Historic Takoma
History Lives Here
History Lives Here
Researching the history of houses and the families that lived in them involves looking at multiple resources – land records, census records, maps, city directories, newspapers, and more. Some of these resources are available in Historic Takoma’s Reading Room and Research Archives, but many more available through other organizations and repositories. Many of these are online. Historic Takoma has prepared various guides to assist with finding these resources. Historic Takoma volunteers are available to help with getting you started on research and navigating the various sources and tools. If you have a question send a note to question@historictakoma.org
This page on our website provides information about a wide variety of sources of information.
Introduction to House Research – this guide provides a summary of various resources and tools available
Researching Property History: Montgomery County
Researching Property History: District of Columbia
Principal Land & Tax Record Sites
Researching Building History (DC History Center)
Researching House History at DC Public Library – Links to Online Resources (DCPL)
House History: A Guide to Uncovering the Stories of Local Buildings and Properties (Library of Congress)
Researching Your Historic House (Preservation Maryland, February 8, 2024)
Historic Designation 101 (DC Preservation League, January 17, 2024)
House History: Researching the Stories of Houses and Other Local Buildings (Library of Congress, February 2024; use Passcode: @v1yr*5k)
Historic Takoma’s “Takoma Houses” project collects details about individual houses. Further information about the project can be found at the Takoma Houses page.
Visit the Historic Takoma Reading Room at 7328 Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park on the 1st/3rd Sundays of each month, 1:00 pm – 4:00 PM
Make an appointment to visit the Archives or get research assistance by contacting archives@historictakoma.org
Send a question to question@historictakoma.org