What do old buildings, landscapes, and sites have to do with old papers, family stories, and traditions? They complement each other and make the story complete. For family historians it is not enough to seek the names and vital records, or for the preservationists to study the remains of a house, community or sites, but by combining both efforts the story that will eventually evolved will give the full picture of a family and the house or the community where they lived.
This chapter will introduce some of you to the concept of preservation of the built environment and refresh others on the techniques used to gather information on structures, sites, and landscapes. As family historians we are constantly looking for ways to make family history come alive to those that we want to know our stories. Therefore by adding information on the history of your family home, your community, or your family farm you have added a visual image to the family story. A simple line drawing of the family home can add volumes to the family history. If you do not know how the home looked, getting the oral history from a relative as to how the rooms were laid out and how they were used will help in knowing which documents to use to research the house. Writing the biography of your home or family farm can be an interesting and rewarding project and unless you are very fortunate, there is no single place or document that will tell you exactly when your house or community was built or established. In most cases documentation will require researching in a variety of records sources, local and state. You will find that you will use some of the same records in researching house history as you do in researching family history.
How do you go about tracing the history of your house, or the family farm? Let me first define the terms structures, site, and landscapes that will be used in references in this chapter. Working definitions for structures are the homes that the family lived in; sites—the farms and homes that no longer exist; and the landscapes—the trees, vegetation, etc. I will discuss briefly a few of the tools that can be used to research the built environment. Such records as your own records, plat books/deeds, historic maps and atlases, censuses, newspapers, telephone directories, building permits, and photographs are a few of the sources that can help with your house research. Although family researchers use most of the records listed above I will briefly discuss some aspects of them when researching houses.
Plat books/Deeds
Each time property (lots and buildings) is sold a record is made of the transaction. By searching deed records or plat books, you can obtain a list of each owner of the property and the date purchased. Use the deed index books to access the deed books. The ADAH will have some deed and plat books arranged by county. You will need to know the county that the property is located. The census records will help in county location. Each Alabama county tax office will also have past and current deed books that reference property in that county.
Historical maps and atlases
The Sanborn Map Company drew insurance maps for many cities around the country. Some of these maps are available at the ADAH from the years 1898–1949. Lots are outlined on each street in the city and the footprint of any structure located on the lot is drawn in with notations for the number of stories in the building. The ADAH will not have maps for all cities within the state.
The Works Progress Administration of Alabama compiled county township maps in 1930 that listed the names of property owners and location for property at that time in the cities and in the rural areas of the counties. This series consists of township maps of eighteen counties located in central and southeastern Alabama. You will need to know the township and range of the property that you researching to locate that information on the map. The ADAH has these maps in their map collection under the title Alabama-Counties-Township Maps.
Censuses, newspapers, phone directories, photographs
Censuses, newspapers, telephone directories and photographs are records that are constantly used by family historians. This paragraph is just a reminder to not only look for names, but also look for locations and images. Census records can provide further information on the families who owned and lived in the community by giving vital information on all of the occupants of the house or who lived on the street or in the community. The newspapers can furnish some history of the times. That is the news of the day or era. The city directories are helpful for houses in the cities. They usually will note the person’s occupation, home, or business address. You can also look up street addresses to obtain who might have occupied a home or business you are researching. You may be able to find descendant who is willing to show you photographs which may include the house.
Building Permits
Building permits usually can tell you when a house was built and will identify the builder, cost, and building type. Each city will have its own offices for handling building permits.
The Alabama Historical Commission (AHC)
Buildings and sites that have been placed on the National and Alabama Historic Places register can be located in the records of the AHC. The Historic Resource Survey form that was completed to register the buildings contains a description of the prime architectural features, and biographical information on the original owners or builders. If your house or site is fifty years or older and has not been structurally changed, you might qualify to have your home or site listed on these registers. Instructions on how to complete a register nomination can be located at the AHC in Montgomery or at its web site. Registered listing places your home or site in the limelight for all to see the history associated with it. A completed history would be the history and image of the site, house, and the people who built it. To use the AHC records call first and make an appointment. The AHC also have information leaflet on various subjects dealing with preservation of structures, sites and landscapes. You can obtain an Illustrated Guide to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation from the AHC. You can locate them at www.preserveala.org and 468 South Perry Street, Montgomery, AL, telephone, (334) 242-3184
More information on preservation of historical sites can be found also at the National Trust for Preservation (NTP) web site at www.nationaltrust.org and 1785 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20036-2117; (202) 588-6000. There is limited funding for historical houses; you will need to access both the AHC and NTP web sites for this information.
With a little detective work, you can uncover the clues that will tell the story of your old house, community, or landscape. This makes for a good family history story!
The below sources will help you to further discover how to use the record to research the built environment.
Resources
Bowman, Camille A. Handbook for Owners of Alabama’s Historic Houses: A Basic Guide to Resources. Montgomery: State of Alabama Printing and Publication, 2001.
Bowsher, Alice M. Alabama Architecture: Looking at Building and Place. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001.
Burkhardt, Ann M. and Ann M. Bowsher. House Detective: A Guide to Researching Birmingham Buildings. Birmingham Historical Society: Birmingham, AL, 1998.
Carley, Rachel. The Visual Dictionary of American Domestic Architecture. New York: Henry Holt, 1994.
Dean, Andrea O. Rural Studio: Samuel Mockbee and An Architecture of Decency. Princeton Architectural Press, 2003.
Gamble, Robert. Historic Architecture in Alabama: A Primer of Styles and Types, 1810–1930. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1900.
Houses and Homes: Exploring Their History. Nashville, TN: American Association for State and Local History, 1987.
Howard, Hugh. How Old Is This House? A Skeleton Key to Dating and Identifying Three Centuries of American Houses. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1989.
Kitchen, Judith L. Caring for Your Old House—A Guide for Owners and Residents. Washington, DC: Preservation Press, 1991.
Light, Sally. House Histories: A Guide to Tracing the Genealogy of Your Home. Spencertown, NY: Golden Hill Press, 1995.
McAlester, Virginia. Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Knopf, 1984.
McMurry, Sally. Families and Farmhouses in Nineteenth Century America: Vernacular Design and Social Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Poore, Patricia, ed. The Old-House Journal Guide to Restoration. New York: Dutton, 1992.
Taylor, Julie. Preservation Sourcebook—The Comprehensive Directory of Products and Services for Historic Preservation and Restoration. Preservation Publication, LLC, 1998
Vlach, John Michael. Back of the Big House: The Architecture of Plantation Slavery. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1993.
Whelchel, Harriet. Caring for Your Historic House. New York: Harry Abrams Inc., 1998.
Helpful Internet Sources
Preservation Briefs: www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/briefs/presbhom.htm.
Old House: www.oldhouseweb.com.
National Register of Historic Places: www.cr.nps.gov/nr/.
Historic Landscapes Initiative: www2.cr.nps.gov/hli/index.htm.