5 minute read
History
New Hampshire’s Founding City, Now 399 Years in the Making
What do New Hampshire settlements, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and American family farming all have in common?
They all began right here, in Dover!
First settled in 1623, Dover is fast approaching its quadricentennial – our 400th anniversary! During the festive lead-up to this momentous occasion, the city has entrusted
Dover400, a local committee, with planning our 400th anniversary celebration.
Our ongoing focus will be on the cultures that
have helped shape our
community: From the Native
Americans who preceded us, to the French and Irish who toiled in the mills, and to our newest arrivals from Central America and
Indonesia – this year, we honor our shared heritage.
Over the last 400 years, Dover has accomplished a lot! Here, in the Garrison City, New
Hampshire was born.
It all started in 1623, when New Hampshire’s oldest continuous settlement (and the seventh oldest in the United States) first appeared in what is now the Dover Neck area. Known then as the independent colony of Northam, it would later become part of the New Hampshire province in 1679 and would serve as the state capital in 1792. In 1855, Dover officially became a city.
For nearly four centuries, Dover has flourished through hard work, community, and the blessings of great geography: Connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Piscataqua River to its east and the Cochecho and Bellamy Rivers through its center, Dover’s enviable location contributed to the early shipbuilding and farming industries while powering Dover’s sawmills, cotton factories, brick industry, and shoe manufacturing.
In 1632, John Tuttle settled on Dover Point Road and founded Tuttle’s Farm, America’s oldest family farm – 11 generations in the making, now the Strafford Rivers Conservancy and Tendercrop Farm – which sells fresh produce, meat and poultry, baked goods, and gifts on the site of the original Tuttle Farm (see page 38).
Continue the thread of history in neighboring Rollinsford, at the Colonel Paul Wentworth House, one of the oldest surviving dwellings constructed in New Hampshire. Built in 1701, during the brief interval between the two bloodiest wars fought on New Hampshire soil, the house serves as testament to the resolve of early area pioneers Paul and Abra Wentworth.
For a one-stop-history-shop, downtown Dover’s eclectic Woodman Museum is a place for discovery, wonder, and the study of our common history. Home to a singular collection of artifacts and curiosities, the museum’s relics include a 1771 tax bill to the citizens of Dover from King George; one of Napoleon’s cannons; and a saddle used by Abraham Lincoln to review troops shortly before his assassination.
Also located on the Woodman Museum campus, the Damm Garrison House is one of the few remaining garrisons in the U.S. Originally located in the Back River district of Dover, the Damm Garrison was later moved to its present site at the museum, where it greets visitors just as it did over 300 years ago. The Dover Public Library is a natural stop on your historical journey, both for its wealth of research tools and its own historical significance: Pre-dating the United States of America, Dover’s first library became one of the country’s first public libraries (1884), after New Hampshire was the first state to enact legislation to establish public libraries. The current structure opened on Locust Street on July 19, 1905.
Many decades later, in 1983, Dover residents Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird would create the early sketches for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While their home is no longer there, the iconic manhole cover remains… Cowabunga, Dover!
For more history on our New Hampshire Seacoast city, take a guided historic walking tour and learn about the rise and fall of the textile industry, notable visitors and residents of Dover past and present, and the three waterways that gave Dover its economic edge. For information on these tours, Dover’s Heritage Trails, and self-guided walking tours, call (603) 742-2218 or grab a map and guidebook at the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center.
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Located in historic Dover, New Hampshire, established in 1916, Woodman Museum is considered one of New England’s finest early 20th Century style natural history, local history, and art museums.
Open April-November
Natural History Galleries Civil War Gallery Period Furniture and Fine Arts Local History Galleries Authentic Colonial Garrison
182 Central Avenue Dover, NH 03820 For more information and hours call 603-742-1038 www.woodmanmuseum.org
35 Broadway Dover, NH 03820
603-742-1893 www.redsshoebarn.com
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