{"title":"House History Books","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe true story of your house, from the original records. Hardcover keepsake books built from historic maps, census records and old newspapers, with every fact checked by a person.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-land-story-hardcover-house-history","title":"The Land Story: Hardcover House History","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor any home, of any age.\u003c\/strong\u003e The true story of the ground your house stands on, told from the original records. We follow your lot back through more than a century of government maps, old newspapers and public records, then print it all in a hardcover book your family will keep.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBuilt after 1950? The Land Story is the book for your home.\u003c\/strong\u003e You get your lot circled on historic maps, a then-and-now map spread, and the story of how your street was laid out. It just doesn't name past residents; that's what the Residents Edition adds for homes built before 1950.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat's inside\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYour lot circled in red on historic U.S. Geological Survey maps\u003c\/strong\u003e, from the oldest survey that covers it up to today.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA then-and-now map spread\u003c\/strong\u003e showing the same ground decades apart: what was there, what was built and what disappeared.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe land, era by era:\u003c\/strong\u003e the first peoples who lived there, early settlement and land grants, the railroad and town years, 20th-century growth, and how your street came to be.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOld newspaper clippings\u003c\/strong\u003e about your neighborhood, reproduced from digitized archives.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHow your street was laid out:\u003c\/strong\u003e when the street or subdivision was platted and built, from plat, permit and county records where they're public.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA sources page\u003c\/strong\u003e listing where every fact came from.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA blank \"Our Chapter\" page\u003c\/strong\u003e at the back for your own family's part of the story.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHardcover, 8.5 × 8.5 in, 24+ full-color pages\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eResearched from primary public records, with every fact checked by a person before printing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShips in 14–21 days\u003c\/strong\u003e from your order, then typically 3–7 business days for U.S. delivery. If we're running late, we'll email you a new ship date and you can cancel for a full refund.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFree one-page preview available before you buy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow it works\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTell us the address.\u003c\/strong\u003e Add it on this page before checkout, along with anything you already know.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWe research the original records.\u003c\/strong\u003e Government maps, census and county records, and digitized newspapers. A person checks every fact.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYour hardcover arrives.\u003c\/strong\u003e Printed, bound and shipped to your door or straight to the person you're giving it to.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMy house is new. Is there still a story?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes. The Land Story is about the ground, not just the building. Even a house built last decade sits on land with a long history: who lived there first, whose ranch or farm it was, when the road arrived, and how the neighborhood grew around it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if the records for my address are thin?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe check the records for your address before anything is printed. If we can't make a book we're proud of, we'll tell you and refund you in full.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill you name the people who lived in my house?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNot in The Land Story, which is about the land and the neighborhood. For homes built before 1950, the Residents Edition names the households from the census through 1950, then later owners from deed records up to 1980. We never name the current owners.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I send it as a gift?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes. Use the recipient's address for shipping and add a gift note at checkout. It makes a lovely housewarming, holiday or closing gift.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs my house old enough for the Residents Edition instead?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf your home was built before 1950, yes. The Residents Edition adds the people who lived there: census households through 1950, then later owners from deed records up to 1980. If your home was built after 1950, The Land Story is the right book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOur promise.\u003c\/strong\u003e If your book arrives damaged or we got a fact wrong, tell us within 30 days of delivery and we'll reprint it free.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Wallstold","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67671945904280,"sku":"WT-LAND-HC","price":169.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0652\/7673\/9736\/files\/wallstold-land-story-cover.jpg?v=1791486771"},{"product_id":"the-residents-edition-hardcover-house-history","title":"The Residents Edition: Hardcover House History","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor homes built before 1950.\u003c\/strong\u003e Who lived behind your front door? We find out. The Residents Edition includes everything in The Land Story, plus the people who called your house home: traced through the census, city directories, deed records and old newspapers, and the fire-insurance maps that drew your house when it was young.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eEverything in The Land Story, plus\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWho lived here, through 1950:\u003c\/strong\u003e the households at your address, census by census, wherever the records name it. That means names, ages, birthplaces, occupations and who shared the house.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWho owned it next, 1950 to 1980:\u003c\/strong\u003e later owners' names from deed records, so your house's story carries on past the last public census.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCity directories and newspaper mentions\u003c\/strong\u003e that fill in the years between records. After 1950 we only use clippings about neutral events, such as weddings, births and awards.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA Sanborn fire-insurance map of your block\u003c\/strong\u003e wherever one survives. These maps drew every building to scale, showing whether it was wood or brick and how many stories it had.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe first time your house appears on a map\u003c\/strong\u003e, which often narrows down when it was really built.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAlso in every book\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYour lot circled on historic U.S. Geological Survey maps, plus a then-and-now map spread\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe land's history era by era, old newspaper clippings and a full sources page\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA blank \"Our Chapter\" page for your own family\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHardcover, 8.5 × 8.5 in, 24+ full-color pages (Residents Editions usually run longer)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFor homes built before 1950. Built later? The Land Story is the book for your home.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eResearched from primary public records, with every fact checked by a person before printing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShips in 14–21 days\u003c\/strong\u003e from your order, then typically 3–7 business days for U.S. delivery. If we're running late, we'll email you a new ship date and you can cancel for a full refund.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow it works\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTell us the address\u003c\/strong\u003e and the approximate year it was built (a guess is fine).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWe research the original records.\u003c\/strong\u003e Census, deeds, directories, maps and newspapers. A person checks every fact.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYour hardcover arrives\u003c\/strong\u003e at your door, or at the door of the person you're giving it to.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill you name the people who lived in my house?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes, up to 1980, and never the people who own it now. Through 1950 we name the households the census recorded at your address. (The 1950 census is the newest one open to the public; the 1960 census opens in 2032.) After that, the story continues with later owners, named only from deed records, up to 1980. For anyone after 1950 we only use newspaper clippings about neutral events such as weddings, births and awards, and we never include crime, divorce or foreclosure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if the records for my house are thin?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe check the records for your address before anything is printed. If we can't make a book we're proud of, we'll tell you and refund you in full.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI'm not sure when my house was built.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGive us your best guess. Finding out is part of the research. If it turns out to be newer than 1950, we'll tell you before printing and offer to switch you to The Land Story with the $80 difference refunded, or give you a full refund.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I send it as a gift?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes. Use the recipient's address for shipping and add a gift note at checkout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOur promise.\u003c\/strong\u003e If your book arrives damaged or we got a fact wrong, tell us within 30 days of delivery and we'll reprint it free.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Wallstold","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67671946166424,"sku":"WT-RES-HC","price":249.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0652\/7673\/9736\/files\/wallstold-residents-cover.jpg?v=1791486771"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0652\/7673\/9736\/collections\/wallstold-two-editions.jpg?v=1791486820","url":"https:\/\/wallstold.com\/collections\/house-history-books.oembed","provider":"Wallstold","version":"1.0","type":"link"}