Durham Historical Society

Home
United States
Durham, PA
Durham Historical Society

Call Directions Website Contact the school

To study, preserve and educate the public about the significant role played by Durham Township, PA, Help preserve our local history and historic Grist Mill.

DURHAM HISTORICAL SOCIETY
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EVERYONE is welcome to join, not just Durham residents! DHS offers a speaker series, tours of the mill, a newsletter, field trips for local schools and other benefits to our members. ANNUAL DUES:
INDIVIDUAL…...$5.00
FAMILY………$10.00
LIFETIME…$250.00

Membership runs from January to December each year. Please send your membership check, along with your complete name, mailing address, email address to:

Durham Historical Society
P.O. Box 52
Durham, PA 18039

(We are always grateful for additional donations in addition to your membership dues.) DHS meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7:00PM in the Township building meeting room … feel free to join us! DHS is always seeking vintage photographs or postcards of the Durham Township area. We will happily scan your photos and promptly return them to you. Get in touch via Facebook or email to [email protected]

10/16/2026

Sunday, October 25 at1pm at the Durham Mill

On Sunday, October 25th we ( Durham Historical Society) will be offering a special program entitled "Prehistoric Pennsylvania". The program will be presented by Matt Bielecki, an archeologist known by some of you as a recent presenter and as the individual who recently completed an archeological "dig" at the mill.

Mr. Bielecki is also a geologist and his knowledge in this field portends an interesting discussion concerning Pennsylvania many years in the past.

The program will be held at 1:00 instead of our normal starting time of 2:00, so mark your calendars accordingly. The presentation will be held at the mill and we hope to see you there. If it is a cool day, wear appropriate attire since the mill is unheated. As usual, light refreshments will be served after the presentation and question and answer session.

09/09/2026

Durham Historical Society presents

"Some Mills of Europe – a presentation with views of mills in Greece, France, Romania, Portugal and Germany including exterior and interior images, landscapes and equipment."

September 20, 2026 at the Durham Mill at 2pm.

Charlie Yeske got hooked on water-powered mills during his 1975-2021 employment as Manager of Historic Properties with the Bucks County Parks Department. He managed the Durham Mill for about five years before it was sold to Durham Township and managed the Stover-Myers Mill throughout those years. It was there that he learned the “ins and outs” of milling processes and eventually learned to mill corn into corn meal and flour using original aged millstones. Since retirement he has volunteered at Durham, Stover-Myers, Stover, and Newlin Mills. He is currently ending 10-years as president of The Society for the Preservation of Old Mills and recently ending a 10-year term as US representative to the Council of the International Monological Society.

Light refreshments. Donations accepted.

07/13/2026

Durham Company meeting minutes presentation on July 26 at 2pm in Durham, PA at the Durham Mill.

Later this month, July 26 at 2PM, David Bretz will be presenting the actual Meeting Minutes of the Durham Company and Ironworks for the Durham Historical Society monthly program. Beginning with the very first meeting held March 1728, these Minutes provide a detailed firsthand account of the Company's first two years. These Minutes will provide answers to some long-asked questions including who built the first Durham boat (it was not Robert Durham) and who ran the ironworks operation. Please consider joining us.

David Bretz, PE, PLS is a Historian, Professional Land Surveyor and Licensed Civil Engineer.

#1728

06/20/2026

Durham Historical Society – Durham Mill

Saturday, June 27 — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
955 Durham Road, Durham, PA 18039

Tour Durham Township’s 1820s gristmill, which remains largely unchanged and with much of its original machinery. The mill is built on the ruins of the 18th-century Durham Furnace, run at one time by George Taylor, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and supplier of valuable goods as well as shot and shell used by Washington’s army in the Revolutionary War. The site is also home to a replica of a Durham boat, used for transporting goods and famously “confiscated” by Washington for his Delaware River crossing.

There will also be a hands-on casting demonstration, which is a perfect way for kids to learn how liquid iron was turned into everyday implements. Clay and plaster of Paris will be used for safety reasons.

This is part of Passport to History Summer.

06/08/2026

Archaeology Presentation At the Durham Mill

Sunday, June 14th at 2:00pm.

Interested in historical archaeology and excavations?

Did you know there is a mystery at Durham Gristmill? A 300-year-old mystery that could only be solved through archaeology.

Join Archaeologist and educator Matthew Bielecki from Stony Hill Archaeological Research, LLC and Bucks County Community College’s Archaeological Technician Training Program as he discusses the recent archaeological investigation at the mill, the challenges of locating the original 1727 Iron Furnace, and his team’s discoveries. This investigation reaffirms why this stie is so important to the early industrial story of America.

He will also bring a small collection of period artifacts for the public to view.

05/06/2026

Durham Historical Society. Hope to see you all at the Upper Bucks 250 Heritage Day in Tinicum Park, May 16. Live music+dancing,the Tinicum Players, Palisades School District, Traditional Crafters, the 1st PA Regiment, History exhibits, a life size replica of a Durham Boat, Colonial Games and Crafts all in celebration of our Founding Families!

Address

Durham, PA

Telephone

+16103469291

Website

https://durhamhistoricalsociety.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Durham Historical Society posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Durham Historical Society:

Want your school to be the top-listed school/college in Durham?