Jackson County Historical Society

 

Archives, Research Library and Archives

Printed Maps and Atlases at the Jackson County Historical Society (15 February 2012)

 

  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. Among those resources are published single-sheet maps and compiled atlases published in book format. Each map or set of maps provides varying amounts of information, depending on the publisher. This means that some are more detailed than others, and some stretch beyond city limits into the ‘countryside’ than others. These are all factors to consider when accessing maps and atlases.

  Using maps, we may be able to help you to determine the legal description of the property you are seeking, which is needed when researching land records.

  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) Plat Maps, 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 plat maps and property abstracts.

  Other institutions with large collections of these types of records are the Kansas City (Missouri) Public Library's Missouri Valley Special Collections Department and the Midwest Genealogy Center (Mid-Continent Public Library).

 

 

A Selected List of our Jackson County, Missouri, Maps and Atlases

 

1828             Map. Plat of the original Town of Independence, 1828, also known as “Old Town Independence,” copied from an original at the Jackson County Recorder of Deeds (Document ID 102F8 and Document ID L11F19.)

                   A photocopy is available for sale here.

 

1860             Map. Map of the City of Kansas, Jackson County, Missouri. [This map is unique in that it is the earliest known, detailed property map of Kansas City.

                   It is also unique in that its orientation is looking south from the Missouri River, so it has a south-north orientation…rather than every other map/atlas that orients Kansas City from north-south.

                   The original map is among the LaBudde Special Collections of the Miller Nichols Library at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

                   It was recently restored by Heugh-Edmondson Conservation Services. Conservation photos available here.]

 

1869             Map (pictorial). A Bird’s Eye View of Independence, Jackson County, Mo. (A. Ruger) [Reprinted by Jackson County Historical Society. Available for sale here.

                   This artist’s rendering provides an accurate aerial image of Independence, which was taken by ascending in an early hot air balloon. Several of the buildings shown in this piece of art survive to this day.]

 

1876             Atlas. Hickman’s Property Atlas (Independence, Mo.: E.A. Hickman and A. L. Thornton) [This atlas shows property owners’ names and acreage; surnames partially indexed by legal description.]

 

1877             Atlas. Illustrated Atlas of Jackson County, Missouri [Reprinted in 2007 by Jackson County (Mo.) Historical Society, with a full-name index. Available for sale here.

                   These maps are the earliest, detailed set of maps for Jackson County and show property owners’ names and acreage.] 68 pages, 11” x 17” format.

 

1880-1890     Atlas. Sectional map of Jackson County (T. C. Lea) [The exact date of this document has not been ascertained. Document ID 118F10.]

 

1881             Atlas. Atlas of Kansas City (Kansas City, Mo.: H. T. Wright) 30 plates, 18” x 26” format.

                   Also inserted in this atlas is a photocopy from a Kansas City Times article from 1882 showing the downtown Kansas City business district.

 

1881             Atlas. Atlas of the City of Kansas, Jackson County, Mo. (Rudolph Hottelmann, City Engineer and Surveyor. Engravings in Hottlemann’s atlas were produced in Kansas City by Ramsey, Millett, and Hudson.) 30 plates, 17” x 17” format.

                   [Approved by C. H. Knickerbocker, City Engineer, and John Donnelly, Assistant City Engineer. The atlas includes an index to sections and additions and a key/legend to plates.]

                   [This atlas only extends south to Township 49, Range 33, Sections 16, 17 and 18.]

 

1886             Atlas. Atlas of the Environs of Kansas City in Jackson County, Missouri. (Philadelphia: G. M. Hopkins) 14 plates; 26” x 20” format.

                   [This atlas only includes Townships 49 and 50, Ranges 32 and 33. An alphabetical list of additions and subdivisions and a key/legend to plates are included.]

 

1886             Atlas. Atlas of the Environs of Kansas City: A Complete Set of Surveys and Plats of Properties in the City of Kansas, Second Edition. (G. M. Hopkins) 37 plates; 26” x 20” format.

                   [This atlas only extends south to 31st Street and east to Mersington Avenue. An alphabetical list of additions and subdivisions and a key/legend to plates are included.]

 

1887             Map (pictorial). Stranger’s Guide to Kansas City, Missouri (Case and Norman, drawn by W. L. Bloomer.) [This is an artist’s bird’s eye, or aerial view of Kansas City and surrounding area.]

 

1887             Map. Edwards Plat Map of Jackson County, Missouri. (Quincy, Il.: John P. Edwards) [Name index by Arthur and Roberta Bonnewitz is on file at Document ID 15F18] 4 plates; 20 x 24” format.

 

1891             Atlas. Atlas of the Environs of Kansas City: A Complete Set of Surveys and Plats of Properties in the City of Kansas City, Third Edition. (G. M. Hopkins) 43 plates.

 

1898-1950s    Map. Jackson County Assessment Department Plat Maps. [These were working copies of oversized, linen-backed maps, modified between these years; dates are incomplete.]

 

1900             Atlas. Atlas of Kansas City and Vicinity (Tuttle and Pike) [This atlas extends east to the Big Blue River.]


1904             Atlas. Plat Book of Jackson County, Missouri (Northwest Publishing Co.)

 

1907             Atlas. Atlas of Kansas City and Vicinity (Tuttle and Pike)

1911             Atlas. Plat Book of Jackson County, Missouri (Berry Publishing Co.)

1926             Atlas. Jackson County Plat Book (Document ID 132.5F17)

 

1925             Atlas. Atlas, Kansas City, Mo., and Environs (Tuttle, Ayers, Woodward)

                   [This informative atlas shows outlines of property ownership and outlines of buildings on lots.]

 

1931             Atlas. Atlas, Jackson County, Mo. (Gallup Map and Supply Co.)

 

1936             Atlas. Road District Maps (Jackson County Highway Department)

 

1940             Atlas. Atlas, Independence, Mo. (Gallup Map and Supply Co.)

1940             Atlas. Unit Value Land Maps for Assessment Districts in Jackson County, Missouri

1943             Map. Plat of the City of Independence (Document ID 102F8)

 

1940s-2002    Highway Maps, Jackson County, Mo. (Department of Public Works)

                   [Produced annually. Only selected years have been donated. The 1924 is photocopied and available for sale here.

 

1956             Atlas. Road District Maps (Jackson County Highway Department)

 

1958             Atlas. Road District Maps (Jackson County Highway Department)

 

1976             Atlas. Jackson County Property Atlas (In three volumes.)

Thank you for helping us to assemble a more complete collection. Donations are welcome.  Please contact us: at 816.252.7454; djackson@jchs.org.