Important Dover Historical Dates 1623 Dover is founded 1632 John Tuttle settles on Dover Point. Tuttle's Farm is now America’s oldest continuously family owned and operated farm. 1638 First Parish Church is established 1641 Dover becomes part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony 1648 Richard Waldron's sawmill becomes the first industry in Dover 1658 The first schoolmaster is hired at 20 pounds per year 1662 The Quaker women are whipped out of town 1675-1725 Indian Wars 1679 Dover becomes part of New Hampshire province 1680 The Friends Meetinghouse is established 1689 The massacre. The Indians burn the Garrisons at Cochecho, killing 1713 Newington is made a separate parish 1729 Somersworth is made separate 1731 Pine Hill Cemetery is founded 1732 Oyster River is made separate 1755 Madbury is made separate 1771 Dover becomes the county seat 1773 The first jail is built 1774 The first female school teacher is hired 1776 29 Dover men are killed in the American Revolution 1788 Dover's
first hanging. Elisha Thomas was executed for the 1790 The first post office is established 1790 The first newspaper is established 1792 The Social Library is incorporated 1792 Dover serves as the State Capitol 1794 Piscataqua Bridge is built between Dover and Newington 1795 The first fire department, the Dover Fire Society, is established 1812 The Dover Cotton Factory is incorporated 1814 Production of cloth begins at Mill #1 1817 President James Monroe visits 1824 Sawyer Woolen Mills open 1825 General Lafayette visits 1827 The first calico made in the U.S. is manufactured at Cocheco Mills 1828 The first strike by women in the U.S. occurs at Cocheco Mills 1834 John Quincy Adams visits 1838 The number of ships in Boston from Dover was 97, a number larger than any place east of NY, other than Portland 1841 B&M Railroad comes to Dover 1847 Abolitionist John Hale of Dover is elected to the U.S. Senate 1847 Telegraph office opens 1850 Dover Gas light Company incorporated 1852 The first high school opens 1853 The first gas lights are used 1855 Dover becomes a city. The vote is 498 to 454. 1857 Franklin Pierce visits 1860 Abraham Lincoln visits 1861-1865 Over 800 Dover men serve in the Civil War 1873 Foster's newspaper is begun 1877 Dover Navigation Company organized, owned 10 schooners 1880 Garrison Hill Tower is built 1881 The first telephone 1889 City Hall burns 1896 Dover is devastated by a tremendous flood 1897 Garrison Hill Tower burns 1901 The first automobile 1902 Theodore Roosevelt visits 1904 Wentworth-Douglass Hospital is founded 1905 The Dover Public Library is built 1907 Cocheco Mill #1 burns 1913 Garrison Hill Tower is rebuilt 1917 545 Dover citizens serve in WWI 1933 City Hall burns again 1938 Sherman School is destroyed by a hurricane 1945 2230 Dover citizens serve in WWII 1967 The last passenger train leaves Dover 1973 Dover celebrates its 350th birthday Visit The Dover Chamber of Commerce web page for a scenic tour of historic Dover. |