The first bridge constructed at this site was built to replace the ford, located nearly a quarter mile upstream. The ford carried the heavy traffic of bygone days across the river. The current bridge is the fourth one on this site, the others being washed away in 1844, 1865 and 1869.
Located in Carroll County, the bridge was named for James Holmes Durgin who ran a nearby grist mill. The bridge was also a link in the underground slave railroad from Sandwich to North Conway. The Durgin Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.