1.  How can I find out the age of my house?

2.  Do you have U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps?

3.  Do you have Sanborn Maps?

4.  What are the boundaries of my neighborhood?

5.  How do I find names of estates on the Main Line?

By looking through various historic city atlases and aerial photographs in the Map Collection, the construction date of a house can usually be determined within a ten or fifteen year time span.

The Map Collection is a depository for U.S.G.S. topographic maps for all states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

The Map Collection maintains historical Sanborn mapping for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware. Sanborn mapping for Philadelphia is historical and current

Because neighborhoods are not defined by ordinace, boundary streets are open to debate. The Map Collection uses various historical sources to identify specific neighborhoods and deliniate boundaries

The Map Collection has a series of Main Line railroad atlases, from the 1880s to the 1980s, that indicate land holdings and estate names