All posts in Pennsylvania History

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: Much More than Meets the Eye

This post was written by Paige Andrew, Maps Cataloging Librarian.

A portion of sheet 1 of the 1906 Sanborn map of State College, Pennsylvania. Note the added textual information such as population of 1000 included in the title frame.

A portion of sheet 1 of the 1906 Sanborn map of State College, Pennsylvania. Note the added textual information such as population of 1000 included in the title frame.

For nearly a century and a half the maps that comprise a historic Pennsylvania collection in the Libraries, published by the Sanborn Map Company (and earlier iterations of the name), have long provided a unique, graphic, primary resource for a variety of research needs. Sanborn fire insurance maps have tracked the growth of cities and towns in the United States over time and provide an abundance of information on each community represented.

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The People’s Contest

Letter from James A Beaver Papers

Letter from James A Beaver Papers

This post was written by Sabra Statham, Digital Project Coordinator, PSUL.

As we head into winter I am once again reminded that another year at The People’s Contest has passed. In fact, this year when February rolls around it won’t just be my fifth year at the Penn State Libraries, it will be the project’s fifth year. This anniversary seems like a good time to go back and look at what we have accomplished. Few digital projects last this long so not only have we achieved that important landmark, it looks like the project is just getting going with lots of new activities planned for the future.

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