Main Street Historic District (Durham, Connecticut)

The Main Street Historic District encompasses the historic civic, commercial, and residential center of Durham, Connecticut. The district is primarily linear and runs along Main Street (Route 17) from between Higganum Road and Town House Road in the south to Talcott Lane in the north, and along Maple Avenue, which parallels Main Street. The district includes most of its colonial architecture, as well as many of its civic buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Description and history

Colonial settlers divided land that is now Durham in the 17th century, but the town was not platted and settled until the early 18th century. Politically powerful landowners from Hartford were instrumental in securing the location of the town center in its northern part. Main Street was laid out along a ridge of high land between swampy areas that were a defining feature of the town at the time. The swampiness prevented the formation of a full grid of streets, but Maple Street was run parallel to Main Street on its west side during the 19th century. The town was primarily agricultural, but the center benefited from being on a major route between Hartford and New Haven, with taverns and other services for travelers. In the early 19th century, shoemaking arose as a cottage industry, with other small industries added later in the century.