Historical fire insurance maps for more than 100 Georgia towns and cities are now accessible online via the Digital Library of Georgia (dlg.galileo.usg.edu/sanborn).
The collection consists of 4,445 maps by the Sanborn Map Co. depicting commercial, industrial and residential areas for 133 municipalities.
Produced between 1884 and 1922 and originally designed for fire insurance assessment, the color-coded maps relate the location and use of buildings, as well as the materials employed in their construction.
The maps indicate which city utilities-such as water and fire service-were available.
Going digital is only one of the changes for the UGA map collection, including a change of location.
Prompted by an expansion of the campus computer center into the basement of the science library, the map collection was relocated to 955 E. Whitehall Road at the intersection of Whitehall Road and S. Milledge Avenue and designated the map library. With ample parking, the facility is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
“Because map cases weigh so much they have to be on re-enforced concrete on a ground floor,” said Lucy Rowland who is responsible for the collection. “The size of the map collection dictated the space.”
