We're making history accessible to everyone

In early 2023, Craig was knee-deep in a new hobby: metal detecting. He kept running into the same frustration — old foundations, forgotten roads, and vanished landmarks that didn't show up on any modern map. The historical maps that could help were buried across dozens of government archives, each with its own clunky interface and paywalls. There had to be a better way.

So he built one. A simple tool that layered historical maps on top of modern ones — swipe back and forth, see what changed. What started as a weekend project for finding old cellar holes in the woods turned into something much bigger. Environmental consultants, genealogists, real estate developers, civil engineers, and history buffs all started showing up. Turns out a lot of people want to see what used to be here.

Later that year, Craig's wife Savannah joined in. She launched Pastmaps' print service — museum-quality reproductions of the most beautiful maps in the collection. Customers started framing them as gifts, hanging them in offices, using them to tell stories about the places they love. It became one of the most beloved parts of what we do.

Today we're a husband-and-wife team in Seattle, and Pastmaps hosts over 185,000 historical maps spanning more than 150 years. Whether you're tracing your family's roots, planning a build, or just curious about what your street looked like a century ago — we built this for you.