Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1897Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
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Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the map
Princeton on the map, 1918 to 1973
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Princeton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1918Princeton sheet · 1:31,680
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Princeton.
Before Euro-American settlers came to the region, Colus Indians inhabited the region. The first Euro-American settler in the area around Princeton was John S. Williams, who was sent by Thomas Larkin, the American Consul to Mexico, whose children were given an 44,364 acre land grant from Governor Manuel Micheltorena in 1844. Williams built an adobe in 1847 near the abandoned Patwin village of Chah’ de’-he near Princeton and established a successful cattle ranch.
Passages that mention Princeton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Princeton, Worcester county, Massachusetts1852 · page 75Read the page →
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ton. On the 13th day of August of that year, it was voted to call the Central School House, Town House. — During the long period intervening between 1759, when Princeton wras incorporated as a District, and 1816, the citizens met to transact their municipal business, first in a dwelling house, then in a schoolhouse, and subsequently in the meeting house.
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History of Princeton, Worcester county, Massachusetts1852 · page 36Read the page →
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The records of the town of Princeton exhibit the brightest evidence of the devotion of its inhabitants to their country's inalienable rights. They were not only ready to pass resolves which breathed the spirit of patriotism ; but they were also ready to seal their devotion to their country's cause, by death on the battlefield, if need be. Hence, when the alarm* reached the place, that a band of the King's troops had made an ex-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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