The Land Story: Hardcover House History

For any home, of any age. 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.

Built after 1950? The Land Story is the book for your home. 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.

What's inside

• Your lot circled in red on historic U.S. Geological Survey maps, from the oldest survey that covers it up to today.
• A then-and-now map spread showing the same ground decades apart: what was there, what was built and what disappeared.
• The land, era by era: 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.
• Old newspaper clippings about your neighborhood, reproduced from digitized archives.
• How your street was laid out: when the street or subdivision was platted and built, from plat, permit and county records where they're public.
• A sources page listing where every fact came from.
• A blank "Our Chapter" page at the back for your own family's part of the story.

The details

• Hardcover, 8.5 × 8.5 in, 24+ full-color pages
• Researched from primary public records, with every fact checked by a person before printing
• Ships in 14–21 days 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.
• Free one-page preview available before you buy

How it works

1. Tell us the address. Add it on this page before checkout, along with anything you already know.
2. We research the original records. Government maps, census and county records, and digitized newspapers. A person checks every fact.
3. Your hardcover arrives. Printed, bound and shipped to your door or straight to the person you're giving it to.

Questions

My house is new. Is there still a story?
Yes. 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.

What if the records for my address are thin?
We 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.

Will you name the people who lived in my house?
Not 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.

Can I send it as a gift?
Yes. Use the recipient's address for shipping and add a gift note at checkout. It makes a lovely housewarming, holiday or closing gift.

Is my house old enough for the Residents Edition instead?
If 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.

Our promise. If your book arrives damaged or we got a fact wrong, tell us within 30 days of delivery and we'll reprint it free.