Using Historical Aerial Photos for Delaware Property and Site Research
Historical aerial imagery is one of the few records that shows a property as it physically was, decades before anyone wrote it down. Here is how people use it in Delaware.
Common uses
- Property history: when the house, barn or garage first appears, what stood there before, and how the lot was used.
- Environmental site assessments: reviewing historical aerials to spot past land uses, like old farm dumps, tanks, fill or industrial activity, is a standard part of due diligence on commercial property.
- Fences, driveways and encroachments: seeing how long a fence line, driveway or shed has been in place.
- Shoreline and wetlands: tracking beach, bay and marsh change, especially along the Sussex and Kent coast.
- Family history: finding the family farm or a grandparent's house as it looked in 1937 or 1954.
How to do it
- Search the address or parcel number in the viewer.
- Open the timeline (T) to see which years cover the site.
- Download the years you need as GeoTIFF (for GIS) or as a labeled Year sheet for a report.
Aerial imagery shows what was visible on the ground. It is not a survey, and it is not legal proof of a boundary. For boundary or title questions, use a licensed Delaware land surveyor or attorney.
