Plaque Program Information

Old Lyme Historic District Plaque Program

The Old Lyme Historic District inaugurated a plaque program in 2006 to acknowledge historic buildings in the District. The plaque program is now available to the entire town and there are over 45 properties that have historic plaques. The buildings must have been built before the outbreak World War II in 1939. The plaques contain the name of the original owner or the structure's purpose (Grange Hall, etc.) and the approximate date of construction.

The Old Lyme Historic District, established in 1971 by popular vote, is the oldest in the Valley Shore and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The OLHD runs from the South Green (Church Corner) on McCurdy Road for approximately 1.5 miles down Lyme Street past the North Green to Rose Lane on Route 1 and contains about 80 structures (50 of the buildings pre-date 1900 and 8 pre-date 1800). The Old Lyme Historic District Commission strives to preserve the character and history of the OLHD; the plaque program aims to authenticate and highlight the historic structures.

An Historic Plaque Application form for structures that qualify may be obtained from the OLHDC at Memorial Town Hall, 52 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371 (Tel. 434-1605), or click on the form at the top of this page.

Please provide with this application:

  1. Current photo of the structure.
  2. Listing of volume and page numbers from the Old Lyme (1855 to the present) and Lyme (before 1855) Land Records tracing the ownership of the property from the present back to the original owner. This information is available in the town clerk's office in the respective town halls.
  3. Include a photocopy or description of the Land Record providing the name of the original owner and the tract of land (neighbors to the north, east, west and south) at the time of the construction.
  4. Any other information that you feel supports the application.

The 16 inch x 13 inch handsome white oval plaques are made of a lightweight durable synthetic with black lettering. The plaques cost $120 and are easily installed using 1 1/2 inch brass screws.

For additional information, please send a message at the Historic Commission contact form.