PLAQUE PROGRAM

Is your house at least 50 years old? 
Does it retain most of its original exterior architecture? 
Does it represent the period and architecture in which it was built?

The first step in obtaining a historic plaque for your home is to contact the Society to determine whether your house is eligible and if any research has already been done on it. All houses are researched prior to the ordering of the wooden plaque from the sign-maker. The cost includes the personalized wooden plaque itself and research for the title chain and for checking mortgages, tax records, maps, newspapers, genealogies, wills, probates, town directories and other primary sources to prove the date of construction. Although the method for the research is standardized, no two title chains are identical so the time may vary greatly. Research through probate records is especially time consuming and often requires genealogy work to be undertaken at the same time to reveal the heirs and administrators of the estates. 

If you have the time and perseverance to do your own research, the Society will provide you with printed how-to guidelines for doing your own documentation to be cross-checked by one of the Society’s plaque researchers. The deeds central to plaque research are located in the vaults of the Bristol Town Hall which are only open on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. Additional research information (maps, photographs) is located at the Society which is open at certain times during the week and by special appointment.

$500 includes both the research and the cost of the plaque itself.

To begin the process of ordering your plaque, call the Society directly at 401-253-7223 or send an email to info@bhpsri.org. Please  be sure to include your house address in your message.