From left to right: John V. Storey House (now Columbus Area Visitors Center), photo by Balthazar Korab, undated; Sanborn Map of Columbus, Indiana (detail), 1886; John V. Storey,
Complete Directory of Bartholomew County, Indiana, 1903.
The history of a house is more than just who has called it home. There are many angles to explore when learning about the history of buildings and the community spaces around them. For example, surveys and parcel maps can tell you how a space has changed physically, while property transfers can tell you when a new individual or family bought a house. Newspapers and archival collections may have unique stories about the buildings or even the people who lived and worked in them.
Bartholomew County Public Library has books on historical buildings and homes that may help provide a starting point for your research. For example, “House Histories: A Guide to Tracing the Genealogy of Your Home” by Sally Light provides guidelines on estimating the age of your house, identifying building materials, how to read surveys, and even how to get your house listed on a historic register (if applicable). Other books in the catalog are more specific, such as “Indiana Houses of the Nineteenth Century” which not only speaks to the style of many local homes but publishes pictures of key houses with information on their location and architectural style. If you don’t have specific background on a house, these types of materials may be a good place to gather
general information. You can access and search the Bartholomew County Public Library via the Library Catalog or check out some of the related books below.
Genealogy Resources
If you know the name of prior owners or agents associated with a building, you may find information about them in census records found in the National Archives, which currently have data available from 1790-1950. In addition, it may be useful to explore Ancestry.com for other government records associated with an individual or family. Amongst its genealogy resources the library has a number of research resources for local cemteries, yearbooks and directories. You can also reach out to Reference staff for geneaology help.
Directories
The library holds a number of directories covering local areas. Directories are helpful tools when trying to trace ownership and occupancy of different properties over the years. Many historical directories will list not only the name of an owner or occupant but also their occupation, place of employment, and spouse's name.
Newspapers
Newspapers often publish property transfers or information on real estate listings. Even if your home was sold many years ago, newspaper archives often date back decades. If you’re trying to establish the legacy of a building, it may be useful to search not only the address, but cross streets, family names, or even businesses associated with prior inhabitants. There are a number of online newspaper databases that capture historical articles, some of which are specific to Indiana, but others capture a broader geographic range.
The Republic Newspaper - Bartholomew County's local current news website including some archival access.
HSJ Online - Online newspaper for the Hope area.
Hoosier State Chronicles - Through the Hoosier State Chronicles collection you can see scanned images of historical newspapers in Bartholomew County.
Newspapers.com INSPIRE Access - View the newspapers.com content available through INSPIRE, the statewide information database. This access includes the Indianapolis Star and North Vernon Plain Dealer, among others.
Newspapers.com Local Access (In-Library Use Only) - Database is available in-library only. Featuring extensive newspaper archives of Bartholomew and surrounding counties, including Columbus coverage from the 1870s to present.
Newspapers.com World Historical - Features historical archives of newspapers throughout the US and the world (years vary by newspaper). Includes coverage of the Columbus newspaper
up to 1963.
Maps
Maps provide an interesting perspective when researching a building—they may show how a physical boundary has changed or that a wall or fence line was added to the property. Some maps may provide details on building materials, such as Sanborn Maps, which can be searched by city and state on the Library of Congress website. Sanborn maps use symbols and colors to denote different building materials and structural elements. Below is an example of a Sanborn Map with the house of John V. Storey (currently the Columbus Visitors Center) highlighted.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Bartholomew County, Indiana. Sanborn Map Company,1886, Library of Congress.
Beacon, a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS), creates maps searchable by attributes such as owner name, parcel number, year built, or sale price. The information for Bartholomew County is managed by the Bartholomew County Surveyor’s Office, but it is possible to widen your search outside of the Indiana area on Beacon’s main search page.
The Bartholomew County Historical Society has an extensive map collection documenting the county. Other maps such as Indiana Historical Society Maps and maps from the Bartholomew County Recorder Office are regionally focused.
Photographs
There is a chance that a given building or home was photographed by local historians or preservation organizations. This is especially true if the building holds architectural or cultural significance.
The Bartholomew County Historical Society holds collections of numerous photographs of different landmarks, homes, and structures in the county over the years. Their research library is located at the Historical Society Museum. In addition to the maps mentioned earlier, the Indiana Historical Society has a large collection of digital images, within it you can browse by subject or search using keyword.
Columbus Area Visitors Center photo by Balthazar Korab, undated, Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives.
Architectural Drawings
Occasionally, architectural drawings of houses are collected by preservation organizations, historical societies, and architectural archives. The Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives holds drawings of about fifty houses in Columbus. Ball State University's Andrew Seager Archives of the Built Environment collects materials for the entire state of Indiana.
Detail of Columbus Information Center drawing by Bruce Adams, 09/05/1972, Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives.
Business Entities
When researching the history of a building, you may find it was used as a family business or registered as a principal office for a corporation. You can search for inactive business records at the Indiana Archives Digital Index Records. If a business is still active, you can search for it with the address, business name, or agent name on INBiz, which is an Indiana government database. While this information may not tell you much about the structure of a building, or your home, it may help build the story of its inhabitants.
Columbus File
The Columbus File houses non-circulating materials related to various buildings, families, and houses in the Columbus area. You can access the materials during library operating hours in the Local and Family History Area. There are newspaper clippings, photographs and genealogy records amongst the files. If you are researching a historic home or know the name of the family who used to live in the house you are researching, you can check the files to see if they are included.
This guide has been made possible through a Historic Preservation Education Grant from Indiana Landmarks, Indiana Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.