Researching Your Home's History
One of the great joys of owning an old home is the sense of history that accompanies it. This history can help guide sensitive renovation projects, establish a connection with the past, and construct a greater understanding of the building's unique character.
This information is adapted from a presentation co-hosted by the Des Moines Rehabbers Club and the Drake Neighborhood Association, prepared by Jennifer Irsfeld James and Steve Wilke-Shapiro. Click on the links below to view notes and worksheets from the presentation.
Another source for information if your home is located in a National Register historic district is the nomination form. PDF's of the original nomination forms for most Des Moines districts are available on RenovateDSM.
If you find interesting information about your home, please let use know by e-mailing steve@RenovateDSM.com - we would love to expand this section with stories of individual homes in Des Moines.
Researching Your Home's History - Introduction
Researching houses in Des Moines is often a treasure hunt for clues. Juicy tidbits about a home’s history reside in resources such as city directories, county deeds, and old newspaper clippings.
Overview of the Research Process
- Read the House – Look for clues in the house and surrounding context
- Trace Ownership – Build a time line of who owned the house
- Uncover Resident History – Research the people who lived in the house
- Referenced Tangents – Dig up sources referenced in your prior research
- Additional Resources – Look in periodicals around significant dates to the house
General Research Notes
Some things to keep in mind as you work through the research process:
- Document EVERYTHING you do. Get copies when you can and take good notes.
- Keep track of CITATIONS (source, date, and page number) when you make a note.
- DON'T BELIEVE everything you read or see. There are often spelling errors, incorrect dates, and even false information. Part of your job is to sift through and find inconsistencies.
You may not find what you are looking for right away (or at all). Historic research is a process. Don't feel like you have to do everything in one sitting. Often a break or a little distance from the effort can help you refocus.
Don't be afraid to ask for help from the people you meet along the way: librarians, genealogists, other researchers can all be helpful in directing you to new resources and helping you to understand the information you have.
Share Your Findings
The end result can be as simple as a vintage photograph of a house or as complex as a formal nomination to place the property on the National Register of Historic Places. In either case, pass on your findings to the next owners and donate copies to the neighborhood organization, historical society, or public library.
Reading the House for Clues
Reading the House
Information can be gleaned from the building itself, the surrounding context, and the physical records of the building's change over time.
Examine the Context
Look at the house in relation to the other buildings on the block. Are all the homes the same architectural style? How does your home relate to adjacent homes in size and setback? Are the lots equal or different sizes?
Answers to questions like these can help point your research in the right direction.
Determine the architectural style
The home's architectural style can help date the original construction. Some online and print resources include:
- A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia McAlester and Lee McAlester (1984)
- “Architectural Styles of America” (web page) at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~twp/architecture
- Identifying American Architecture: A Pictorial Guide for Styles and Terms, 1600-1945 by John Blumenson (1981)
Architectural Clues
The house itself is an excellent historical record. Your initial work should include a detailed examination of the house for physical clues.
- Additions/demo – Are there any obvious additions or portions removed?
- Trim – Different trim profiles may indicate renovations
- Windows and doors – Look for openings that have been closed up or created
- Foundation – Examining the foundation may indicate additions to the house
Polk County Assessor Web Site
The Assessor's web site is not particularly accurate but can be a good start. You can find a current floor plan, an estimate of the year built, recent ownership, and recent building permits.
http://www.assess.co.polk.ia.us/
To look up a house, click on "Property Search" then "Homeowner Query" and type in the address and street name. Note that the historical address of the house may not be the same as the current address.
Sanborn Maps
Sanborn fire insurance maps are a record of buildings between 1884-1950. Sanborn maps show the historic building footprint, accessory structures, lot lines, construction type, exterior cladding, streets, and alleys. Sanborn maps are available online through the DM Public Library or State Library of Iowa.
http://www.pldminfo.org/search/databases.html
Look Up a Historic Address Using Online Sanborn Maps
The Sanborn maps were created to aid in setting fire insurance policies. Today they serve as one of the best historical records of physical development in many cities and towns. Some of the information shown on the Sanborn maps includes:
- Street addresses and street names
- Building footprints
- Porches
- Construction type
- Accessory buildings
- Alleys
- Lot lines
In Des Moines, the main Sanborn updates available online are 1884, 1891 1901, and 1920 (with updates through 1950). The maps chart the city's development over time – as new areas incorporated they were added to the maps, so earlier versions may not show all areas. The 1901 map, for example, only shows a small portion of today's Drake neighborhood.
How to Look Up an Address
Online access to the Sanborn maps is available through the Des Moines Public Library (library card required) and the State Library of Iowa (free library card required).
To look up an address using the Des Moines Public Library site:
- Open http://www.pldminfo.org/search/databases.html in your web browser
- Click on “Digital Sanborn Maps of Iowa (use outside the library)”
- Enter your Des Moines Library Card Number and PIN (last 4 digits of your phone number)
- Select State (IA), City (Des Moines), and Year (start with the earliest for your neighborhood)
- Click on the “Index” page thumbnail to locate your address of interest (can zoom in and pan)
- Note the page number of the address range that contains your property and go back the the main Sanborn thumbnail window (you can close the window with the index page if you want).
- Click on the appropriate page thumbnail (opens in a new window).
- Pan and zoom until you find your house.
Click HERE or on the link below to download a PDF file with illustrations of the process.
Tracing Ownership
The next step in the process is developing a time line of ownership from the first plat to current day. There are a couple resources that can help in this process: the property Abstract (if you can get it) and the County Auditor/Assessor.
Use a spreadsheet to keep track of names, dates, and notes for each transaction.
Abstract
Your home's “abstract” is a legal document that traces the ownership history of a parcel of land. It typically references and sometimes includes copies of legal actions that affect property ownership such as: original platting, subdivisions, owners' names and “aliases”, bankruptcies, divorces and custody actions, easements, and foreclosures.
Polk County Recorder and Auditor Offices
The Polk County Auditor office maintains historical county property records including: deeds and contracts, mortgages, liens, assignments, releases, plats and surveys, easements. More recent records can be obtained at the Recorder's office
The following is an example "Chain of Title" log sheet that traces ownership of a property back from the current owner through the original plat. A full spreadsheet will include the Grantor (seller), Grantee (buyer), Date of Filing, Date of Instrument, Transfer Type, Book and Page, and Description.
Click here to download a blank Chain of Title worksheet for use in your own research.
What Did My House Used To Look Like?
[contributed to RenovateDSM by Jennifer Irsfeld James, MAHP]
Architect-designed houses rare. More commonly built by builders – and may have evolved over time. Especially for 19th-century houses, may have started with a cottage that was expanded over time.
Sanborn Maps
Look for the footprint of your house on the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, available online to Des Moines Public Library card holders.
The Sanborn company produced these detailed plans for use by fire insurance companies and fire departments during a time when fires were a common hazard.
Fire insurance maps of the neighborhood, commonly called “Sanborn maps”, will show the outline of the house and any outbuildings, number of stories, and any outbuildings. Since new maps were often produced every 10 to 20 years, comparing maps may yield clues to additions and other alterations made to structures on the property, as well as changes to street names and numbers.
Savvy homeowners use these maps to help date construction and aid in reconstruction of original porches and carriage houses/garages, plus inappropriate additions best to be removed.
Maps of Des Moines were drawn in 1884, 1891, 1901, and 1920, with updates made through 1956.
Each map shows the most developed areas of the city, where the threat of fire was greatest. It's possible you may not find your address on every map.
Be aware that some street names and numbers (addresses) have changed over the years. In addition, construction of I-235 and university expansion have destroyed many houses, so it can be a bit disorienting to look at pre-1950 maps.
Also keep in mind that these maps were drawn by hand -- so even though they are highly accurate, some minor errors were made. Those caveats aside, the Sanborn maps are a key resource for unlocking the history of your house.
Talk With Neighbors and Locate Previous Residents
A neighbor (or former neighbor) may have a cache of photos that show your house.
Photos, letters, ephemera, oral history from previous neighbors/residents/owners and relatives of the same are best and perhaps most overlooked resources!
Learn About Your Neighborhood
Many resources categorized by historic names of neighborhoods and one-time suburbs now part of the city.
- State Historical Society Of Iowa Historical Research Library
- Des Moines Public Library
- Drake University’s Cowles Library, etc.
Study Maps
Study maps of Des Moines and plat maps over time.
Architectural Surveys and National Register Research
Some excellent resources:
- Jacobsen, James E. and Zeller, John Patrick, “Building a City of Homes: Des Moines, Iowa, 1900-1951” (National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Listing, 2001)
- Jacobsen, James E. and Zeller, John Patrick, “Historical Residential Architecture in Des Moines, 1905-1940: A Study of Two House Types, the Bungalow and the Square House.” (1997)
- Long, Barbara Beving, “Drake University and Related Properties in Des Moines, Iowa, 1881-1918” (National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Listing, 1988)
- Page, William C. and Walroth, Joanne R., “Toward a Greater Des Moines: Development and Early Suburbanization Circa 1880-Circa 1920,” Vol. I – V (National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Listing, 1992-1998)
Photographs
Look for photographs taken of events (a parade passing by your house), public works projects, etc, as well as photos of past owners/residents and the house itself.
Local History Books and Record Books
Sometimes information about houses, neighborhoods, and people are included in books. For example,
- Johnson Brigham’s 1911 Des Moines, the Pioneer of Municipal Progress and Reform of the Middle West Together with the History of Polk County, Iowa, the Largest, Most Populous and Most Prosperous County in the State of Iowa (1911).
- Will Porter’s 1898 Annals of Polk County, Iowa, and the City of Des Moines
- Institutional histories (Nearby Church, College, Hospital, Government, etc)
Old Newspapers
City had several newspapers – and include a wealth of information. However, not indexed. If you have a construction year – or extra time on your hands – fascinating to read. Photographs and writeups about construction in the business section, society section, and want ads – plus advertisements for plats and new construction homes when first built.
- Des Moines Public Library newspapers indexes and clipping files
Specialty newspapers:
- Drake Delphic (Drake U. student newspaper), 1884-present. Card catalog exists for early citations.
- The Bystander (excellent source for news about the African-American community)
Period Books, Yearbooks, Magazines
Old yearbooks, such as Drake University Quax yearbooks, show buildings.
The Builder Magazine showed house plans and photographs; Better Homes and Gardens has featured many Des Moines homes over the years; more recently, The Iowan has done a lot of reporting.
Postcards
Antique stores and eBay
Internet Searches
Use search engines such as Google.com, to find documents about previous owners and the house. The Library of Congress (loc.gov) has a powerful search engine that connects library collections around the country.
For More Information
Betsy Green’s Discovering the History of Your House: And Your Neighborhood
