June 30th Long visit to Dover, New Hampshire

Headed to Dover New Hampshire today with a big day planned-  small town, but lots of National Register sites, and found three new markers to boot.

Originally had like 12 stops, then added a couple:

Settlement

The first known European to explore the region was Martin Pring from Bristol, England, in 1603. In 1623, William and Edward Hilton settled Cochecho Plantation, adopting its Abenaki name, making Dover the oldest permanent settlement in New Hampshire, and seventh in the United States. One of the colony's four original townships, it then included Durham, Madbury, Newington, Lee, Somersworth and Rollinsford.
The Hiltons' name survives at Hilton Park on Dover Point (which was originally known as Hilton Point), where the brothers settled near the confluence of the Bellamy and Piscataqua rivers. They were fishmongers sent from London by The Company of Laconia to establish a colony and fishery on the Piscataqua. In 1631, however, it contained only three houses. William Hilton built a salt works on the property (salt-making was the principal industry in his hometown of Northwich, England). He also served as Deputy to the General Court (the colonial legislature).
In 1633, Cochecho Plantation was bought by a group of English Puritans who planned to settle in New England, including Viscount Saye and Sele, Baron Brooke and John Pym. They promoted colonization in America, and that year Hilton's Point received numerous immigrants, many from Bristol. They renamed the settlement Bristol. Atop the nearby hill they built a meetinghouse surrounded by an entrenchment, with a jail nearby.

First neat place I went was the Garrison Hill Park and Tower, which is a 11 level tower, with 10 steps in each level-

Stock shot

  

As I saw it today

 

 

Some other shots from the top of the tower:

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Garrison Hill Tower is a 76-foot-tall (23 m) observatory atop Garrison Hill (298 feet (91 m) high) in Dover, New Hampshire, United States. The current tower, made of iron painted green, was built in 1993 and is the third tower to exist on the hill. The park in which it stands is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

History

In 1880, when the top of Garrison Hill was owned by Joseph Ham and Harrison Haley, Haley purchased—for $1,000—a 65-foot-high (20 m) wooden observatory designed by architect B. D. Stewart and opened it to the public. The observatory contained a restaurant in the base, and offered a telescope through which the public could view Mount Washington. The city acquired the property in 1888 and continued to operate it as a public park. The city also built a reservoir (since filled in) on the site.  After the wooden observatory burned down in 1911, Abbey Sawyer commissioned a replacement, made of steel, to honor her husband. She also funded the construction of a new roadway (the present Abbey Sawyer Memorial Drive) to the summit, replacing the former carriage road (now a foot path). The tower, erected in 1913, was taken down in 1990 due to safety concerns, and a third tower (the one now standing) was built by volunteers. On a clear day, one can view the White Mountains and the Isles of Shoals from atop the tower.  (Must not have been too clear today, did see the White Mtns, didn't see the Isles of Shoals. )

Next up was a stop at the Convention and visitors bureau, for town maps and handouts.  Not to very helpful there. 

Not in sequence, I then visited several spots downtown:  The Dover Amtrak station:

Next, the Cocheco Mills Complex.  They were a big time dye and print maker

 Cocheco Mills are a historic mill complex in the heart of Dover, New Hampshire. The mills occupy a site at a bend in the Cocheco River that has been the site of industrial activity since at least 1822, when the Dover Cotton Factory was built there. The present mill buildings were built between the 1880s and the early 20th century and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014

The surviving elements of the mill complex are six major manufacturing buildings, the dam and wheel house which diverted water to the mills, a steel bridge, and the smokestack and remains of the boiler house of the complex.

Dam, wheel house and bridge

The dam stretches across the Cocheco River in a broad arc roughly west of mills #2 and #3. It is made of rough-cut granite ashlar, and stands between 9 and 150 feet in height. It has a modern concrete spillway. The dam was built sometime between 1905 and 1925, replacing an earlier dam. The wheel house stands east of mill #2, and is a small single-story brick structure built on a concrete arch which spans the space between mill #2 and the river. The bridge is a steel truss structure spanning the river west of mill #3. Probably built in the 1880s, it has wooden decking and a decorative balustrade.

Mills

There are four main mill buildings in the complex. The #1 mill is a five-story brick building located south of Washington Street. It was built in 1908 after the previous #1 mill was destroyed by fire; portions of the older structure that survived the fire were supposedly reused in its construction. The 1880 #2 mill marks the northern end of the complex, and is located between Main Street and Central Avenue. It is a four-story brick structure, and is joined at the south end to mill #3, which was built in 1881 and actually spans the river. An L-shaped extension added in 1909 replaced the old #4 mill. The #5 mill, built in 1825, is the oldest surviving element in the complex. Originally 25 bays in length, a portion of the building was demolished in the mid-20th century, leaving the present 10 bays. It has a distinctive Gothic Revival tower to which a belfry was added in the 1850s.

Picker houses

There are two picker houses, both built between 1905 and 1925. The #1 house is adjacent to the #1 mill at the south end of the complex. It is a brick structure three stories tall and roughly 12 bays long and 8 wide. It is joined to the #1 mill by a pair of two-story enclosed bridges. The #2 house is at the north end of the complex; it is a brick structure three stories tall, although because of the site topography one façade only shows two stories. Also 12 by 8 bays in dimension, it was once connected by an enclosed bridge to mill #2, but this has been removed.

History

The mills were operated by the Cochecho Mill Company until 1909, when the plant was purchased by Pacific Mill Works of Lawrence, Massachusetts. In addition to textile processing, Pacific operated the Cocheco Print Works on the premises. Competition from textile processors in the American South, combined with the effects of the Great Depression led Pacific to shutter the complex in 1937. The city purchased the complex at auction in 1940. The buildings have since been home to a succession of smaller enterprises, primarily engaged in manufacturing

Reminds me of the early Mill villages in South Carolina.....

Next was something called the Public Market building

The Public Market, also referred to as the Morrill Block, is a historic commercial building at 93-95 Washington Street in Dover, New Hampshire. It is a 4-1/2 story brick structure, built c. 1846. The cast iron columns and plate glass windows on its main façade are the result of a series of alterations in 1927, when the upper floors were adapted for residential use. It is one of the few commercial buildings in Dover to survive from the period, providing a reminder of the period when the Central Avenue area was completely populated by similar Greek Revival brick buildings. The building was apparently built by Stephen Toppan, a local master joiner who also owned it 1846-55. Occupied for most of its existence by the Morrill Furniture Company, the building has remained a commercial space ever since and is currently home to, among other things, a restaurant and a wine shop.

A marker that explains the buildings

The building to the left above was an old Masonic Lodge building, which is now repurposed into several businesses:

 The Town Hall was just up the street, and there were three new markers there.

There was a Civil War memorial:

A WWI marker:

And a Spanish American/Philippine Insurrection/China/USS Maine Memorial

In the background,

you can see the Hale House- an older building:

The William Hale House is a historic house at 5 Hale Street in Dover, New Hampshire. It is a three-story wood frame structure set close to the street, five bays wide, whose third floor windows are smaller than those on the lower floors. The center entry is sheltered by a modest portico supported by Doric columns and matching pilasters. The house was built in 1806 for William Hale by Bradbury Johnson, a noted local builder-designer of the period. It is one of the few early houses in southeastern New Hampshire for which the architect is known with certainty. William Hale was a successful merchant, and this house was one of the finest of the Federal era in Dover.

The house was originally located near the center of Dover where Dover City Hall stands, overlooking the waterfront where Hale owned a wharf. In 1890 it was moved to its present location, adjacent to the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, after the city took the land by eminent domain. The property was purchased by the church from Hale's descendants in 1901. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980

Next door, there was the St. Thomas Episcopal Church:

St. Thomas Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church located at 5 Hale Street in Dover, New Hampshire, in the United States.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church was organized on September 22, 1839, and in 1840 built a Carpenter Gothic church on the corner of Central Avenue and St. Thomas Street next to the William Hale House. In the late 1880s, the city of Dover took the land of both the church and the Hale House by eminent domain to build a new City Hall. The church was demolished in 1891 and the Hale House was moved to the other side of Hale Street.
The church bought a lot next to the relocated Hale House and, in 1890, hired noted architect Henry Vaughan to design a new church in the Gothic Revival, or English Perpendicular, style. Construction began in 1891 and the first service was held the next year. The church was not consecrated though until September 17, 1916. In 1901, the church bought the William Hale House, which was also later listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  On June 7, 1984, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Current use
St. Thomas Episcopal Church is still an active parish in the Seacoast Deanery of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. The Rev. Susan E. Garrity was called to be the rector on July 29, 2010 and accepted the call.

Across the street were the Dover Public Library, and the McConnell Center which housed a gym:

Around the corner were a pair of buildings, The First Parish Church, and a school building: The St Mary's Academy

 

Then, Sawyer Woolen Mills, which has been repurposed as apartment buildings:

The Sawyer Woolen Mills are a historic textile mill complex at 1 Mill Street in Dover, New Hampshire. Built in stages between 1873 and 1939, the mill complex is one of New Hampshire's most intact mill complexes, reflecting multiple architectural styles which were retained by addition to the complex rather than by the demolition of older buildings. The mills were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
The mill complex occupies 8.5 acres (3.4 ha) on the banks of the Bellamy River, adjacent to the Spaulding Turnpike south of downtown Dover. It consists of 15 major buildings, two dams, and four bridges. Only three smaller buildings have been destroyed. There are four large mill buildings in which the textile processing took place, lining the banks of the river, two of which are joined by an ell that spans the river. On the east side of the complex are a series of four warehouses. The 1882 office building is one of the finest mill offices in New England of the period, retaining significant interior decorative detail. The designers of most of the mill buildings are unknown, but the office was designed by Charles E. Joy, a local architect.
The Sawyer Woolen Mill Company was established in 1824, and are believed to be the third woolen mill in the state. By 1883 it was the largest manufacturer of woolens in the state, a position it held until it was eclipsed by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company around 1900. The company was founded by Alfred I. Sawyer and operated in the family until 1899, when it went bankrupt and was acquired by the American Woolen Company. The mill complex was operated by American until it was closed and sold off in 1955. In the mid-1980s the complex was converted to residential use

 

Another older mill complex has also been converted into Apartments, The Woodbury Mill

The Woodbury Mill meets Criteria A and C for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and is significant in the areas of Industry and Architecture at the local level. The property possesses integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The mill meets Criterion A for its association with the shoemaking industry in Dover, New Hampshire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The building was used as a shoe factory, occupied by multiple companies for nearly 90 years. Although textile manufacturing dominated the local industrial economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, largely through the operations of the Sawyer Woolen Mill and Cocheco Manufacturing Company (cotton mill), shoe manufacturing had a significant impact as the second largest industry in Dover. The Woodbury Mill meets Criterion C as a well -preserved example of a late 19th century industrial building of slow-burning construction. The design of Woodbury Mill follows a model that emerged after about 1860 in response to the development of heavy manufacturing machinery and efforts to limit loss due to fire. Despite several additions at the rear the building, the Woodbury Mill retains architectural integrity and serves as a tribute to the city's historic industrial prosperity.

There was also a Friends Meeting House:


The Religious Society of Friends Meetinghouse is a historic Quaker meeting house at 141 Central Avenue in Dover, Strafford County, New Hampshire. Built in 1768, it is a two-story wood frame structure, 50 feet (15 m) long and 37 feet (11 m) wide. A projecting vestibule with simple Greek Revival styling is a 19th-century alteration. It is the only known 18th-century Quaker meetinghouse in the state.  The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980

There is also the Wyatt House:

The Samuel Wyatt House is a historic house at 7 Church Street in Dover, New Hampshire. The two story Greek Revival wood frame house was built in 1835 for Samuel and Sophia Cushing (Hayes) Wyatt, in what was then the commercial center of Dover (now known as Tuttle Square). Samuel Wyatt was owner of several hotels, including one nearby in Dover, and Sophia was a prominent local teacher and author. The house is three bays wide, with a side hall entry flanked by sidelight windows and topped by a fanlight. A portico supported by Doric columns shelters the entrance. A two story ell was added onto the north (rear) of the house, and modified in 1938 to accommodate a garage in its basement area. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982

On the way out of town, stopped at MacDonalds for a quick lunch, then to something called the Strafford County Farm, which was part of the jail complex- the new jail is across the street.

The Strafford County Farm is a complex of buildings in Dover, New Hampshire, historically associated with the management of the poor and criminals of Strafford County. A significant portion of the farm is now taken up by the modern Strafford County Jail, but several historic buildings survive on the campus. These include the 1881 almshouse, a large three-story brick structure originally designed to house up to 300 individuals. This building's once-impressive facade is somewhat obscured by the presence of the 1970 nursing home which stands in front of it, and to which it is now connected. In 1907 the county built a 2-1/2 story brick jail adjacent to the almshouse. The new correctional facility, located across the parking lot from the older buildings, went into service in 2004

Also did the Woodman Institute, which had a fascinating museum:

 

 

The Woodman Institute Museum is located at 182 Central Avenue in Dover, New Hampshire, United States. It is a museum dedicated to history, science and the arts. It was created in 1915 with a bequest of $100,000 from philanthropist Annie Woodman to encourage her city's education in those three fields. The institute opened on July 26, 1916.^[2] Under the name of "Woodman Institute", the museum was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The museum's campus now includes three brick houses of Federal style architecture, one of which is the former home of noted abolitionist Senator John P. Hale. Inside are exhibits of local history and natural history, in addition to art and antiques. One famous item is the saddle in which President Abraham Lincoln rode to review troops shortly before his assassination. A collection of artifacts showcases the nation's past, with a special emphasis on Dover's history.

Visitors can see the sword a Japanese delegate to the 1905 Portsmouth Peace Conference (Treaty of Portsmouth) gave to a waiter at the Hotel Wentworth, examples of Dover's textile output, relics from every war in which the United States has fought, an old 13 star American flag, a 10 foot stuffed polar bear from the Arctic, an old piano with genuine ivory keys, and a collection of stuffed birds, fish and mammals.

On the museum's grounds is the 1675 William Damm Garrison, one of the oldest intact garrison houses in the state, as well as the oldest house in Dover. It survived the Cochecho Massacre, and was later moved to this location for preservation under a permanent shelter. Also within the shelter, visitors may see a brass Napoleon cannon used in the American Civil War, one of only ten left in existence.

 

 

 

There was also the Damm Garrison building, which was a story in itself:

Damm Garrison

 

Before the Woodman Institute had even opened its doors, Mrs. Ellen S. Rounds presented the Institute trustees with an authentic colonial garrison, the William Damm house, built in 1675. Originally located in the back river district of Dover, the Damm Garrison was moved to its present site at the museum and greets visitors as it did over 300 years ago. Today this well preserved structure provides a unique window to our past and displays a collection of over 800 items which illustrate area history. Notable among the many utensils, furniture and tools are iron fireplace cooking utensils, a tavern table, several cradles—including a rare cradle for twins, rope beds and looms. The Damm Garrison House is physically located beneath a protective white canopy structure. Upon entering, visitors will view the original structure and framework of the home.

 Also, the US Post Office Downtown:

 

 

The US Post Office-Dover Main is a historic post office building at 133-137 Washington Street in the center of Dover, New Hampshire, United States. The main portion of the building, a single-story beige brick Beaux Arts structure, was designed by James Knox Taylor and completed in 1911. A major addition in 1963 expanded the work area to the rear and relocated the public lobby space and postmaster's office. The original portion has a hipped tin roof, while the addition, attached to its southwest, has a flat asphalt roof. The northwest façade originally had the building's main entrance, with a grand staircase and lampposts, all of which were removed in 1963, although the location of the original entrance can still be discerned in the masonry.  The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

And that is Dover NH!