Each state has a preservation program based on the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470f), but tailored to its own needs and organizational structure. New Hampshire's state historic preservation program began in 1974 as the State Historic Preservation Office in the Department of Resources and Economic Development. In 1985 it became the Division of Historical Resources (DHR) and was moved to a new department, renamed the Department of Cultural Resources in 1998, which also includes the State Council on the Arts, the State Library, the Film and Television Office , the American-Canadian French Cultural Exchange Commission, and Curatorial Services.

Commissioner Van McLeod is head of the department; Elizabeth H. Muzzey, the Director of the Division of Historical Resources, is also New Hampshire's State Historic Preservation Officer. The State Historical Resources Council (SHRC) acts in an advisory capacity to the DHR to review, recommend, and approve specific program activities, including nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and the New Hampshire Register of Historic Places. The Historic Agricultural Structures Advisory Committee works with the DHR on the New Hampshire Barn Survey, with the RSA 79-D property tax program and other tools for preserving barns.

State Programs & Services

Federal Programs & Services

NH State Historic Preservation Plan - 2006-2010