Philadelphia Contributionship Fire-Insurance Surveys (1752–)
Provenance: The Philadelphia Contributionship (founded 1752 by Benjamin Franklin); digital access via the Philadelphia Architects and Buildings portal
Type: document collection (property surveys)
Time Coverage: 1752–1906 (digitized)
License: COPYRIGHT TBD — historic documents, access via institutional portal
Periods: Philadelphia 1776
Source URL: https://1752.com/2021/05/18/the-philadelphia-contributionships-digital-archives/
Description
America’s oldest property insurer digitized its early surveys (1752–1906), accessible through the Philadelphia Architects and Buildings portal (philadelphiabuildings.org, via the “Archive” tab on 1752.com). Each survey describes an individual insured building — dimensions, construction materials, stories, owner — making this the best per-building attribute source for reconstructing 1776 Philadelphia once parcels are digitized from the Reed Map (1774).
Note: the Mutual Assurance Company (“Green Tree,” founded 1784) offers similar surveys but only from 1784 onward; its records are at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Do not confuse with the Virginia Mutual Assurance Society.
Tags
fire-insurance, buildings, documents, philadelphia, attributes