Description:
Researching Your Home’s History
One question we often get in Special Collections and Research (SCR) is ‘what can you tell me about my house?” While we would love to be able to present you with a written history of your house, chances are we haven’t researched it but the good news is that we can help you research your house. What follows are resources we use in our research process which will help you in researching your home. Go forth and research—it's fun!
The first step is to use the home’s address to find the legal description of the property either through the records of the Oklahoma County Assessor’s office or by using the Sanborn maps. The legal description includes the name of the subdivision, the block and lot number(s) or the township, range and section number if in a rural area.
County Records
Use the Oklahoma County Assessor’s site, oklahomacounty.org to search for the property using either the physical address or the homeowner’s name. Use this site to track the ownership of your home. Previous owners are listed but the list is probably incomplete especially if the home is older. Renovations are recorded occasionally, and there will be a date of construction but use this as a clue rather than a fact. Use the legal description to search for information on your house through the Registrar of Deeds at the County Clerk’s website at okcc.online. Here are the transactions recorded for your property over time. Make notes on all the transactions. Plat maps for the county are digitized and available on the County Clerk’s website at okcc.online.
Maps
Created by the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company to aid in appraising properties for fire insurance risks, these large-scale maps show the footprints of buildings, construction materials, number of stories, porches, outbuildings, exterior doors and windows, and stairwells. The year of construction is often noted for commercial buildings, churches and schools, and can be estimated for other buildings by comparing different years. These maps are invaluable for tracking changes in cities and towns. Oklahoma City Sanborn Maps are available on our library website with your library card. The first Sanborn map of Oklahoma City was in 1894, and the maps were periodically updated for Oklahoma City until 1955.
City Directories
City directories can be traced back to the 18th century in eastern cities. The most recognized publisher was R. L. Polk. Delivery people and salesmen used these to locate people, and businesses used the directories for advertising space. City directories are composed of three sections: residents and businesses alphabetically by last name, a street index, and a business section broken down into categories. Use city directories to discover who lived in your house throughout the years. Early directories give the spouse’s name, the homeowner’s occupation, and employer. In some cases, home ownership is denoted. City directories back to 1902 are available for use in the library by contacting Special Collections and Research, through online databases available through the library, including Ancestry.com, and MyHeritage.
Neighborhoods
There are over twenty historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma City. The National Register Nomination Forms for a district often provide in-depth background on the formation of the historic district including build dates for homes, and other structures identified in the district. The State Historic Preservation Office has national register nomination forms for Oklahoma City neighborhoods listed on the National Register of Historic Properties. These forms are available through the National Register of Historic Places database.
Architectural Styles
Books on architectural styles can be found in the Metro Library System catalog. Search the catalog for domestic architecture. By Virginia Savage McAlester, a Field Guide to American Houses (2015) is a classic in the field of historic preservation. Chapters are organized chronologically by architectural style used in houses through the 21st century. Identifying elements used in home construction can reveal the architectural style of a home.
Newspapers
Newspapers are an often overlooked but valuable resource in documenting both the history of a home, a neighborhood and the occupants of a home. Your library card provides access to several newspaper collections including Newspapers.com. The Oklahoma Historical Society’s Gateway to Oklahoma History portal has digitized newspapers for all of Oklahoma.
Archives
We are often asked for photographs of homes in the city. Photographs and postcards of homes and neighborhoods are available through the library catalog by using the drop-down menu and selecting Archives & History. Another source for photographs is the Oklahoma Historical Society’s Gateway to Oklahoma History. When searching for photographs of your home, it can be helpful to expand your search to include the street, and the neighborhood. Your home may appear in a photograph of your street.
Published Histories
Published histories of the county and the city can be invaluable in researching your historic home for context helping to explain the importance of specific events in Oklahoma City’s development. Under Published Resources, books on specific Oklahoma City neighborhoods as well as the city’s history and its development can be found in Special Collections and Research. Please contact us for an appointment and assistance.
Published Resources
Architectural/historical survey of the Military Park Neighborhood. Oklahoma City Neighborhood and Community Planning Department (1993)
A Crown Heights History, s.n. (1996)
An Early History of Capitol Hill: Compiled from the Files of the Capitol Hill Beacon and Other Sources to Mark the 60th Anniversary of This Community Newspaper, Founded September 15, 1905. Capitol Hill Beacon (1965)
Gatewood Neighborhood, University Historic District and Gatewood Historic District, Oklahoma City Planning Department (1993)
Great Buildings Ahead: A Guided Tour of Central Oklahoma’s Architectural Landmark for Walking and Motoring, Harold Hite. Oklahoma Chapter, American Institute of Architects (1989)
Harrison-Walnut Historic Survey Report, Entourage, Inc. (1984)
Heritage Hills: Preservation of a Historic Neighborhood, Bob L. Blackburn. Western Heritage Books (1990)
Historical Homes of Lincoln Terrace, James Edwin Alexander, ed. Southwest Heritage (1993)
Houses and Homes: Exploring their History, Barbara J. Howe. American Association for State and Local History (1997)
Jackson Area Neighborhood Profile—1998, Heartland Coalition (1998)
Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You, David E. Kvyig. Rowman & Littlefield (2000)
Neighborhood Profiles for Central Park, Edgemere, Jefferson Park, Paseo, Heartland Coalition (1998)
Nichols Hills: A Residential Community, Konrad Keesee and Ann Taylor. Southwestern Publishing (2015)
Nichols Hills, Country Club District: a Deluxe Residential Subdivision, G. A. Nichols. (1930)
The Nichols Hills Tradition, Robert Orbach, ed. American Fidelity Group, (n.d.)
Oklahoma City Historic Preservation Resource Handbook, Oklahoma City Planning Department (1998)
Oklahoma City, 1890 to 1930, Platted, Parked & Populated, Jan Jennings and Herbert Gottfried. Planning Division, Oklahoma City Community Development Department (1982)
The Preservation Action Program: Oklahoma City, 1977-1987. (1977)
The Preservation Policy Plan: Oklahoma City, 1977-2000. (1977)
Report of the City Planning Commission, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1930. The Commission (1931)
The Story of Oklahoma City, Angelo C. Scott. Times-Journal (1939)