Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

This is a map of Charlotte that show areas of commercial, industrial, and residential layouts of the city.  Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps were made to depict the structure and use of buildings in U.S. cities and towns. They were enforced by the Sanborn company in the mid 1860s to allow fire insurance companies and underwriters to overview accurate and detailed information about the properties they were insuring. Every square inch of fine detail, size, shape was carefully analyzed and designed. Included were construction materials of dwellings, commercial buildings, factories and other structures. Labels, shapes, and texts indicate both the names and width of streets, show property boundaries, and how individual buildings were used.  House and block numbers are identified.  They also show the location of water mains, fire alarm boxes and fire hydrants. The production of Sanborn maps ceased in the late 1970s due to insurance companies no longer using them as a source for fire codes.