Embedded Files
If you want to research the history of your home, or any other building in Eugene, here are some resources:
Who has owned the property?
Who has owned the property?
Find Lane County Property Information by Account Number, Map and Tax Lot, Address or Name Use this to find the taxlot of an address, and the current owner
Next, visit the Lane County Public Research Library at 125 E 8th Ave. Here you can find the previous owners. Recent decades are stored digitally. Further back, you will need to look through microfiche. In the early decades of the twentieth century, and in the nineteenth century, you will need to look through the title books. This is time-consuming, but the librarian is very helpful.
Who has lived there?
Who has lived there?
The Eugene public library has historical City Directories in the second floor reference section. Use the reverse-lookup section of these to find a property by address, and see who was living there. Older city directories sometimes list the occupants' professions. The Lane County History Museum and Springfield History Museum also have some historical City Directories for Eugene. Old City Directories can sometimes be found on eBay, at varying prices.
Census data can give data not only on who lived there, but how old they were, their profession, and other details. By cross-referencing other census data, you can find out where those people came from, and where they went later. Census data is released 72 years after the census.
National Archives Census pages
Find the Enumeration District: Steve Morse's Enumeration District Finder. Use this in conjunction with a familysearch.org free account.
For 1940 and 1950, federal census archives are hosted in AWS.
What used to be on the property?
What used to be on the property?
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps at the Library of Congress are detailed house-by-house maps. For Eugene, they are available for 1885, 1888, 1890, 1896, 1902, 1912, 1925, and 1962.
Eugene Building Permit Search shows building permits on a property, but they only go back to 1996. You can request older permits.
Google street view has a slider to go back in time.
Aerial photography - Lane County History Museum, UO collections
Google Earth historical imagery
"Ask the house" - if you are renovating, and find books, matchbooks, documents - try googling when those items were made.
What has happened on the property?
What has happened on the property?
Please note that you might find out things that you are not happy to know.
Talk to your neighbors.
Google it. This might also lead you to Facebook or other social media sites.
University of Oregon Historical Oregon Newspapers Eugene Guard, Eugene Emerald, Springfield News, others
Eugene Register-Guard full text 2001-present, exact replica 2019-present Requires a Eugene library card
Eugene Police Dispatch Log Nov 19, 2013 to present
Some notes about addresses
Some notes about addresses
Eugene changed the house numbering system in 1913 to 100 addresses per block (our modern system). Check the 1912 Sanborn Fire Insurance map to see what the property address was before then.
Street names change sometimes. If the property seems to go missing before some point, check Sanborn, and look for the earliest mention of the street name in the Register-Guard.
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