How to Research Historic Houses

What Type of Information is Needed and Where is it Found?

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Researching the history of a house involves searching for two broad types of information: that which is specific to a particular house (called "site specific") and contextual information. The actual sources used in research are also divided into two categories: primary and secondary. Primary sources are original documents from the time that the historical events took place. An example is the building permit granted for a house. Secondary sources are those written after the event. An example of this is a book written by a historian about the history of house design, such as Thelma B. Dennis, Albertans Built: Aspects of Housing in Rural Alberta to 1920.

Site specific information provides details about when the house was built, what it looked like from the outside and how it was laid out inside, who designed and constructed it, how much it cost and what sort of materials were used to build it. It also gives information about who owned it and when, personalities and events associated specifically with it, how it has been renovated or changed, and how it was landscaped and the way it related to adjacent buildings.

Answers to all of these questions provide a composite picture of the history of the house. In almost all cases, this information cannot be found in a single source. Instead, it must be gathered from a variety of sources. This is time-consuming work, and while most of these questions can be answered, some cannot since sources of information can no longer exist. In general, houses located in villages, towns and cities are easier to research because greater government regulation (such as the need for building permits) provides a source of documentation not available for farm houses.

Site specific information is the basic building block in researching the history of a house. The first step is to check the appropriate Land Titles Office for relevant land records. Records for land south of and including township 34 (just south of Innisfail) are held in Calgary, while those for land north of and including township 35 are in Edmonton. A "historical title search," ordered through one of these Land Title Offices, can provide details about the owner of the house (who may or may not have lived in it), the size of the lot, and all mortgages and liens ever registered against the title. Mortgage details sometimes also allow one to infer when the house was constructed. This is bare, but essential information.

Material found in tax rolls and assessment and building permit records is equally terse, but provides additional information not found in the Land Titles sources. Assessment records will track the taxation of the land and the value of its improvements. If they exist, building permit records may give precise information about when the house was built, who designed and built it, and subsequent renovations. Although some local governments may still have some of these records, it is more likely that they will be held in archives. The City of Edmonton holds some of these records for Edmonton, while in Calgary, the City of Calgary Archives as well as the Glenbow Library and Archives, hold historical records. The Provincial Archives of Alberta has many records relating to taxation and assessment from communities throughout the province. For rural land, homestead records—also held at the Provincial Archives—may provide some useful details as well.

The gathering of information from archival sources about land ownership, taxation, and regulation will often be slow, but it will almost always be accurate. Of course, not all construction required permits, nor did owners always faithfully obtain all the permits that were required. Information gained from these sources should therefore be supplemented by other material such as municipal directories and telephone books. Most archives and some libraries will have at least some of these records. However, caution is needed when using directories because they were not always updated quickly, and sometimes they continued to use out-of-date information until new material was available. A variety of historical maps available in many archives may provide additional information. Insurance maps give the most specific information about buildings.

Historical photographs held by archives, local museums and some libraries are of particular relevance in researching the history of a house. Theyw ill gie information that can be found nowhere else. Most archives cross-index their photo collections by name/place/subject/event. Other photos migh be found in the ands of descendants of early owners of the house. Such people should be interviewed as part of the research, and they should also be asked for photos. The biographical information provided by a local history might be a guide to selecting individuals for interviewing, as well for general information about the family that owned the house and about the evolution of the community.

It is commonly suggested in research guidelines that newspapers are a good source of information on the history of buildings. Almost every town had a newspaper, and for public buildings, costly houses, or houses owned by highly prominent figures, newspapers may provide some information. Newspapers, however, require a great deal of time to use, and, even in small towns, they contain few references about houses. If newspapers are used, most are available on microfilm at the Legislative Library in Edmonton (the best collection in Alberta) or at other archives and libraries.

Two additional sources of valuable information are often overlooked. First, never be reluctant to use the house itself as a primary research source. A careful visual examination of the house (both outside and inside) often holds important clues about its original design. And secondly, try to find and talk to people who have lived in the house or who have worked on remodelling or renovating it. They will often be able to provide clues about the original materials and construction.

Determining what was typical many years ago can be difficult given the great changes that have taken place in the built environment. One technique that can be used is to compare your house with existing structures in the community. This can be done visually by walking or driving around to see what exists. A more precise comparison can be made by using the Historic Sites and Archives Service Inventory of Historic Buildings, located at Old St. Stephen’s College, 8820—112 Street in Edmonton. This is a computerized database of historic buildings in the province. It can be searched on a variety of topics, such as construction materials, date of construction, design and other information. For example, you can discover how many brick houses built before 1920 exist in a certain community. As well as helping determine how many similar buildings may still exist, the inventory provides valuable information about each building.

These specific details need to be supplemented by contextual information which brings an understanding of the social, economic and architectural importance of the house. It allows the researcher to "place" the house in the history of the society which built and used it. This contextual information is to be found in both primary and secondary sources. For example, a general understanding of the historical role of women in society will enable one to look critically at those aspects of the house which reflected attitudes about women. No site specific source is likely to tell a researcher this information. Rather, it is found by reading primary resources like writings about design, family life, and social organization from the same time period as the house, as well as in more recent secondary sources about the topic.

While finding site specific information is often painstaking, contextual information is often easier to find, especially in secondary sources. General histories of the province or the region, as well as articles in journals such as Alberta History, are the best secondary sources with which to start. These, however, then need to be supplemented with further primary and secondary sources. In this respect, the only workable advice is to spend time reading in libraries and archives. The bibliography that follows, Keys to Further Information, contains references to books about Alberta’s history and the history of housing which will be useful starting points.

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