PROPERTY RESEARCH BASICS IN INDIANA
This guide is intended to highlight commonly used resources by staff at the Indiana State Library. There are some basic first steps to take when researching a building or property. Researchers may also find Indiana Landmarks’ Historic House Research Guide to be helpful.
Rural Areas
Plat maps, plat books, and county atlases can help find the names of rural landowners. The guides to Indiana County Maps, Atlases, and Plat Books list library map resources in year order. Maps with “Property owners indicated” are identified, and many have been digitized for researchers to access. The online ISL Map Collection page is another way to access digitized maps by county.
Towns and Cities
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps show footprints of buildings along streets and can help track neighborhood changes over time. ISL has a subscription to Fire Insurance Maps Online (FIMo) for use in the library. Additionally, this Sanborn Maps guide lists which Indiana cities/towns were included in the Sanborn Maps and links to free digitized copies. ISL owns a full Indiana set on microfilm (approximately 1880s-1950s), just inquire at the 2nd floor Information Desk.
City directories often include street criss-cross sections along with residential and business listings. This City Directories Guide covers those in ISL’s collection, with many in the 2nd floor open reference area, and older copies can be requested from the closed stacks.
County Histories
Both digitized and print books are listed in the County Histories Guide. County histories may provide information about early settlers, businesses, schools, and more. County atlases may also provide business listings and drawings of farms and their owners. Link to digitized county atlases on the guides to Indiana County Maps, Atlases, and Plat Books.
Newspapers
Digitized newspapers can provide news about residents, real estate transactions, or building permits. Try out an address phrase search such as “123 N Main.” Search for people and business names. Hoosier State Chronicles includes many historical newspapers and is free to search. Indiana residents can access additional Indiana newspapers through INSPIRE.IN.GOV by clicking the Newspapers.com icon. Visit the library to access NewspaperArchive and Newspapers.com World Collection subscriptions.
Deed Records
Kept at the county recorders’ offices, these official records have the legal description of a property and record its sale from one party to another. Deed indexes are helpful to trace the names of Grantors (Sellers) and Grantees (Buyers) and also list the volume and page of the Deed Record. These Indiana County Research Guides include lists of County Records on Microfilm in the library’s collection. As a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, ISL provides access to digitized Deed Records from many Indiana counties.
Additional Online Resources
Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD) from Indiana DNR-DHPA allows users to search for information about known historic structures and districts throughout Indiana. This database replaces the printed Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory (Interim Reports).
Indiana Historic Buildings, Bridges, and Cemeteries (IHBBC) Map is the GIS component to SHAARD, where users can search the database using the mapping program.
Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory digital collection has 59 out-of-print county surveys (Interim Reports) of architecturally and historically significant structures and districts are now digitized. ISL has copies of the County Interim Reports at IND.REF. 977.2 I385his.
Indiana Landmarks Historic Architecture Collection is a collection containing images from the early 1960s through present day and captures historic architecture throughout the state.
Indiana Preservationist digital collection (1971-2016) covers historic Hoosier places, architectural styles, and preservation issues in Indiana Landmarks' member magazine.
Indiana Construction Recorder digital collection (1919-1933) includes information about construction contracts and projects around the state. This was an official publication of the Indiana Society of Architects. Digitized by the Indiana State Library collection.
Indiana Memory digital collections may provide local photographs and documents not available elsewhere. Browse the statewide list or click on the county map provided to discover local resources.
IN AG 12-19-2025