Jackson County Historical Society

Archives, Research Library and Archives

JACKSON COUNTY PLAT MAPS (3/02)

The Jackson County Historical Society collects, preserves, and makes available to researchers materials that provide a broad insight into the county's civic, social, cultural, economic, and educational development.

Various departments of Jackson County government create and use plat maps ... and have for many years. The particular series of non-current, historical maps maintained by the Jackson County Historical Society were obtained from the Division of Assessment as early as the 1990s, but likely many years earlier.

Of value and importance to researchers, the plat maps show ownership of particular pieces of property in Jackson County at different times between the 1890s to the 1950s. Also found on these maps are the names of roads, railroads, subdivisions, bodies of water, cemeteries, etc. Unlike current day maps in use by county government departments (which overlay geographical and ownership coordinates onto aerial photographs) the historical plat maps are large, scaled maps on heavy paper stock, backed with canvas. Various drafting utensils were used over the years to update the maps; and, some are signed and dated by various County Assessors. The plat maps are generally durable and are in relatively good condition overall.

The Historical Society also maintains for the benefit of researchers two other important, large collections relating to property and property ownership in Jackson County, Missouri: 1) maps and atlases, and 2) Abstract of Title series showing the transfer of property generally from the time when the federal government patented the land to when the abstract was made. See separate listings of maps and atlases, and property abstracts.

The plat maps are arranged into flat files according to legal description (beginning with the Township Number, and following with Range and Section Numbers) as follows:

Township 47 Range 29 Sections 4-9, 16-21, and 28-33

Township 47 Range 30 Sections 1 through 36

Township 47 Range 31 Sections 1 through 36

Township 47 Range 32 Sections 1 through 36

Township 47 Range 33 Sections 1 through 36

Township 48 Range 29 Sections 4-9, 16-21, and 28-33

Township 48 Range 30 Sections 1 through 36

Township 48 Range 31 Sections 1 through 36

Township 48 Range 32 Sections 1 through 36

Township 48 Range 33 Sections 1 through 36

Township 48 Range 29 Sections 4-9, 16-21, and 28-33

Township 49 Range 30 Sections 1 through 36

Township 49 Range 31 Sections 1 through 36

Township 49 Range 32 Sections 1 through 36

Township 49 Range 33 Sections 1 through 36

Township 50 Range 29 Sections 7-8, 16-21, and 28-33

Township 50 Range 30 Sections 1 through 36

Township 50 Range 31 Sections 1-4, and 8-36

Township 50 Range 32 Sections 1 through 36

Township 50 Range 33 Sections 1 through 36

Township 51 Range 29 Sections 4-9, 16-21, and 28-33

Township 51 Range 30 Sections 21-22, and 26-35

Township 51 Range 31 Sections 23-27 and 34-36

Township 51 Range 32 Sections 1-3, 11-14, 22-28, and 30-36

Township 51 Range 33 Sections 22-23, 25-28, and 32-36

If you do not know the legal description for the parcel of land you are searching, the Jackson County Historical Society's Archives staff will be happy to help you.

Thank you for helping us to assemble a more complete collection. Donations are welcome. Please contact us: Jackson County Historical Society, 112 West Lexington, Ste 103, Independence, MO 64050; 816.252.7454; djackson@jchs.org. Other institutions with collections of these types of records are: the Kansas City (Missouri) Public Library's Special Collections, Western Historical Manuscripts at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Mid-Continent Public Library's Genealogy Branch.