Historic Commission

Historic Commission

Mission Statement

The mission of the Durham Historic Commission is to identify, preserve and inform citizens of the Town of Durham about it’s unique historical heritage.  In fulfilling this mission, the Historic Commission encourages local ordinances, by-laws or public action that preserves historic properties, both private and public.  The Commission encourages appropriate maintenance and restoration of the town’s historical structures and sites.

Purpose

In April of 2025, Durham voters approved an overhaul of the Town’s historic preservation program to move from regulations focused on a small area known as the Southwest Bend Historic District to instead address individual historic properties wherever located in the community. In addition to this change in the scope of Durham’s preservation efforts, the amendments also streamlined the review process to make it fairer for owners of affected properties and to clarify the roles and responsibilities of Town officials appointed for administration of the regulations.

Those regulations now follow widely recognized historic preservation standards of the Department of the Interior that are applied in communities across Maine. The only properties required to follow those regulations and meet the Interior Department historic preservation standards are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or have been determined by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission to be eligible for listing on the National Register. Currently, there are eight properties in Durham that are listed or eligible for listing:

1. Nathanial Osgood House (Listed) at 1731 Royalsborough Rd.
2. Bagley-Bliss House (Listed) at 1290 Royalsborough Rd.
3. West Durham Methodist Church (Listed) at 23 Runaround Pond Rd.
4. Union Church (Listed) at 744 Royalsborough Rd.
5. Shiloh Temple (Listed) at 39 Beulah Lane.
6. Friends Meeting House (Eligible for Listing) at 532 Quaker Meeting House Rd.
7. 1003 Ferry Rd. (Eligible for Listing)
8. 748 Royalsborough Rd. (Eligible for Listing)

Any construction activity requiring a permit issued by the Code Officer on any of these properties must follow the National Interior Department standards for historic preservation. Prior to issuance of a permit, the Code Officer is required to notify the Historic Commission of the pending application and the Commission is given opportunity to review the project and provide the Code Officer with an advisory opinion on consistency of the proposed work with the National Interior Department preservation guidelines. The Code Officer must consider that advisory opinion and any recommendations of the Commission before issuing a permit.

The same rules apply for any site plan or subdivision application on the officially designated historic properties or the properties immediately abutting them. The Planning Board must also notify the Historic Commission and provide opportunity for the Commission to review the project and make recommendations before any approvals are given.

For more information contact the Durham Town Offices at 353-2561.

Durham Historic Commission Members

• The Town of Durham has no active members at this time. Citizens with special interest and/or expertise in historic preservation are encouraged to volunteer as the Town transitions to the new program. In the interim, advisory opinions will be requested of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission staff in Augusta.