Localities |
City Directories: Building History
Directories allow researchers to trace the history of a given address. One can determine the history of businesses or homes at the address, as well as make an educated guess as to when a building was first built on that spot.
Scroll down for activities related to these directory pages
1942 Charleston City Directory
1947 Charleston City Directory
1952 Charleston City Directory
Look at the three city directories shown above. Answer the following questions based on the information you see in the directories. Use the listings for the addresses 10-900 Division Street for each of the questions.
1) List the addresses used by Brown Shoe Company in each directory. What can you assume about the company from this information?
2) Which years is the address 820 listed? What does this indicate?
3) How many sites are vacant during each year? Are any of these sites vacant for more than one year? If so, list their address and the years they are vacant.
4) What can you determine about this neighborhood by looking at these city directories?
