Dover

History

The first known European to explore the region was Martin Pring from Bristol, England, in 1603. In 1623, brothers William and Edward Hilton settled at Pomeroy Cove on Dover Point, near the confluence of the Bellamy and Piscataqua rivers. This first settlement makes Dover the oldest permanent settlement in New Hampshire, and seventh in the United States. The Hiltons were fishmongers sent from London by the Council 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 of Northwich, England). He also served as Deputy to the General Court (the colonial legislature). The Hiltons' name survives at Hilton Park on Dover Point (originally known as Hilton Point). The colony's original townships included Durham, Madbury, Newington, Lee, Somersworth and Rollinsford. In 1633, the 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 so 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. The town was called Dover in 1637 by the new governor, Reverend George Burdett. It was possibly named after Robert Dover, an English lawyer who resisted Puritanism. With the 1639 arrival of Thomas Larkham, however, it was renamed after Northam in Devon, where he had been preacher. But Lord Saye and Sele's group lost interest in their settlements, both here and at Saybrook, Connecticut, when their plan to…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  40,831
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  32,575
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  30,241
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  28,851
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  28,486
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  28,047
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  26,135
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  24,841

Largest nearby schools

• Dover Senior High School
  High · Dover · 1,505 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Spaulding High School
  High · Rochester · 1,301 students · 14:1 ratio
• Dover Middle School
  Middle · Dover · 1,018 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Rochester Middle School
  Middle · Rochester · 847 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• Oyster River High School
  High · Durham · 844 students · 12.6:1 ratio
• Oyster River Middle School
  Middle · Durham · 643 students · 10.7:1 ratio
• Woodman Park School
  Elementary · Dover · 436 students · 11.5:1 ratio
• Barrington Elementary School
  Elementary · Barrington · 424 students · 12.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2025-01-27
  9 km SE of York Harbor, Maine
• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
• M 2.9 — 2023-04-25
  4 km SW of Center Sandwich, New Hampshire
• M 2.6 — 2021-12-07
  38 km SE of Old Orchard Beach, Maine
• M 2.7 — 2020-03-09
  50 km ESE of Old Orchard Beach, Maine
• M 2.7 — 2018-02-15
  0 km SE of East Kingston, New Hampshire