Once you’ve signed up to display a poster you’ll be on the official map. But to do that poster, you may want to research the history of your home.
Barb Bailey, of the Newburyport Preservation Trust, has put together a neat summary of key tools and resources. Here they are:
- MACRIS: General descriptions and architectural information for many houses. Warning: Not all information about original owners is accurate.
- Mary Baker’s Interactive Map
- Salem Deeds. Work back in time keeping track of owners to learn about the people who lived in your house. Find out more about those people through the Archival Center
- Visit the Archival Center of NPL or contact archivist Sharon Spieldenner, sspieldenner@newburyportpl.org.
- Search digitized historic newspapers
You can fill in the gaps with these maps: - Plan of Newburyport 1851
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1888-1914
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of 1926, with edits from 1952: NPL
Take advantage of other resources like:
- Tax records – NPL (1786-1861)
- Explore Vital records
- Probate records- American Ancestors (Probate documents are free)
- Family genealogy – NPL and online
- Search in Digitized books i.e. Currier’s History of Newburyport 1764-1905
- Ancestry.com – Subscription required or free at the NPL
- Newburyport Street Directories – NPL. Important note: Street names changed over time. Houses were renumbered around 1915; changes appear on the 1926 Sanborn map.
- Architectural Information – Newburyport Preservation Trust
- Photographs at the Museum of Old Newbury of the Library
- Cemetery Records at the Library
Finally, you can always get help and hire a professional researcher from the Newburyport Preservation Trust Historic House Plaque Program (Contact Barb.Bailey03@gmail.com)
Most importantly, have fun researching your house!
If This House Could Talk - Newburyport 