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Durham, Connecticut: A Farming Town's Second-Oldest Library

Durham, Connecticut

Pictures from Durham

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Durham Main Street Historic District Main Street, Durham Veterans Monument, Durham town green

Durham was settled in 1699, formally named in May 1708 and incorporated as a town that October. The area was originally called Coginchaug, a Native American word meaning "long swamp," frequented by the Mattabesett people; the English name comes from Durham, England. From its earliest days Durham was largely a farming community, and it remains agricultural in character today. In 1733 — one year after Benjamin Franklin organized his Philadelphia book club — Durham residents founded the Durham Book Company, which the town's library describes as the second-oldest lending library in the country and the oldest in New England; it dissolved in the 1830s, but 39 of its original volumes survive in the local history collection. Moses Austin, father of Stephen F. Austin, the "Father of Texas," was born in Durham in 1761. The Durham Fair, founded in 1916, has grown into Connecticut's largest agricultural fair.

  1. Home to Connecticut's largest agricultural fair, founded 1916.

  2. An easy trail around a 33-acre pond with fishing platforms.

  3. A 65-mile Blue-Blazed trail crossing Durham's traprock ridges.

  4. Durham's colonial-era village core, listed on the National Register in 1986.

  5. Descendant of the 1733 Durham Book Company.

  6. Town recreation park with a pavilion and playground.

  7. Route 17 tavern-restaurant with an active liquor permit.

  8. Registered-Jersey dairy farm store selling raw milk and cheese.

A farming town's library and fair

Durham's 1733 Durham Book Company dissolved in the 1830s as newspapers and magazines proliferated, but 39 of its volumes were later recovered for the local history collection. The modern Durham Public Library traces to an 1894 town vote; Mrs. Charles G. Rockwood donated land on condition that a building costing at least $3,000 be erected, and the library that resulted opened in 1902, served the town for 83 years before its first addition, and expanded again in 1997. Durham has two National Register listings: the Thomas Lyman House on Middlefield Road (1975) and the Main Street Historic District (1986), whose colonial-era village core the town's America 250 Committee tours periodically on foot. The Durham Fair, founded in 1916 and run 100% by volunteers, has grown into Connecticut's largest agricultural fair — interrupted only by 1938 hurricane damage, World War II and the 2020 pandemic.

Getting there

Durham has no interstate and no rail station of its own. Connecticut Route 17 is the two-lane spine running from I-91 in New Haven north through Durham to Middletown and on to Route 2 in Glastonbury, with Route 68 crossing east–west and Routes 77, 79 and 147 running south to Guilford, south to Madison, and north into Middlefield. The nearest passenger rail is the CTrail Hartford Line at Meriden or Wallingford, or Shore Line East at Guilford or Madison.

The Durham Fair and outdoor Durham

The 2026 Durham Fair, the 106th annual, runs September 24–27 with livestock and agricultural competitions, tractor pulls, rides and live music; admission is $10 Thursday, $20 Friday–Sunday ($10 for seniors 65+), with children 11 and under, active military and wheelchair users admitted free. Millers Pond State Park offers an easy, flat trail around a 33-acre pond (a little rocky in places, so wear real shoes), and the 65-mile Mattabesett Trail crosses Durham's traprock ridges at Pisgah Mountain on its way through ten towns.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Durham?
By car — Route 17 runs north–south through town from I-91 in New Haven toward Middletown, with Route 68 crossing east–west and Routes 77, 79 and 147 running to Guilford, Madison and Middlefield. There is no rail station in Durham; the nearest CTrail Hartford Line stops are Meriden and Wallingford, and the nearest Shore Line East stops are Guilford and Madison.
When is the Durham Fair?
The 2026 edition, the 106th annual, runs September 24–27 at the Durham Fairgrounds. It is Connecticut's largest agricultural fair and is run entirely by volunteers, held nearly every year since 1916 — interrupted only by 1938 hurricane damage, World War II and the 2020 pandemic.
What is the Durham Book Company?
A lending library founded in 1733, one year after Benjamin Franklin organized his Philadelphia book club. Durham's library describes it as the second-oldest lending library in the country and the oldest in New England; it dissolved in the 1830s, but 39 of its volumes survive in the local history collection today.
Is there a hotel in Durham?
No hotel, inn or B&B could be verified operating inside Durham. The nearest option is the Inn at Middletown, 70 Main Street, Middletown — a 100-room hotel in an 1800s-era building north of Durham via Route 17.

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