Historic Home Signs
A great pleasure for history buffs touring the three villages of Essex is the abundance of signs that mark period homes with the year they were built and the name of their original owner.
Essex Historical Society is proud to offer the Historic House Sign Program for qualified structures in Centerbrook, Essex and Ivoryton. This program is designed to enrich understanding of the town’s past, provide insight into the growth of neighborhoods around family ties, and highlight changing architectural styles.
To date almost 300 EHS historic house signs have been issued. Each of the white wooden signs with dark green font display the name of the original or early owner(s), the date of construction, and the EHS logo.
To Purchase:
Essex Historical Society offers historic makers for buildings built in or before 1970. Signs list the building’s original builder, owner, or occupant, the construction date, and the EHS logo. The cost of each sign is $250.
For homes built prior to 1920, a sign purchase will be accompanied by a copy of the title search of their home (a sequence of owners) conducted by the late Town Historian Don Malcarne, and any accompanying documents in our records.
Homes built between 1920 and 1970 can request an updated title search for an additional $100.
Current EHS Members can receive a discount when purchasing a new sign.
Fill out and submit the form below and pay by clicking the “Purchase as Sign” button.
Please allow 4-6 weeks for production and delivery of your new sign.
Historic Home Sign Form
Located along River Road in Essex, this historic home dates to 1790 and once served as the Meadow Woods School House .
EHS Historic Home Signs make great gifts!
Remember to ORDER EARLY
to allow 4-6 weeks for delivery
“At its best, preservation engages the past in a conversation with the present over a mutual concern for the future.”