archives

Ever wondered about the history of your home? Who lived there before you? Has your house changed a lot over the years?

In February of 2010, Daniel Baker, the current Vice President of the Civic Association posted information about his experience locating some of the history of his home. Daniel’s post can be found here: http://home.richwoodplace.org/2010/02/28/historic-information-and-resources/

I followed the links from Daniel’s post, requested and received information on my house as well. The information included the names of previous owners, the appraised value at various times in history and a picture of the house. The above image from the year 1964 was a part of the file images I received. It was a very easy process. So, click the links and find out more about the history of your home. It could prove to be very interesting!

A view of our home, from the year 1964

Our house, today, from the same view

Last year, I contacted the Harris County Records Management department to request the Harris County Archives Collection information about my home at 1827 Norfolk Street. After about a month long wait, they mailed me the information free of charge. The packet contained tax and sale records from 1939 to 1972. In 1939, our neighborhood was called “Richwood” and my home was valued at $2,430. In 1967, the value was up to about $5,400, including land and property. There’s also a photo from what I believe is in the 60’s or 70’s showing my house looking almost exactly the same; the only differences are the neighboring houses, some missing trees and a different color front door. I enjoyed viewing the information and thought you might be interested in doing the same on your home.

For immediate gratification, you can also peruse the Harris County Archives online. Some of the highlights are listed below:

Block book – Search your address for information on Richwood (or Riverwood!!)
Harris County Map Collection – fantastic old maps, 1904 and later
Oral Histories – William B. Hatten’s interview is quite a read

Currently, I’m working on two blogs to be posted in the next week or two; updates from the February 23rd Board meeting and a University Corridor rail update. If there’s something else you would like to see, or if you can provide more information about historical information, please contact me at dbaker@richwoodplace.org. And keep in mind, the offer is always on the table if you would like to write a post!