08/21/2026
Ever wonder what your house looked like 100 years ago? Sanborn Maps may offer some clues!
Back in the 1800s and 1900s, fire insurance companies needed a way to assess their risk across American cities — so they created maps, block by block, building by building. The result: incredibly detailed maps of U.S. towns and cities that include information like building footprint, building materials, use of the property, and more.
You can use these maps to see if your address or street name has changed over the years, find out what facade and roof materials your home was originally built from, and spot which parts were added on later.
The best part? They're free to view online:
In black and white through the San Antonio Public Library database
In color through UT-Austin's Perry-Castañeda Library
Visit our YouTube page to watch a recording of our popular property research class, Become a Citizen Historian, which walks through how to access Sanborn Maps and many more free research tools using your San Antonio Library Card: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHuk3EY5mfo