MIT Libraries Research Guides - Maps, Mapping & GIS

Boston Sanborn Maps

Find Boston area digitized versions of the Chadwyck-Healey Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Massachusetts. Years of coverage ranges from 1867-1970. These maps show:

the footprint of every building and record building size, use, address numbers.
vulnerability to fire, flood, and earthquakes.
industrial uses, dumps, parks, and cemeteries, making them useful for environmental and health assessments.
These maps record the social and architectural history of American cities and towns in Massachusetts.

G1230.S26 1983 [7 reels - #4-11, see index below]

detailed fire insurance maps by the Sanborn Map Company show building footprints, lot size, land use, etc.
Microfilm located in file cabinets at rear of Level 1 in Rotch Library
NOTE: Neighborhood boundaries may differ from their modern counterparts. Ex: Brighton was a separate municipality from Boston; the 1884 Brighton map is in Reel 11 with other towns.
modern Boston Sanborns (1964 and 1990) are in the microfilm of Sanborn maps for other Massachusetts cities and towns.

The most recent Boston Sanborn maps are located at the Service Desk.

At the reference area, indexes alcove:

In the Limited Access Collection (available Monday-Friday 10-5):

Note: no photocopying allowed due to fragility of these materials.

*Bromley covers downtown Boston and Back Bay/Fenway/South End only.

Town	Year	Vol.	Area	Sections
Beverly	1886-1937
Blackstone	1885-1940
Boston	1867	v. 1	Downtown
	1885	v. 1	Downtown - South End	1-25C
	1887	v. 2	Back Bay - South End	29-59
	1888	v. 3	Roxbury - Jamaica Plain - West Roxbury, parts of Brighton & Brookline	62-100
	1888	v. 4	South Boston - Dorchester - Mattapan	106-141
	1888	v. 5	Charlestown - East Boston	146-178

Town	Year	Vol.	Area	Sections
Cambridge/Somerville	1888	v. 6	parts of Somerville & Cambridge	182-219
Boston	1895	v. 1	Downtown - Chinatown	1-58
	1897	v. 2	Back Bay - South End - North Dorchester	1-83
	1897	v. 3	Roxbury - Mission Hill - Jamaica Plain (aka "West Roxbury")	1-112
	1899	v. 4	South Boston - North Dorchester	1-104
	1900	v. 5	Charlestown - East Boston (incl. Breed's Island)	1-111

Town	Year	Vol.	Area	Sections
Boston	1898	v. 6	Allston - Brighton, part of Brookline	1-118
	1898	v. 7	Jamaica Plain - Roslindale - West Roxbury - Hyde Park	1-118
	1899	v. 8	North Dorchester - Mattapan	1-110
	1904		Central Business District
	1922		Water mains - Downtown
	1922		"Congested district" (Downtown) - shows building material type
	1909	v. 1	Downtown	1-58
	1929	v. 1N	North End - West End - Downtown
			Central Business District 1:250
	1929	v. 1S	Downtown - Chinatown - part of South End	35-68

Town	Year	Vol.	Area	Sections
Boston	1914	v. 2	Back Bay - South End	1-89
	1937	v. 2N	Back Bay - Fenway	201-250
	1938	v. 2S	South End	251-299
	1919	v. 3	Fenway - Mission Hill - Jamaica Plain - Roxbury	1-114
	1923	v. 4	South Boston - North Dorchester	401-499H
	1927	v. 5	East Boston - Charlestown	501-599G

Town	Year	Vol.	Area	Sections
Boston	1925	v. 6	Allston - Brighton	601-699I
	1928	v. 7	Jamaica Plain - Roslindale - West Roxbury	1-98
	1931	v. 8	mid-Dorchester - Roxbury	801-899B
	1908	v. 9	1-116
	1931	v. 9	South Dorchester	901-999G
	1929	v. 10	Roslindale - West Roxbury	1001-1095

Town	Year	Vol.	Area	Sections
Boston	1930	v. 11	Hyde Park - South Dorchester - West Roxbury	1101-1238
	1929 revised to 1946	v. 1N	Downtown, including water supply mains & congested district maps	1-68
	1937 revised to 1951	v. 2N	Back Bay - Fenway	201-250
	1938 revised to 1950	v. 2S	South End	251-299
	1919 revised to 1947	v. 3	Fenway - Mission Hill - Jamaica Plain - Roxbury	1-114
	1923 revised to 1947	v. 4	South Boston - North Dorchester	401-499H

Town	Year	Vol.	Area	Sections
Boston	1927 revised to 1947	v. 5	East Boston - Charlestown	501-599H
	1925 revised to 1949	v. 6	Allston - Brighton	601-699I
	1928 revised to 1947	v. 7	Jamaica Plain - Roslindale - West Roxbury	1-98
	1931 revised to 1946	v. 8	Dorchester - Roxbury	801-899B
	1931 revised to 1947	v. 9	Dorchester	901-999H
	1929 revised to 1948	v. 10	Roslindale - West Roxbury	1001-1096

Town	Year	Vol.	Area	Sections
Boston	1930 revised to 1950	v. 11-12	Hyde Park - South Dorchester - West Roxbury	1101-1239
Boston- misc. sheets	1916	v. 6	Brighton	88
	1917-1919	v. 4	South Boston	30, 65, 107
	1920	v. 6	Brighton	26
Beverly- misc. sheets	1920			58
Boston- misc. sheets	1922	v. 4	South Boston	9, 11, 19
	1922	v. 4	Dorchester	91
Bourne	1913-1941
Braintree	1886-1935
Bridgewater	1885-1936
**Brighton	1884
Brockton	1885-1950