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Sanborn Maps of New Jersey

The Sanborn Map Company is the oldest mapping company in the United States. Founded in 1866, the company created detailed building maps of cities and towns all across the country, primarily for use by insurance companies. These maps also have been used extensively by local government agencies for over a century in conducting their daily operations efficiently. Approximately 12,000 American cities and towns are chronicled in the company's collection of over one million maps. As a result of its history, the name "Sanborn" has become synonymous with this kind of map. Genealogists, local history buffs, city planners, architects, and countless others have been drawn to the quality of detail found in them. 

 

  • FAQ about Sanborn maps:

     

    Question: How do I find scans of Sanborn maps of New Jersey towns?

     

    Answer: Many Sanborn maps for New Jersey are out of copyright and Princeton makes available open-access scanned copies. More Sanborm maps come out of copyright with each new year, so the most up-to-date way to find these scans is to search the following database

     

    https://maps.princeton.edu      In particular see the section with the icon at left:

     

    SanbornLogo0.jpg

    SanbornLogo1.jpg

    SanbornLogo2.jpg

    Icon indicating open access

     

     

    Further on this topic and especailly offering particulars about towns now absorbed into a larger neighbouring town as well as giving the county in which a town resides, see an an out-of-date listing prepared by emeritus Map Curator, John Delaney.  Warning: the Delaney list was prepared for maps out of copyright as of 2014.  A large number since 2014 are now out of copyright and those can be found in https://maps.princeton.edu      

     

    For the now out-of-date Delaney list, see

    https://library.princeton.edu/libraries/firestone/rbsc/aids/sanborn/sanborn-web.htm

     

    Finally, restricted-use scans have been made of Princeton’s Sanborn Maps of New Jersey that are still in copyright.  Special virtual arrangements can be made for use of these by Princeton faculty, students, and staff under the provisons of fair use.

     

    9 April 2021

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