Do you know the interesting history of your house? Documents and reports of your house tell you much about it but the facts may be deeper. There can be a range of historical events associated with a property. Most commonly people are curious to know how the house looked when it was first built and how changes have been made to it throughout the years. There are some easy methods to research house history and find out the answers to all your queries.
Local museums
Museums are the best place to know about the history of any community, town, or civilization. Many houses are also converted into open house museums where you can have look at the different styles and eras. They provide the living history of societies. They are artifacts, decorations, furniture, wall hangings, and textiles from antique houses that relate to history.
Local library
Scan the library to find out the books are dated by a certain age. Books hold most of the knowledge and the photographs provide you with the richest description. The local library is the best way to gain knowledge about any author, his age, the events, buildings, lifestyle, and etiquette. You can check the similarities of your property and guess the age of how your house looked when it was built.
Old newspaper
Old newspapers are always charming and give you interesting knowledge about localities. A local newspaper may have a picture of your house as ‘ The most antique House of The Year.’ You can also see the details in the advertisement section if the house was for sale or auction. There would be a detailed description of the house and its interior. It is the best detail to lay your hands on.
Old city map
To research house history what is better than an old city map? Some historical cities had maps where you can check a property by address and they also had pictures of houses. If you find an old city map in your heritage or your local library then you can know exactly about the outlook of your house. You can have a look at the neighboring houses on the map and get an idea about the civilization trends.
Neighbors
People living in the neighboring areas always have interesting stories to tell. If you want to know the correct details of any house or property, you may ask the neighbors. There may be an old person who can tell you about the historical events and changes that have occurred during the past years. They also have some photographs of the old families which depict the era.
Google map services
Google map shows the precise location of any house or building. But it covers the latest pictures, for the history, you can look for historical and old pictures you can conduct deep research. The timeline map and pictures are really helpful in this case.
Vintage photos
Gather all the vintage photos of the house. The previous owners and their relatives must have some pictures of the place. If it is your family house, your relatives and parents may have some pictures and you can create an impressive historical context out of them. You can also search through the house like the living room, basement, store, and bedroom drawers for any old pictures.
Many vintage houses films appeared in the historical films. You can watch short clips and movies based on history. It gives you an idea about the lifestyle of people and the major events. If not exactly then you can still visualize your house by watching them.
Vital records
To check the date of your building and how many generations exactly resided there, you should check the vital records of your country. The list of all the death certificates with the address and can trace the age of your house.
Seek historical knowledge
You should know how the houses were built at different ages and what the living styles were. What technology was preferred and how the society evolved with time. By putting the pieces of information together, you can sketch how your house looked when it was new. Having a research house history is a fun activity and increases your information.