It is thecounty seat of Strafford County, and home to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, theWoodman Institute Museum, and the Children's Museum of New Hampshire.
The city is named forDover, Kent, England. First recorded in its Latinised form ofPortus Dubris, the word "Dover" derives from theBrythonic word for "waters" (dwfr inMiddle Welsh). The same element is present in the word'sFrench (Douvres) andModern Welsh (Dofr) forms.
In 1623, brothers William and Edward Hilton settled at Pomeroy Cove on Dover Point, near the confluence of theBellamy andPiscataqua rivers. This first settlement makes Dover the oldest permanent settlement inNew Hampshire, and seventh in the United States.[5]
The Hiltons werefishmongers sent fromLondon by theCouncil for New England's Laconia Company to establish a colony and fishery on the Piscataqua. In 1631, however, the colony contained only three houses. William Hilton built a salt works on the property (salt-making was the principal industry in his hometown ofNorthwich, England). He also served as Deputy to the General Court (the colonial legislature).[6][7][8] The Hiltons' name survives at Hilton Park on Dover Point (originally known as Hilton Point).
In 1633, the plantation was bought by a group of EnglishPuritans who planned to settle inNew England, includingViscount Saye and Sele,Baron Brooke andJohn Pym. They promoted colonization in America, and so that year Hilton's Point received numerous immigrants, many fromBristol. They renamed the settlement Bristol. Atop the nearby hill, they built ameetinghouse surrounded by anentrenchment, with a jail nearby.[9]
The town was called Dover in 1637 by the new governor, ReverendGeorge Burdett. It was possibly named afterRobert Dover, an English lawyer who resisted Puritanism.[10] With the 1639 arrival ofThomas Larkham, however, it was renamed afterNortham inDevon, where he had been preacher. But Lord Saye and Sele's group lost interest in their settlements, both here and atSaybrook, Connecticut, when their plan to establish a hereditaryaristocracy in the colonies met disfavor inNew England. Consequently, the plantation was sold in 1641 toMassachusetts and again named Dover.
Because it was an early settlement in Abenaki lands, settlers built fortifiedlog houses calledgarrisons, inspiring Dover's nickname "The Garrison City." The population and business center shifted from Dover Point to Cochecho Falls on theCochecho River, where its drop of 34 feet (10 m) providedwater power for industry (Cochecho means "the rapid foaming water" in theAbenaki language).[11] Settlers referred to what is now downtown Dover as Cochecho Village.
On June 28, 1689, Dover suffered a devastating attack by Native Americans. It was revenge for an incident on September 7, 1676, when 400 Native Americans were tricked by MajorRichard Waldron into performing a "mock battle" near Cochecho Falls. After discharging their weapons, the Native American warriors were captured. Half were sent to Massachusetts for predations committed duringKing Philip's War, and seven or eight were hanged, and others were sold intoslavery. Local Native Americans deemed innocent were released, but considered the deception a dishonorable breach of hospitality. Thirteen years passed. When colonists thought the episode forgotten, they struck. Fifty-two colonists, a quarter of the population, were either captured or slain.
Incursions against the frontier town would continue for the next half-century. DuringFather Rale's War, in August and September 1723, there were Indian raids onSaco, Maine, and Dover, New Hampshire.[12] The following year Dover was raided again andElizabeth Hanson wrote hercaptivity narrative.
Cochecho River with repurposed mill buildings, from Henry Law Park
Located at the head ofnavigation, Cochecho Falls brought theIndustrial Revolution to 19th-century Dover in a big way. But cottontextile manufacturing actually began about two miles upstream with the Dover Cotton Factory, which was incorporated in 1812, its mill built in 1815. The business would move to Cochecho Falls when it acquired water privileges occupied since the 17th century bysawmills andgristmills. In 1823, it was renamed the Dover Manufacturing Company, but was not successful. So in 1827 theCocheco Manufacturing Company was founded (the misspelling a clerical error at incorporation),[13] and the next year, the mill was the site of the first women's strike in the United States. "The Strike of the Mill Girls" took place on December 30, 1828, when about half of the 800 women employed at the mill walked out over lower wages and longer hours that the new owners had implemented.[14] Expansive brick mills were constructed downtown, linked to receivecotton bales and ship finished cloth when therailroad arrived in 1842. Incorporated as a city in 1855, Dover for a time became a leading national producer oftextiles, the mill complex dominating the riverfront and employing 2,000 workers.[15]
The mills were purchased in 1909 by the Pacific Mills ofLawrence, Massachusetts, which closed the printery in 1913 but continuedspinning andweaving. The printery buildings were demolished in 1913; their site is now Henry Law Park.
During theGreat Depression, however, textile mills no longer dependent on New England water power began moving tosouthern states in search of cheaper operating conditions, or simply went out of business. Dover's millyard shut in 1937, then was bought at auction in 1941 by the city itself for $54,000. There were no other bids. Now called the Cocheco Falls Millworks, its tenants include technology and government services companies, plus a restaurant, brewery and bar.[18][19]
Textile manufacturing in Dover wasn't limited to cotton. In 1824, Alfred I. Sawyer established theSawyer Woolen Mills beside the Bellamy River. It would expand to include 15 major buildings over 8.5 acres (3.4 ha), and by 1883 was the largestwoolen manufacturer in the state.[13] In 1889, it was acquired by theAmerican Woolen Company, but closed and was sold off in 1955. The buildings have been repurposed into housing.
With the closing of the mills, the downtown area of Dover sat vacant and lifeless for a long time. With the turn of the century, the city government began to revitalize the area. The Children's Museum of New Hampshire was brought into a disused mill building with a lease of $1 a year. Henry Law Park, a grassy waterfront stretch of land, was given a brand new playground. Small businesses moved into the mills, such as restaurants, toy stores, real estate offices, and barber shops. Old buildings have been refurbished or outright rebuilt to provide new housing. An $87.5 million high school was built to handle the influx of new residents retreating from the high housing prices inPortsmouth. Recently, a plan to develop the waterfront on the other side of the river from the traditional downtown area was approved for $6 million.[20][21] In early May 2021, waypoint signs were sporadically added to help drivers and walkers navigate Dover with the expansions that are underway.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.0 square miles (75.2 km2), of which 26.7 square miles (69.2 km2) are land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) are water, comprising 7.97% of the city.[22] Dover is drained by theCochecho andBellamy rivers, both of which flow into the tidalPiscataqua River,[23] which forms the city's eastern boundary and the New Hampshire–Maine border. Long Hill, elevation greater than 300 feet (91 m) abovesea level and located 3 miles (5 km) northwest of the city center, is the highest point in Dover.Garrison Hill, elevation approximately 290 ft (88 m), is a prominent hill rising directly above the center city, with a park and lookout tower on top. The average elevation above sea level in Dover is 49 feet (15 m).[citation needed]
As of the2020 census, there were 32,741 people, 14,431 households, and 7,059 families residing in the city. The city grew by 2,754 residents between 2010 and 2020, the third-largest numeric growth of a town or city in New Hampshire, afterManchester andNashua. The population density in 2020 was 1,224.88 people per square mile (472.93/km2). There were 15,166 housing units at an average density of 567.38 per square mile (219.07/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 87.2% White, 1.7% African American, 0.20% Native American, 5.1% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.2% some other race, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.[28]
There were 12,827 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were headed by married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.0% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27, and the average family size was 2.89.[28]
In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.3% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.[28]
For the period 2009–2011, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $55,040, and the median income for a family was $69,980. Male full-time workers had a median income of $51,891 versus $36,167 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $30,590. About 6.8% of families and 8.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.[29]
The Dover School District serves approximately 4,000 pupils, attending Horne Street Elementary School, Garrison Elementary School, Woodman Park Elementary School, Dover Middle School andDover High School. Dover High's athletic teams are known as "The Green Wave," and the middle school's teams are "The Little Green."
Saint Mary Academy, aCatholic school, has been in downtown Dover since 1912, currently serving about 200 students from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade. Many students at Saint Mary's subsequently attendSt. Thomas Aquinas High School, a Catholic high school located on Dover Point.
The Cocheco Arts and Technology Academy (CATA) is a public charter high school with about 100 students. It was formerly located inBarrington, New Hampshire.
The Seacoast Charter School is a publicly funded elementary/middle school that integrates the arts into the core curriculum. The school was founded in 2004 inKingston, New Hampshire, and relocated to Dover in 2015. Enrollment in January 2016 was 215 students in grades K–8.[31]
Dover is a Democratic stronghold in presidential elections. No Republican presidential nominee has carried Dover sinceGeorge H. W. Bush's five-point victory in the town overMichael Dukakis in 1988.
^Palmer, Ansell W., ed.Piscataqua Pioneers: Selected Biographies of Early Settlers in Northern New England, pp. 14, 17, 18, 29, 33, 63, 232–233, Piscataqua Pioneers, Portsmouth, NH, 2000.ISBN0-9676579-0-3.
^Anderson, R. C.The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, pp. 951–957, vol. 2, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, Boston, 1995.
^Scales, J.History of Dover, New Hampshire, pp. 311–313, facsimile of the 1923 edition, Heritage Books, 1989.
^Hindle, Thom; Dover, Images of America; Arcadia Publishing, Portsmouth, NH 1994, p. 69.
^Foner, Philip Sheldon; Foner, Philip Sheldon (1991).History of the labor movement in the United States. 9: The T.U.E.L. to the end of the Gompers era / by Philip S. Foner. New York: Intl Publ. pp. 19–31.ISBN978-0-7178-0674-4.
^E. Tilden, Leonard (1923). "New England Textile Strike".Monthly Labor Review.16 (5):13–36.JSTOR41828627.
