Urban Exploring:
Historic Maps:
- NYC from the 1940s – maps and photos
- Old Maps Online – various areas
- Past Mapper
- Historic Topographic Maps
- Historic Aerial Photographs
- Dutchess County GeoAccess – historic aerials & access to the 1986-1990 Historic Survey of Dutchess County
- Westchester County Atlases:
- Westchester County County Clerk Selected Maps – ranging from 1793 to 1928
- David Rumsey Map Collection
- Library of Congress – maps of the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps – from the Library of Congress. These have even been scanned in color. The link is specific to New York State, but other states are also available.
- Probert Encyclopaedia – internet map archive of over 5000 mainly antiquarian maps from the 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries
- Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection – historical map websites
- Interactive Map Compares the NYC of 1836 to Today
- Atlas of the Historical Geograpahy of the United States – Over 700 maps from this 1932 atlas
- Historic Map Works – collection of US Property Atlases, Antiquarian Maps, Nautical Charts, Birdseye Views, Special Collections, Directories and other text documents
- Coastal Survey Maps of Hudson River & Lake Champlain (1837-1878)
Historic Photos:
- Shorpy Historical Photo Archive – photos from all over
- NYC Historic Photos
- OldNYC.org – georeferenced NYC historic photos
- 1940 U.S. Census – the 1940 census records were released by the US National Archives April 2, 2012, and brought online through a partnership with Archives.com. This website allows you full access to the 1940 census images, in addition to 1940 census maps and descriptions
- Library of Congress Prints & Photos – photos of Poughkeepsie, NY
- NYC Past – historic photos from NYC
- What Was There – historic photos, some of them tied to Google Street view of the current view at that location
- Old Northern Dutchess Life – old versus current photos
Historic Newspapers:
- Fulton History – a bit of a clunky website but you can search “over 41,443,000 Old Newspaper pages from US & Canada”
- Newspapers.com – you can subscribe in order to see all of the newspapers, but if you are a member of the Mid-Hudson Library System, you can login and see some of them (but not all)
- Vassar Newspaper Archives – the Vassar College Digital Newspaper Archives provides access to a wide range of newspapers published by Vassar College students from 1872-present.
- Chronicling America – Library of Congress’s page of digitized newspapers from 1789 to 1963.
Historic Resources:
- National Historic GIS – historic census data (USA)
- Oral History of the Casperkill Creek – stories relating to the history of the area (~Wappinger, NY)
- Town of Poughkeepsie Historic Resource Survey (2011) – Text; Maps can be found here (scroll down)
- BridgeHunter.com – Database of historic or notable bridges in the United States, both past and present
- 1940s New York – exploring the 1943 NYC market analysis
- Academy Street Area Partnership – preservng the historic and residential character of the Academy Street, Poughkeepsie neighborhood
- “250+ Killer Digital Libraries and Archives” – Organized by state
- Hudson River Valley Heritage – explore materials from libraries and cultural heritage institutions that document the NY’s Hudson River Valley including photographs, diaries, correspondence, artwork, publications, and oral history interviews
- Vassar College Digitized Diaries – the Student Diaries collection provides access to more than fifty diaries from Vassar students from the nineteenth century
- Westchester County Archives Digital Collections – maps, atlases, and photographs, as well as a growing number of documentary collections
- Hagley Digital Archives – online access to selected items from the Hagley Library’s collection of images, documents, and publications related to the history of business, technology, and society, including some great aerial photos of Poughkeepsie from 1936.
- Connecticut State Library – 1934 aerial imagery of Connecticut
- Dutchess County Historical Society – 1914-1937 yearbooks available online. From this link can access from 1914 to 1986.
- New York Land Records 1630-1975 (FamilySearch) – you need to create a free account to use, but afterwards you can access census records, deeds, etc.
- 1940 U.S. Census – access to the full 1940 United States Census records through Ancestry.com (you must have an account, which is free)
Other:
- New York Public Library Digital Gallery – free and open access to digitized images, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints, photographs and more (high resolution versions now available for download, as described here)
- Oasis NYC – NYC mapping
Also, check out pictures of my extensive collection of bricks, mostly from the Hudson Valley.