Uncovering the Story Behind Buildings in Idaho
By Jamee Fiore, Architectural Historian
Did you know that every building has a story (or stories) to tell? All we need to do is observe and listen. There are a lot of clues to discover that can tell us the year a building was built, who built it, why it was built, how it has changed with each new generation, what historical events the building is associated with, and more.
For example, did you know that if you find a square-headed nail in an old wooden barn or building, it means it was likely built sometime before the 1870s? Machine made, Round-headed nails didn’t exist until after the 1870s, so prior to that people either made their own or bought them from a local blacksmith.
You can learn how architectural historians investigate the mysteries of old buildings! Here are suggestions and resources you can use to become a History Detective. We hope that you will find a building in your own community that you will investigate to uncover its mysteries!
The County Assessor’s Records provide only basic information about various properties, including their characteristics (number of bedrooms, bathrooms), valuation, year built, and more. This information is useful to show how a building may have changed over time. You will need the address, parcel number, or subdivision name to search for the property.
Note: not all Assessor’s records have been digitized nor are all property records available. Some records may be inaccurate and often need to be validated through additional research.
Building Permits
Visit your local City Planning and Development Services to find old Building Permits.
Building permits ensure the enforcement of building codes. Sometimes they can be helpful to show how a building may have changed over time from its original design.
Sanborn Maps date from 1867-1970. They show the history, growth, and development of American cities, towns, and neighborhoods. These can be accessed in the Boise Public Library’s Idaho Room.
Idaho State Archives: Architecture Index, Photo Collections, Polk (City) Directories
The architectural index is a reference index for buildings to show the “first notable person” to live at a particular address.
There is a large collection of photos organized by city and street. Most of the collection may be accessed on the website but a portion of the collection is only available at the archives.
The Polk (City) Directories provide the name, address, and profession of individuals throughout the city, similar to a phone book.
Newspapers
Newspapers covered all kinds of topics from advertisements to travel announcements and even who built a new home including when, where, and for how much. Sometimes details about the type of house, how many rooms, and interesting features can be found. The Idaho state archives features both microfilm and online collections of state newspapers.
The Library of Congress has a very large collection of newspapers and books and is a great resource to access details of a building when it was originally built and any historic events leading up to or surrounding the building and community.
General Land Office (GLO) Maps
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) took charge of mapping certain lands in the US and created General Land Office maps (GLO). Some of these maps date back to 1810, and they contain survey plats and field notes. This can be especially helpful when researching more rural properties that might not have been covered by the Sanborn Maps.