About HistoricalSite.org

What We Do

HistoricalSite.org is dedicated to making local history accessible, engaging, and relevant to everyone. We believe that every street corner has a story, every building has a past, and every community has a heritage worth preserving.

Our platform serves as an educational resource for anyone curious about the history of their neighborhood, city, or favorite places across America. Through carefully researched articles, historical guides, and community stories, we help you discover the fascinating past that surrounds you every day.

Our Mission

To connect people with the history of the places they love. We make historical research accessible by providing practical guides, preservation tips, and engaging stories that bring the past to life.

Whether you're researching your home's history, curious about an old building marker, or want to learn what businesses operated in your neighborhood decades ago, we provide the tools and knowledge to explore your local history.

Connection to When It Was

HistoricalSite.org is a companion project to When It Was, an innovative app that lets you discover what existed at any address throughout history. While this website focuses on educational content and historical guides, the When It Was app provides an interactive, gamified experience with:

• An interactive map showing historical businesses and landmarks
• A sliding timeline to see how locations changed over time
• User-contributed photos and stories
• A points and badges system for exploring local history
• Detailed records of businesses that operated at specific addresses

Think of HistoricalSite.org as your learning hub, and When It Was as your exploration tool. Together, they create a comprehensive ecosystem for discovering and preserving local history.

Why Local History Matters

Local history isn't just about dates and facts—it's about understanding the human story of how our communities developed. Every diner, department store, and movie theater that closed represents real people's livelihoods, gathering places where memories were made, and pieces of community identity.

By preserving these stories, we help communities understand their roots, appreciate their heritage, and make informed decisions about their future. We combat the "anywhere USA" phenomenon by celebrating what makes each place unique.

How You Can Contribute

Local history preservation is a community effort. Here's how you can get involved:

• Share your memories: If you remember businesses or landmarks that no longer exist, contribute your stories through the When It Was app.
• Submit historical photos: Old photos are invaluable for documenting how places looked in the past.
• Research and add data: Help us build the most comprehensive historical database by adding information about businesses and locations you know about.
• Spread the word: Share our articles and the When It Was app with others who appreciate local history.

What Is on This Site

• Research guides. Long-form, step-by-step guides to common local-history questions: when a house was built, who lived at an address, where someone is buried, what business stood on a corner, how to use city directories, Sanborn maps, deeds, and newspaper archives. Each guide names the specific records and repositories involved and links to them.
• Historical society directory. 695 historical societies, museums, and archives in all 50 states, each verified against the organization's own website, with a state-by-state guide to where vital, land, court, and newspaper records are kept.
• Local history features. Longer pieces on places with deep stories, such as Route 66 through Illinois and Al Capone's Chicago.

How We Research and Check Our Guides

Every guide is built from primary sources and the published finding aids of the archives involved: state archives and libraries, county recorder and clerk offices, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, FamilySearch, and the organizations listed in our directory. When a guide gives a date, a fee, or a record-start year, it is checked against the agency that holds the record. Directory listings are verified against each organization's official site before publishing, and we remove listings we cannot confirm.

Guides carry an "Updated" date in the header. When a reader reports an error, or an archive changes its access rules, we correct the page and move the date. If you find a mistake, tell us; corrections are usually made within a few days.

We do not accept payment for directory listings or for placement in guides. The site is supported by advertising and by our companion app, When It Was.

Contact Us

Have questions, suggestions, or want to partner with us? We'd love to hear from you!

• Email: info@historicalsite.org
• Contact page: corrections, listings, and questions

We typically respond within 3-5 business days.

About Our Organization

HistoricalSite.org is operated by TheHauns LLC, a company dedicated to preserving and sharing local history through digital platforms. We are committed to providing accurate, educational content about historical societies and local heritage across America.

Thank you for being part of this journey to preserve and celebrate local history across America.