How can I see what used to be on my land?
Verdict summary
Look at historic maps and aerial photos of the spot. In the United States, USGS historical topographic maps go back to the 1880s and show buildings, mines, roads and schools; historic aerial photos go back to the 1930s or 1940s in many places; and fire-insurance (Sanborn) maps cover towns. Old county plat maps and deeds name past owners.
Other countries have equivalents, such as the UK's old Ordnance Survey maps. LiDAR shows foundations, cellar holes and old roads that are invisible on the ground surface.
PinPoint Treasure's Map Explorer fades USGS topo maps from the 1880s onward over today's satellite photo for any US spot.
Sources: USGS historical topographic map collection; Library of Congress Sanborn Maps; USGS 3DEP LiDAR.
How do you find old house sites? Old house sites show on historic maps as small black squares, and on the ground as foundations, cellar holes, chimney falls, old wells, and non-native plants such as lilacs, daffodils, yucca or fruit trees. LiDAR reveals foundations and old roads hidden under forest.
Can LiDAR see underground? No. LiDAR cannot see underground; it measures the ground surface. Its power is seeing the bare earth under trees and brush, which reveals foundations, mounds, old roads, mine dumps and earthworks that are hidden by vegetation.
How do you find ghost towns? Ghost towns appear on old topographic maps, in old post-office lists and in mining-district records; comparing an old map with today's map shows towns that have gone. Many are on public land, but removing artifacts from historic sites on federal land is illegal.
Primary sources cited
- USGS historical topographic map collection
- Library of Congress Sanborn Maps
- USGS 3DEP LiDAR