Sanborn fire insurance maps of Ellicott City

The buildings were color coded (blue - stone, red - brick, yellow - wood) and other details that insurance agents and firemen would find useful. Library of Congress holds many maps by Sanborn, those for Ellicott City: 1887, 1894, 1899, 1904, 1910. HERE

I've included these maps many times in past blog posts, and will continue. Today I posted many images of the large Patapsco Flour Mill on my Researching Food History blog. That post was initially intended for this blog, so I've compiled links to EC posts using Sanborn maps.



Key for the maps 1894

THE flour mill - Patapsco Flouring Mills C. A. Gambrill Mfg Co. 1500 Barrels, 1899 HERE

Flour Mill turned into making electricity.1894 map HERE

"Kraft’s Slaughter House" behind their home. "Meat" store was between Main St. and electric plant on preceeding map with electric power plant from mill. HERE

Turntable at the oldest train station in America HERE

"Undertaker" on the map - Easton Sons (3rd building up on 'Fredrick', lower Main St) HERE

"Patapsco Heights Hotel" in 1910 - was Patapsco Female Institute HERE

"Talbott & Clark" Hardware, 1894 - was Deborah Disney's hotel. HERE

Details of the town's fire department in 1910, on first page

Fire Company No. 1 (The Firehouse Museum) built 1896 on the triangular lot at juncture of Church St and Main St. Picture from HABS HO-61 as a filler until I get over to phtograph the building. HERE

Sanborn Insurance Maps at Library of Congress. Info page HERE

Sanborn Insurance Maps at Library of Congress. Taped talk. Lisa Louis Cooke (geneologist), Julie Stoner (LC maps). 30 min. HERE

Union List of Sanborn & Other Fire Insurance Maps. and. Bibliography of Works about Fire Insurance Maps. UC Berkeley Library HERE

©2023 Patricia Bixler Reber
Forgotten history of Ellicott City & Howard County MD