2024 Old House Award Program

Nominations are open for the 2024 OHA program over the Old Home Days and Meeting House Pilgrimage Weekend August 2nd! The Old House Award program recognizes Rockingham property owners of both residential and commercial buildings who have carried out exemplary exterior renovations and/or maintenance that preserve or enhance their historic qualities. Nominations are solicited from the community and are also made by the Commission. Click here for a nomination form that outlines award criteria.

The Town has been awarded a National Park Service Save America’s Treasures Grant to support the Rockingham Meeting House Preservation Project, click to see the public notice -
Brattleboro Reformer
Claremont Eagle Times
Vermont Journal/The Shopper
The Commons
Westminster Gazette

Organized by Town Ordinance in 1993 this work group is a certified local government commission under the guidelines of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The goal of the Certified Local Government Program is preservation through partnership. Local, State and Federal governments work together to help communities preserve and increase awareness of their unique cultural heritage. The Historic Preservation Commission’s certification opens doors for our community to receive grant funding and technical assistance from both the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation and the National Park Service.

Historic Preservation Coordinator Walter Wallace administers the program, serves as staff for the Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission, and is available to the Town and its residents to provide information and technical services concerning historic preservation resources. Responsibilities include attention to historic, Town-owned properties, including the Rockingham Meeting House, a National Historic Landmark. The coordinator also administers events that celebrate, enhance and promote the Town’s historic resources. Through these activities the Historic Preservation Commission seeks to engage and inform the public, integrate historic preservation into Town policies, provide informational and technical support to owners of historic properties, and promote preservation generally within the community. The Commission is engaged in two municipal projects, Rockingham Meeting House Project and Kchi Pôntegok: Revisiting the Historic Landscape of the Bellows Falls Petroglyphs

HPC Meeting Schedule

The public is invited to HPC meetings. They are held in the 3rd Floor Conference Room at Rockingham Town Hall with Zoom accessibility. They are scheduled to start at 5:30 pm. Agendas and past minutes are available online. Warnings are posted at Town Hall, the Rockingham Free Public Library, the Bellows Falls Historical Society, the Saxtons River Historical Society, the Bellows Falls Police Department and online at RockBF.org. The 2024 meeting schedule:

  • January 3, 2024

  • February 7, 2024

  • March 6, 2024

  • April 3, 2024

  • May 1, 2024

  • June 3, 2024 (New Date)

  • July 3, 2024

  • August 14, 2024 (New Date)

  • September 4, 2024

  • October 2, 2024

  • November 6, 2024

  • December 4, 2024

Meeting House Rental

Click here for an application to use the Meeting House for your special event. Completed applications should be sent to:
Walter Wallace
Historic Preservation Commission
POB 370
Bellows Falls, VT 05101

Or, by email: clg@rockbf.org

Or, drop off with Town Clerk.

Historic Preservation Speakers Program

A series of public presentations and discussions interpreting historic contexts to enhance community memory and awareness of the human landscapes of Rockingham’s villages, hamlets, and rural spaces.

Institutional Memberships

National Alliance of Historic Preservation Commissions

Historic New England


Contact Information

Walter Wallace, Coordinator
Phone: 802-463-3964 Ext. 1112
Email: clg@rockbf.org

Commissioners

John Leppman (Chair)

Karen Jarret

Annette Spaulding

Elijah Zimmer

Resources

Rockingham Historic District GIS Maps provides a series of 5 maps identifying town, state, and National Register historic districts as well as significant historic sites within the Town of Rockingham.

Vermont Division for Historic Preservation provides support for historic preservation efforts as well as statewide preservation information.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties outlines the do’s and don’ts for historic preservation and includes information on tax incentive and other historic preservation support available through the National Park Service.

Preservation Briefs provide information on preserving, rehabilitating, and restoring historic buildings. These National Park Service Publications help historic building owners recognize and resolve common problems prior to work. 

Preservation Trust of Vermont, founded in 1980, is a nonprofit, charitable, organization designed to preserve and protect the architectural heritage of the U.S. state of Vermont. The Trust provides assistance to individuals, groups, and other organizations, involved in the historic preservation of Vermont's built environment. The Trust also provides educational programs, accepts gifts of property, and holds easements on properties.

New Hampshire Preservation Alliance Webinars provide practical information on old house and old building conservation, restoration, and preservation methods and strategies.

Historic New England provides a range of historic preservation opportunities including historic building visits, research collections, education, and Property Care White Papers with technical advice. The Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission is an institutional member of HNE.

Lost New England documents the changing historic landscapes of Rockingham Town and the Village of Bellows Falls.

The Certified Local Government program and related projects are funded in part by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and the U.S. National Park Service.

The content and opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior.

Regulations of the U.S. Department of the Interior strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination in federally assisted programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or handicap. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of federal assistance should write to: Director, Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240.