Library Guides: Property and Building History: Online Resources

Online Resources

Bellingham Neighborhoods: Past, Present and Future
City of Bellingham website containing brief written histories, maps and historic images about different neighborhoods. The "research" section includes PDF copies of the 1905 and 1915 Bellingham Polk Directories. The digital collections section includes 187 Whatcom County Assessors' Office images.
Bellingham Public Library - Local History Collection Page
Contains links to two useful guides about researching house histories and an index to local newspaper articles about historic houses (mostly published in the Bellingham Herald between 1905 and 1948). Published articles are indexed by date, address and name of owner.
City of Bellingham - Planning and Neighborhoods website
Information about historic preservation and related special projects, Bellingham's historic buildings, districts and highways, as well as links to neighborhood profiles, maps and GIS data.
City of Bellingham -Self-guided Historic Tours (Downtown Bellingham)
Experience the evolution of downtown Bellingham through historic photographs.
National Register of Historic Places
National Park Service site providing access to the National Register of Historic Places database, and information about the National Register nomination process.
Resources for Property Research - Seattle, WA
Recommendations from the Seattle Municipal Archives, specific to properties in King County, Washington.
Sears Archives - Sears Modern Homes
Information about the "Modern Homes" sold by Sears, Roebuck and Co. between 1908-1940.
Washington Information System for Architectural and Archaeological Records Data
Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation website, allowing users to search for listed properties via a map or a text query.

Washington State Digital Archives [State of Washington]
Provides access to indexes and digital copies of select historical records, including some land records and other records useful for researching individuals and genealogy. Researchers should note that not all local government records are digitized or searchable through the Digital Archives - contact staff at the Washington State Archives for additional research assistance.

Whatcom County Assessor's Office
Website provides access to an Online Real Property Search - can be used to find the legal description of property (Acceptance of terms for use required).

Archives & Special Collections

OUR MISSION

Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections provides for responsible stewardship of and access to unique and archival resources in support of teaching, learning and research at Western Washington University and beyond. The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Special Collections, and University Archives and Records Management work together to document the culture and history of Western, the local community and Pacific Northwest region, and to promote public and scholarly access to holdings.