What’s a Plat Book? I’ve come across this question a few times and that’s when I realize that I’ve been surrounded by books of a technical nature for all of my working life and most of my natural life. We sold Plat Books some 25 years ago while I was in FFA, so it should come as no surprise that all these years later I’m still dealing in Plat Books.
Let’s start with what a Plat Book isn’t. It’s not a plot book. Let’s not use the words “plot book.” I don’t know what a plot book is. It sounds like something used to keep track of your ongoing storyline for a series of novels.
A Plat Book in its most basic sense shows property lines along with property ownership. Many moons ago, banks, other lending institutions, or a local business would sponsor them and hand them out free of charge to customers. Nowadays, more than a few conservation districts and county extension offices sponsor and resell them. The books are still sponsored in part by local businesses.
The latest version of our Plat Book at the Preble Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) consists of a spread of pages for each of our 12 townships. One page shows the parcel boundaries and land ownership for each parcel 10 acres in size or larger. On the opposite page is a current color aerial photo of the township, and on the fold-out page next to that is a black-and-white aerial photo from 1949. This is no coincidence that we chose the 1949 aerial photos. 1949 was the year that Preble SWCD was first formed. These new and old photos can be used to compare changes in land use over the past 75 years. When one attempts to cram an entire township onto a single page, text and photos can start to look mighty small, so you may want to invest in a magnifying glass to pick out the finer details.
But that’s not all. The Plat Book lists current elected officials in Preble County and contains details on how Eaton, Preble County, and all 12 townships came to be named. The back of the book has a few pages of old advertisements from local businesses that first appeared in a Plat Book years ago. A few of these businesses are still a going concern today. If you are honed up on your county geography, or even if you are not, don’t miss the Preble County Place Names Quiz in the back of the book.
Our 2024 Plat Books are available at our office, at the Land Use Management Office at the Preble County Courthouse, and at the Preble County Historical Society. Plat Books retail for $30.00, including sales tax. Come and see us. Preble SWCD is open five days a week from 7 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. and we are located at 2789 U.S. 35 E, halfway between Eaton and West Alexandria, right next to Long’s Truck and Trailer.
