Land Records

This is an ongoing collaboration with Kate Thomas (NYU), Jacob Faber (NYU), Thomas Storrs (University of Virginia), Omer Ali (University of Pittsburgh), Randy Walsh (University of Pittsburgh), Andy Ferrera (University of Pittsburgh), and Jonathan Rose (Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago).

Property records are among the most complete archives of American economic history, yet they remain largely inaccessible at scale. This project develops methods to digitize, link, and analyze historical deed books, mortgage records, and tax rolls to reconstruct chains of title across entire cities. By tracking ownership histories, prices, and transaction patterns over decades, we uncover how racially restrictive covenants, predatory lending, and discriminatory appraisal practices transferred wealth away from communities of color and shaped the contemporary landscape of homeownership and housing equity.