Historical Area Information
The 1940! Package, along with a VISTAinfo Site Assessment or Transaction Screen report satisfies the 1940 requirements of the ASTM Phase I Standard (E 1527-96) with the appropriate information and historical maps, or satisfies the standard for "data failure". Included is a search and delivery of Historical Fire Insurance Maps (Sanborn) or alternatively, delivery of historical topographic and county planning maps.
240! Package
Site Assessment Plus Report, Historical Fire Insurance Map (such as Sanborns™), 7.5 quad historical topo (black and white) & Current topo (color).
Historical Fire Insurance Maps (Sanborns)
Historical Fire Insurance Maps (Sanborns) show the footprint of the buildings in a given neighborhood with annotations about construction materials, site uses and locations of some storage tanks at each property. Historical Fire Insurance Maps are not available in all areas of the country, however, they are usually available in established cities.
These maps are a first step in meeting the 1940 requirements of the ASTM Phase I Standard (E 1527-97) for historical records research.
Historical Topographical Maps (3-pack)
Black and white maps dating back to the late 1800's, historical topo maps cover most of the country and are available for a variety of decades with most subject sites having 3 to 5 map sections (8 1/2 x 11) going back to 1940 and beyond. Historical topo maps are another ASTM standard historical source and provide useful details for performing site assessment. Although historical topographical maps will not always be available back to 1940, these records need to be searched prior to claiming "data failure" under the standard.
Historical Topo Maps are used as a source for prior use information on property.
Historical Aerial Photographs (3-pack)
Aerial photographs give you a "birds-eye-view" of an area to see what a site and it's surrounding area looked like in the past. These photos are especially useful in determining past land use. VISTA packages aerial photos in packages of three including the oldest photo found, the newest, and the one in the middle.
Historical Aerial Photos are used to show the use of a site over a period of time and are often used as a historical reference tool. These photos will give you a clear picture of past activities on a site.
Historical County Planning Maps
County and state highway departments developed these unique maps. They include roads, the size, shape and exact location of structures and their use. Symbols included identify sites as commercial, residential, industrial, manufacturing, farming and more. Typically, the planning maps date back to the 1950's through the 1970's.
County Planning maps are an approved source of historical information under ASTM guidelines.
Historical Chain of Title Report from 1940
The Chain of Title Abstract provides historical ownership of a property by researching the parcels recorded deeds and leases for the past 50 years (or beyond if requested). The report lists each transaction chronologically identifying the type of transaction, recording date and the parties involved.
A Chain of Title can be helpful in assessing the historical ownership of a property in order to get an idea of what activities occurred there over the years.
Historical Reverse City Directory
Dating from the early 1800's these directories provide key historical information on the occupancy history by using a "reverse phone directory" in which the streets are listed alphabetically and the occupants are shown for each street number listed.
City Directories are a great tool for learning who was occupying a property historically.
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