Obscure Terminology in Sanborn Fire Insurance Atlases

Glossary of Abbreviations and Obscure Terminology in Sanborn Fire Insurance Atlases Abbreviation Meaning A A A. (in) B. A.C.S. A.F. of L. A.F.A. A.S. AB Ab(v) Agl. Implts. Agrl. Imps. Agr. App. Appar's Apts. Asb. Cl. Att. Att'd Aud'it'm Auto Auto Ho. Av. Automobile (private garage) Automobile in basement Automatic chemical sprinklers American Federation of Labor Automatic fire alarm Automatic sprinkler Automobile in basement Above ? ? Agricultural Apparatus Apparatus Apartments Asbestos clad Attic Attended Auditorium Automatic, Automobile Automobile house, or garage Avenue B B B&S B(l)sm B(st) B. Sm. B.C. Bak'y Balc. Bap. Batt'y Bbl. Bbls B.E. Bill'ds Basement, boiler or occasionally brick Boots and shoes Blacksmith Basement Blacksmith Brick chimney Bakery Balcony Baptist [Church] Battery Barrel Barrels Brick enclosed elevator w/ wire-glassed door Billiards Bl(k) Bl. Sm. B'ld'g Blk Sm Blr. B'lr. Blvd. Book Mkr. B.P.O.E. Br. Bst. B's't C C.B. C.Bl.C. C.Br. C.C. C.L. Calaboose Cap'cy Carp'r Carptr Carriage Repository CBET Chem(l) Chem. Chinaw Chine Cistn. Cl. Clo. Co. Coffin Storage Coll. Col's Comb. Comp. Conc. Concrete Plunge Confec'y Conf'y Congl. Block Blacksmith Building Blacksmith Boiler Boiler Boulevard Book maker Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks Brick Basement Basement Concrete brick or cement block construction Concrete block chimney Concrete brick or cement block construction Concrete chimney Cloth lined Jail Capacity Carpenter Carpenter Concrete enclosed elevator w/ traps Chemical Chemical Chinaware or porcelain Chinese Cistern Clad Clothes Company Collector Columns Combination Composition construction (ie, stucco) or compressor Concrete Swimming pool Confectionary (candy store) Confectionary (candy store) Congregational [Church] Constr'n Cont'r Cor. Ir. Rf. Corp'n Corr. Crocky Cupola Construction Contractor Corrugated iron roof Corporation Corrugated Crockery (with groceries) Domed ceiling D D D.G. D.H. Distn. Drs. Drs. Off. Dwg. Dw'g Dwelling Dry Goods Double (fire) hydrant Distribution Dealers Doctor's office Dwelling Dwelling E E E. E. Fl. El. Elec. Elev'd Eng. Ent. Episc'l ESC ET Exch. Exp. & Tel. Off. Expr. Ext'g'rs Open elevator East Each floor Electric Electrician Elevated Engine Entertainment Episcopal [Church] Elevator frame w/ self-closing traps Elevator frame w/ traps Telephone exchange Express & Telegraph Office Express delivery service Extinguishers F F. F. Pump F.A. F.B. F.ch R'f F.E. F.O.E. / F.O.A. Flats (Apartments) Fire pump Fire alarm box Female boarding French roof Fire escape Fraternal Order of Eagles (“Aeries”) F.P. FE Fill'g Sta. Fl. Found'n Fr. Fr. Attic Fr. R'f. Frat. Frt. Fur. Furne Furn'g Force pump/Fire proof Frame enclosed elevator Filling station, or gas station Floor Foundation Frame Frame constructed attic French roof Fraternity Freight Furnishings Furniture Furnishings G G.A.R. G.F.G. G.T. G.T. Hall Gal Gall Gall'y Gasol. Gen'l Gents Gl. Grd. Greas'g Gro. G's Grand Army of the Republic Grocery and feed goods Gasoline tank ? Gallery Gallery Gallery Gasoline General (General Store) Gentlemen's Glass Ground Greasing Grocery Goods H H H & L Truck H.P.F.S. Hack. Hardw. H'dw Ho. Htr. Hyd(s). Hoistway (basement to 1st floor) Hook and ladder truck High pressure fire service Hackney or delivery service Hardware store Hardware store Hotel or house (as in warehouse) Heater Hydrant(s) I Updated: 5/25/2018 Created: 5/14/2018 I.C.R.R. I.E.P. I.O.O.F. Imp. In. Incan(d) Incl. Ind'l Ins. Insts Ir. Ch. Ir. Cl. Ir. Still Illinois Central Railroad Independent electrical plant Independent Order of Odd Fellows Implements Inches Incandescent Incline Industrial Insurance Instruments Iron chimney Iron clad Iron still J Joss Ho. Joss House K Keros. K. of C. Kerosene Knights of Columbus L L.A.A.C. Lab. Lab'y Lbr. Lbs. Lock Up Lodg'g Lodg's Loft L'ts Luth. Luth'n Los Angeles Athletic Club Laboratory Laboratory Lumber Pounds Jail (Calaboose) Lodging Lodgings Tenants & manufacturing in same building Lights Lutheran [Church] Lutheran [Church] M M.E. M.L. & P. M.W.A. Hall Mach. Mach'y Mak'r Manf'y Methodist Episcopal [Church] ? ? Machine Machinery Maker Manufactory or factory Matl Mdse Mer. T'lor Mezz. M'f'g. Mfy Mill'y Mkg Mo. Material Merchandise Merchant & tailor Mezzanine Manufacturing Manufactory or factory Millinery Making Motor N N.S. No Ch. Not sprinklered No chimney O Off. Op. O.U. Office Open Open under P P.C. P.F. P.O. Paint'g Partns Pat. Med. Pilaster Pl. Platfm Platf'm Plfm Plumb'g Plunge Pool Pow. Press. Print'g Prods. Prop'r Purlins Patent chimney (non-standard) Perpendicular flue Post Office Painting Partitions Patent medicines Load bearing, square-sided pillar Place Platform Platform Platform Plumbing Swimming pool Pool or Billiard's Hall Power Pressure Printing Products Proprietor Main rafter supports Q Q.H. Quadruple (fire) hydrant R R.C. Rad. Rebay Reinf. Rep. Rep'g Repos'ry Restr't Ret'g R'f Rf. R'm Rm. R'y Roman Catholic [Church] Radiator(s) Water storage? Reinforced Repair Repairing Repository Restaurant Retaining Roof Roof Room Room Railway (Railroad) S S S. Vac. S.A. S.D. S.H. S.P.R'Y. Sta. Sal. Shavg's Shooks Sidel't Skyl'ts Sky'ts Sm. Smo. Ho. SP Sp'k'l'rs St. Ch. Sta. Staty Stat'y St'ge St'm St'y Store Portion of store is vacant Spark arrestor Soft drinks Single hydrant Southern Pacific Railway Station Saloon Shavings Dismantled wooden box parts Sidelight Skylights Skylights Smith (ie, gunsmith or blacksmith) Smoke house for meat Stove pipe Sprinklers Stone chimney Station Stationery Stationery Storage Steam Story (ie, of a building) T T.C. T.H. Tel. Off. Tel. Off. Temp'y Tenem'ts TESC Tinw. Tk. Transf's Trimm'g Try Kettle Terra cotta chimney Triple (fire) hydrant Telephone Telegraph office Temporary Tenements Tile enclosed elevator w/ closing traps Tinware Tank Transformers Trimm'g ? U U Und. Undertak'g Und'gr'd Up Upright Under Undertaking? Underground Upright V Vac. Ven'd Ven'r'd V.P. Vacant Veneered Veneered Vertical pipe/Stand pipe W W W. W. Ho. W. Mill W.C. W.F. Exp. W.G. W.H. W. Ho. W.N. W.O.W. Hall W.P. W.P.A. W.T. W.U. Wheelw'r't Wares, as in warehouse West Warehouse Wind mill Water closet or outhouse Wells Fargo Express Wired glass (skylights or windows) Well hole Warehouse Wire netted (skylight or windows) Workers of the World Union Hall Water pipe Works Progress Administration Water tanks Western Union Wheelwright Whol. Wk'g Wkg. W'ks Wks. Woodwkg Wholesale Working Working Works Works Woodworking X x [over building] Shingle roof Z Zanja Open creek or ditch (cement?)