Mapping Methodology
When the team embarked on this mapping project we took the ethos of balancing two priorities. First, to craft visual and interactive representation of how racially restrictive covenants existed within the community that we work live and play in. The violence and racism that fueled them helped to shape Montgomery County into what it is today. The second was to be honest, while we can show their presence, there are also holes in the data – meaning that they could have been more widespread that what we are able to provide evidence for. The changes in infrastructure, including street names, how those streets are shaped, and how properties were purchased, divided, sold and combined over the last century made this process complicated.
As the research team collected materials about Racially Restrictive Covenants (RRCs) on deeds in the county, we went about finding digital maps, learning how to use mapping software (ARC-GIS and ARC-Pro) from the knowledgeable and generous Vaughn Burvis. Mr. Burvis showed us how to get out maps on the software, how to draw property lines using polygons and points, and how to add data to those marks. He also encouraged us to consider what kinds of information to include that would help tell the story of RRCs in Montgomery County. We opted to focus on identifying information from the Montgomery County Courthouse Public Recorder of Deeds Office, the location of the RRC property, the seller(s) and the purchaser(s). This critical information, when overlapping with our current community, tells a story of the making of Montgomery County that is not often explored. That said, the story has holes that we must acknowledge.
While the agreements that defined hard limits on who could or couldn’t own property were not always described clearly. This forced us to get creative by using a mix of property outlines when they were well described and creating points when they were harder to decern. Some property lines are demarcated by streets with specific measurements that we were able to replicate with measurement tools using a Montgomery Parcels Data Map. (1) Other properties are not so clear, often relying on trees, poles or other property lines to mark the boundaries, but after decades, these objects may not be in place anymore or are not reliably visible with satellite images. We pushed our limits as much as possible using property lines that currently exist and estimating the appropriate area, however where it became apparent that it was unreasonable to measure, we allowed plotting points. In either case, the identifying information was embedded into the mark.
The map itself is a composite of three data sets, the Montgomery Parcels Data map that shows how land is currently divided and owned as well as its value and some previous owners. This critical data provides the base layer for the work. This was overlayed by an Open Street Map that shows the world in 2025 and a roads layer to allow users to see the streets they use more easily. (2) These features with the marks for RRCs create a robust structure to see RRCs as they existed in Montgomery County. In addition to constructing a map, we had to think historically about roads, and how they change over time. Changes in street names required the construction of tables to link those changes from the early twentieth century, to now. The team has endeavored to do as much as possible. That said, we recognize that there is more to do.
The process of creating the data sheet has changed over the years as has the mission that the 2025 team defined. Because of this our dataset is missing a significant number of PDFs that provide not only evidence of the covenants themselves, but also the property lines that would define these covenants in space. Previous teams did not always copy the deeds as PDF’s because they did not envision using this data the way we did. The 2025 research team recovered as many as possible, but due to time limitations defined by Virginia Tech, we had to go ahead with constructing based on the data we did have. The other PDF’s need to be crafted and linked to the marks left on the map.
Another goal that we could not achieve was to convert the points to polygons. We feel that these are ideal way to visualize the full scope of RRCs in Montgomery County. However, this would require fieldwork to visit addresses and get a sense of the space on the ground, take measurements and draw those boundaries. Additionally, many properties are defined by the owners of other properties adjacent to the written deed. This is a problem we were not able to solve yet. The points leave a degree of inconsistency that we find acceptable for presentation now but could be improved. Again, time limits forced us to cut that goal for now. Even with those limitations we are proud of the work that we have been able to produce and hope that this map helps users to see the county with new eyes, just as it has for our team.
(1) Montgomery County GIS. "Address Points." Montgomery County, VA GIS Open Data Hub. Accessed May 8, 2025. https://data-montva-gis.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/53573a7164a6443ab934a916cb041dc2_0/explore?location=37.174446%2C-80.394384%2C10.88.
(2) U.S. Census Bureau. "TIGER/Line Shapefile, Current, County, Montgomery County, VA, All Roads." Data.gov. Accessed May 8, 2025. https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/tiger-line-shapefile-current-county-montgomery-county-va-all-roads.