Dover Historical Society Post Office Box 534 Dover, MA 02030-0534 he Dover Historical Society, an all-volunteer association, was organized in 1895 and incorporated September 1, 1900 to collect, preserve, and exhibit such artifacts, information, and documents as will throw light on our local history. Any person may become a member by paying the dues. The Society offers public programs, and mounts a major exhibit annually at the Sawin Museum. The Caryl House offers educational programs to elementary classes at the nearby Chickering School, and programs in The Fisher Barn are being developed for that same purpose. The Society also assists members in developing material supporting the Society's mission. Most recently, members have published a history of the Dover Union Iron Mill, and a Historical Insight series using materials in the Caryl House. The Society's Annual Meeting in March highlights the efforts of Dover citizens and others to describe the community's history. On February 25, 1901, the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts established Old Home Week to celebrate and honor returning sons and daughters. Dover held its first Old Home Day on August 19, 1903, with great success, and followed this with a second Old Home Day, July 7, 1909, celebrating the 125th anniversary of the incorporation of the town. In 2002, the Society decided to revive Old Home Day and did so on October 5 2002, and then again on October 6, 2003. Both days were received by the community with increased support. North or South on I-95 (Rte. 128), exit at 19B onto Highland Avenue, Needham. Follow Highland Avenue into Needham. At the 5th set of traffic lights, take the middle road, Chapel Street, and follow straight through the next light onto Chestnut Street. Continue on Chestnut Street crossing the Charles River into Dover to Dedham Street. Follow Dedham Street for approximately 2 miles. You will see the Benjamin Caryl House and Fisher Barn sites on the left. About ¼ mile further on, the Sawin Museum, headquarters of the Dover Historical Society, will be on a small rise to the right. Turn right up the driveway and park by the museum. Phone: 508-785-1933, 508-785-0236, 508-785-1832 Contact: Paul H. Tedesco Priscilla Pitt Jones Hours: Saturdays, 1-4, Spring and Fall, and by appointment Admission: Free he present Town of Dover began as the Fourth Precinct of Dedham, Springfield Parish, in 1748 and separated as the District of Dover in 1784. The first Meetinghouse was raised in 1754 and its first minister, the Reverend Benjamin Caryl, accepted the call in 1762 and served for fifty years. At this time, there were 352 inhabitants and 49 houses. In addition to ministering to his parishioners, Benjamin worked his farm and prepared young men for college. His theology appears to be standard for the period, but it is noteworthy that in his sermons he changed his opinion regarding involvement in the American Revolution. In December 1766 he suggested the Parish "be sensible of the mercy of God in continuing to us our sovereign and the happy government which at present we are under." But by March 1776, he thought that "[w]e doubt not that the omnipotent hand of our heavenly Father is ready to stretch forth and save us." The Whiting Tavern, long lost to fire, served as the meeting place of the Sons of Liberty. The Training Ground, where Minutemen drilled, is across the street from the tavern's site. On April 19, 1775, 66 Minutemen marched to fight along Battle Road under the command of Captain Ebenezer Battelle. Elias Haven was at work harrowing a field on the George Ellis Chickering farm that morning. According to tradition he left his harrow in the field to answer the call to arms, and "was [later] shot down while standing beside his brother-in-law, Aaron Whiting, at a corner of the Arlington meeting-house and is buried near the spot." He was the only Dedham man killed that day. The harrow he abandoned is now in the Fisher Barn. Daniel Whiting, who also answered the Lexington Alarm, led a company at the Battle of Breed's Hill and served at Ticonderoga in 1776 as a major, ending the war as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental Army. Private Thomas Larabee, according to Dover tradition, helped row General George Washington across the Delaware, at Trenton, on December 26, 1776. His powder horn is at the Caryl House and an archaeological dig on his property has yielded numerous artifacts of the period. Slate gravestones mark the graves of Revolutionary War soldiers in the front rank of the Highland Cemetery, Centre Street, across from The Old Training Ground. The Caryl House and Home Lot Built in the Georgian style about 1777, the Benjamin Caryl House served as home to the Caryl family until 1928 when it was given to the town and placed under the care and maintenance of the Dover Historical Society. It is particularly noteworthy as a structure---as very few changes were made over the years---and for its first two families, the town's first minister and his son, George, the first doctor. The Caryl House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 2000. The 1777 Fisher Barn has been reconstructed at the Home Lot and contains tools and other equipment, which illustrate Dover's agricultural history. The grounds include period gardens; the Parlor Garden, the Kitchen Garden, and the Fruitery. Funding for this website is provided by Community Crossroads Foundation, The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, and the museums and historic sites of the Greater Boston History Project.