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House and Building Histories

If you are new to house and building history research, you may wish to consult one of these general books on the topic:

  • American Shelter: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Home, by Lester Walker, Overlook Press, 1981
  • Discovering the History of Your House and Your Neighborhood, by Betsy J. Green, 2002.
  • Drafting a House History, by Barbara Bezat, 1979.
  • A Field Guide to American Houses, by Virginia and Lee McAlester, Random House, 1984
  • House Histories: a Guide to Tracing the Genealogy of Your Home, by Sally Light, 1989.
  • Houses and Homes: Exploring Their History, by Barbara J. Howe, 1997.
  • House Styles in America, by James C. Massey and Shirley Maxwell, Penguin Studio, 1996
  • How Old is This House? by Hugh Howard, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1989
  • Local Businesses: Exploring Their History, by K. Austin Kerr, 1990.
  • Local Schools: Exploring Their History, by Ronald E. Butchart, 2003.
  • Old American House, by Henry Lionel Williams and Ottalie K. Williams, Bonanza Books, 1957
  • Places of Worship: Exploring Their History, by James P. Wind,1997.

Assistance With Your Search
The library is fortunate to have volunteers assisting in the St. Croix Collection. We encourage researchers working on family history, or house and building history, to arrange to visit when a volunteer is scheduled. 

The Stillwater Public Library isn’t able to access legal records that may be valuable for your house or building history search such as deeds, abstracts, mortgage, land, or probate records. For this information, contact: Washington County, Property Records, and Tax Payer Services, (651) 430-6175. The county maintains several online databases of possible use to the researcher.

Call for House Photos and Information
Do you have a house in Stillwater? Do you have photographs of or written documents about your house? The Stillwater Public Library would like to include your house history in our St. Croix Collection files. Your house doesn’t need to be “historical” or “old”. Any house is eligible. Please call 651-275-4338, or email splinfo@stillwatermn.gov if you are willing to share your information.

House & Building History Links