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By Kristi Mather
Leadership In Support of Neighborhood (LISN)
Fellow, 2005-06
I started research on my home
last year, and found that many of the resources,
and ways of obtaining information, had changed.
Most likely, due to Internet accessibility and a
limited storage capacity at our local
institutions. I will try to keep this
information as current as possible, but if you
find any misinformation or broken links in the
future, please let me know.
Each address or location
researched is unique. Every step has a result
that determines the next step, and the options
available. It is sort of like a treasure hunt,
where one clue leads to another and another and
so on… Do not be discouraged, if very
little or nothing shows up on your first try.
Somewhere, somehow, someone has something about
your house. It is just a matter of locating the
source. If you have a lot of time and patience,
you will find something you did not know about
your house. Moreover, if you are lucky, you
will uncover a plethora of history, just waiting
to be uncovered.
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Kristi Mather presents at the Hamline
Midway
History Corps inaugural event on January 28,
2006
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The following will help you in your search for more
information on your Hamline Midway area
property:
Ramsey County Property Records and
Revenue site (RR Info)
http://rrinfo.co.ramsey.mn.us
All you need is an address in Ramsey County. This site
shows tax and property characteristics of any property in
Ramsey County. Including: taxpayer name and address,
value information and history, structure description,
(including year built), sale information, tax payments
and history of payments, special assessments and other
details. (If you have a subscription to this service,
you can go into even more detail about the property and
its occupants. Although when I last checked it was very
expensive. At $238.00/mos) If you don't have an Abstract
of Title or Torrens available, this is a good site for
that type of information.
City of Saint Paul website
http://www.stpaul.gov/maps
At this site you can access all of the above information,
as well as that of your neighbors, and your neighbor's
neighbor. Ramsey County Online Maps & Data. Quite an
extensive list of information is available here.
Including, but not limited to: Legal description,
property dimensions, current occupants, and legal owners,
type of structure (with more detail about the structure
itself), year built, and more. You can select as many
properties as you want. It then displays all of the
selected info, in a spreadsheet grid format that is
somewhat cumbersome to read, although packed with
information. Another key feature to this site is the
aerial photographs of the area, which date back to 1940.
Note: the website can be tricky to use, it took me a
couple of tries before I got the hang of it. It also
helps if you have a broadband connection.
Minnesota Historical Society (MN
History Center)
345 Kellogg Blvd Saint Paul, MN 2nd Floor
Library
http://www.mnhs.org
Here you will find a goldmine of information. If you can
only get to one place, this would be the place to go.
Dual Cities Blue Book is a directory that will list the
occupants of your house for any given year. You then can
in turn, use those names to check other sources, such as,
newspapers, city directories, and census records. At the
website, check the collections page. In addition, under
Local History, the Building and House History, to see a
list of available databases. The Visual Resources
Database, which can be accessed online as well as on
site, is a great source for photographs. The History
Center also has wonderful atlases and plat maps. Note:
When you visit the library, you will need to check in at
the library desk with a driver's license or MN ID. Only
pencils (no pens) and paper are allowed in with you and
you will have to check any bags or purses in the lockers
provided. You need quarters to lock them, but get the
quarters back, when you return. Cameras are allowed.
They also provide a copy service for a fee.
Ramsey County Historical Society
(RCHS)
323 Landmark Center 75 West 5th Street Saint Paul,
MN
Phone (651) 222-0701 or email research@rchs.com
http://www.rchs.com
This is the place to request your Building Index Card/
Building Permit. All you need is your address. Contact
them by phone or email. Included on the permits are the
original cost to build, builder and buyer names, start
date and end date of construction, type of foundation,
support and heating to be used, and other very detailed
information, particular to the property.
Be aware that there is only one person who is retrieving
these documents, and she does this on Thursdays only.
The cost is $13.00, but can increase depending on the
complexity and amount of information available. For the
majority, it is only the base cost. You can also have
them check to see if your house is listed on the Ramsey
County Historic Site Survey. This survey was completed
in the early 1980s, and documents 5,000 existing historic
structures located in Saint Paul and throughout the
county. Each survey form describes a structure through an
architectural profile and history, which also includes a
black and white photo. RCHS also has many other
publications, photographs, maps, and atlases you can use,
but because of its limited space, you need to make an
appointment to visit.
Saint Paul Public Library Central
Library - Saint Paul Collection
90 West Fourth Street Saint Paul, MN (651)
266-7000
http://www.stpaul.lib.mn.us
Check the library site for the online databases or
general history and information about Saint Paul. They
also have a photograph and map collection. Their hours
are limited for research, but they have a very large
collection of useful books.
This is just a start for you to begin
your home history research. After you get this basic
information, names of builders and/or architects, permit
numbers, etc., you can then go to other sources, such as
the Northwest Architectural Archives
(http://special.lib.umn.edu/manuscripts/architect.html).
Another way to find history on your
house is to ask your neighbors what they remember about
your house. Alternatively, just look around your house,
inside and out! Basements and attics, behind walls and
under flooring can hold multiple artifacts and clues to
the past.
Kristi Mather, email:
mather007@comcast.net
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