Early 20th Century Fire Insurance Maps of Cities, Villages and Hamlets of Dutchess County Now Available at the Dutchess County Clerk’s Office

Poughkeepsie, New York:  Dutchess County Clerk Brad Kendall is pleased to announce the addition of a number of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps to the County Clerk’s Office Records Collection.  The maps were donated by Roger Mastri and another anonymous donor.  The large-scale lithographed plans date from 1905 to 1934 detailing commercial, industrial and residential sections of Dutchess County. Specific areas include the cities of Beacon and Poughkeepsie and the towns, villages, and hamlets of Amenia, Bangall, Hughsonville, Millbrook, Millerton, Pawling, Pine Plains, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Rhinecliff, Stanfordville, Tivoli, and Wappingers Falls.

        

Originally created for assessing fire insurance liability in urbanized areas throughout the United States, the Sanborn Maps contain an enormous amount of detailed information.  From population, to outlines of each building, street name indexing, property boundaries, natural features, railroad corridors, and even the names of public buildings, churches and businesses, today the maps provide an invaluable resource for documenting changes over many decades.
 

County Clerk Kendall stated, “Sanborn maps are regarded as a highly useful resource tool for historical research, planning, preservation, genealogical research, and urban geography.  We are pleased to offer such a vital resource that covers such a wide variety of different fields.”

County Historian William P. Tatum III added, “These Sanborn Maps are an exciting and essential addition to the County’s collections, offering patrons ready access to one of the most important, and frequently overlooked, resources for local history research. The maps will be an essential starting point for anyone researching the history of their home or office in Dutchess County.”

The collection can be viewed by visiting the County Clerk’s Record Room, 2^nd Floor, 22 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY.  The County Clerk’s records and archives include an extensive collection of maps and atlas-- over 12,500 items -- dating from 1722 to the present.