Dover

History

The first recorded settlement of Dover was in 1640. It was later established as the Springfield Parish of Dedham in 1748, and incorporated as District Dedham in 1784. Dover was officially incorporated as a town in 1836. The Benjamin Caryl House, at 107 Dedham St., dates from about 1777 and was the home of Dover's first minister, Benjamin Caryl, his son George, who was the town's first doctor, and their descendants until 1897. It has been owned by the town and operated by the Historical Society since 1920. The house retains its architectural integrity and has been carefully restored to reflect life in the 1790s when the first two Caryl families lived and worked there together. The Sawin Building has housed thousands of Dover relics, books, photographs and artifacts since the beginning of the 20th century. Benjamin and Eudora Sawin willed land and funds into the Dover Historical Society along with their old household goods so that the building could be erected, and it was dedicated on May 14, 1907, by members and friends of the society. In the early years, it was used for meetings and to house Dover's historical memorabilia, but eventually members became disenchanted with the society and the building was seldom opened. In the 1960s, there was a renewed interest which led to the general overhaul and refurbishing of the building. The Sawin Museum, located at the corner of Centre and Dedham Streets in Dover Center, is owned and operated by the Dover Historical Society and is open to the public free of charge.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.4 square miles (39.9 km2), of which 15.3 square miles (39.7 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2) (0.52%) is water. It is bordered by the towns of Natick, Wellesley, Needham, Westwood, Walpole, Medfield and Sherborn.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  119,592
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  115,235
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  99,950
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  92,486
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  87,148
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  86,324
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  78,810
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  77,881

Largest nearby schools

• TEC Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School
  Other · East Walpole · 2,940 students · 24.7:1 ratio
• Brookline High
  High · Brookline · 2,087 students · 10.7:1 ratio
• Needham High
  High · Needham · 1,645 students · 12.6:1 ratio
• Wellesley Sr High
  High · Wellesley · 1,412 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Milton High
  High · Milton · 1,062 students · 13:1 ratio
• Walpole High
  High · Walpole · 987 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Charles S Pierce Middle
  Middle · Milton · 956 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• Norwood High
  High · Norwood · 941 students · 11.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2020-11-08
  10 km S of Bliss Corner, Massachusetts
• M 2.7 — 2018-02-15
  0 km SE of East Kingston, New Hampshire
• M 2.6 — 2015-01-13
  2 km E of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 3.3 — 2015-01-12
  0 km NE of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 2.5 — 2007-10-19
  2 km WSW of Littleton Common, Massachusetts
• M 2.5 — 2005-11-17
  4 km S of Plymouth, Massachusetts