfiche and microfilm copies of the maps may be borrowed via interlibrary loan.

Rights

Some maps in the collection are under copyright restriction. Please contact Environmental Data Resources, Inc. if you wish to order complete copies of Sanborn maps, or contact us to make other arrangements.

Recently Added Items