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Getting to know the history of your house can be a fun
and fascinating process. Acquaint yourself with the lives of the people
who used to dwell there. What were their occupations? What kinds of
interests did they have? Learn what architectural style your house
represents, and who the architect was. Uncovering this kind of
information could reveal alterations that have taken place on the
property. Find the original architectural plans. Perhaps this will
inspire you to restore your home to its original structure. The research
you conduct could also reveal important people and/or events associated
with your home. Above all, it will encourage a sense of appreciation for
the historic value of the home, and the responsibility that you have as
caretaker of this tangible piece of our past. Where do you begin your house history research? To
start with, you will find it helpful to learn the legal description
of your home. This is often what is used to access information from the
sources mentioned in this document. The legal description is comprised
of the name of the addition, the lot and the block numbers. For example:
Browne's ADD L 4 B 1. Perhaps the simplest method of obtaining the legal
description is to consult your property's tax records. The
description is shown in the upper left hand comer. If these aren't
readily available, visit the
Spokane County Assessor's Office. In Spokane, the Assessor's
Office is located on the First Floor of the County Courthouse. Provide
your property address, and you will be given a computer printout of your
property's tax records. The County Assessor's office is a good place to
continue your house history research. Here you will find Field
Books--workbooks used by the Assessor which contain such information as
the year the house was built, the value of the house and surrounding
property, and a physical description of the structure. Now that you have established the legal description,
you can continue your research by examining the property's building
permits. These permits are documents issued by the
Building Department granting permission to construct, remodel or
even demolish a structure. The building permits for Spokane date back to
approximately 1912, and are contained on microfiche at Building Services
on the 3rd floor of City Hall. Electrical permits for a property can be
found dating back to approximately 1905. Building permits will inform you of the contractor's
name, the date of construction, and the in some cases the architect if
one was involved. The permit may even provide the name of the original
owner and subsequent owners of the property. You can also learn the
various kinds of permits that have been issued for the property. If you
live in the county, this same information can be obtained at the
Spokane County Department of Building and Planning located in the
Public Works Building. Tracing the history of the owners of your home can
also be accomplished by a visit to a title company. There are
several title companies in Spokane, and they may charge a fee for this
service. By now you have learned the legal description of the
property, and possibly the name of the original owner, the date of
construction, the architect and various details of construction. The
next step is to locate your property on a map. The map
collections are very good at the
Spokane Public Library,
Eastern Washington University Library and
Eastern Washington State Historical Society (also known as Cheney
Cowles and the Museum of Arts & Culture). Each map gives you a different
kind of information. For instance, the Sanborn Insurance maps
made for fire insurance purposes are one way of confirming that the
present location of your house is its original one. These maps contain
block by block drawings of the city with color-coded drawings of each
structure to illustrate details of construction. If you want to locate a
road or site, look at a Metsker's Map. These maps can still be
purchased in sporting goods stores. Ogle's Standard of Spokane
County, 1912, is a plat book of villages, cities and townships of
Spokane. Additional maps can be accessed in the card catalogue and
vertical files of the library. You can put together a chronology of the inhabitants
of your home by looking at old R.L. Polk City Directories.
These books were first printed in 1889 and list the names, addresses,
and occupations of the inhabitants of a particular dwelling. Beginning
in 1929, Directories were cross-referenced so that you could look up
information by address or name. Suburban Directories have been compiled
since 1956. It is important to note that prior to 1891, the
streets in Spokane used the river to divide north and south, and Howard
Street to divide east and west. After 1891, the major dividing line was
Division for east and west, and Sprague for north and south. Polk City
Directories can be found at the Spokane Public Library in the
Northwest Room and in the Geneaology Room, at the Museum of Arts &
Culture in the Joel E. Ferris Library, and at the
Eastern Regional Branch Archive in Cheney. With the framework of your house's history
established, it's now time to fill in the details. An excellent local
resource is the
Eastern Washington State Historical Society. Here you will discover
an extensive collection of original manuscripts and photographs such as
the collection of Libby Photographs. At Spokane 's Main Library, in Spokane, you will find
the
Northwest Room which is filled with local history books and original
maps. Some examples of what to look for include the vertical files
which contain information on Spokane and nearby communities. These are
accessible under headings like biographies, neighborhoods, houses, or
buildings. Newspapers are another source of information. The
Spokesman-Review
is indexed from 1887-1920, and you may be able to find an article
that was written at the time of the building or resale of your property.
"Mug Books," such as "Who's Who," and "Durham's An
Illustrated History of Spokane County," provide brief biographies
and occasional photographs of prominent citizens. While at the library, be sure to visit the
Genealogy Room. This room may contain records relating
to the owner, architect or builder of a property. Probably one of the most valuable resources that has
not yet been mentioned is people. Interview your neighbors who
have lived in the community for a long time. Create you own oral
histories; people can provide you with insights that are not found
in books. There are also oral interviews of pioneers on file at the
Eastern Washington State Historical Society which may be relevant to
your research. Toward the conclusion of your research, you may
discover that your house is worthy of designation to the National and/or
Spokane Register of Historic Places. Eligibility for the
National Register is determined based on a building's significance
on a national and regional scale. The Spokane Register is made up of
properties that have a particular significance to Spokane. Structures
placed in the National Register may have already achieved eligibility
for the Spokane Register. Likewise, a structure that is first placed in
the Spokane Register may be eligible, and later apply for placement in
the National Register. You may ask the question, "Why apply for designation
to a Register?" In brief, the Registers are an important planning tool
for Federal, state, and local government, and they also provide a record
of the physical remains of our country's past. Listing in the National
Register is primarily a tool to encourage preservation, recognition, and
rehabilitation of our national heritage; listing does not enforce such
protection. Listing on the Spokane Register involves entering into a
Management Agreement with the City or County. This agreement states that
you will obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness before embarking upon
demolition, new construction, or any action affecting the exterior
appearance of the structure. The object of these management standards is
to ensure the continued existence and architectural integrity of the
structure. Note: This information was compiled by Nancy Compau, Northwest Room, Spokane Public Library. For
more information on house history research, check out the Spokane Public
Library's
House History Guide. For additional research resources, click here.
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© 1997-2006 City of
Spokane, Washington. All Rights Reserved. |
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