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Heritage Walking Tour Dover, N.H. June pee — we AS one approaches Main street and the Cocheco River from the Pacific Mills bulldings the development influences of the early 1800's collide head-on with those of the mid 1900's. The area from the intersection of Main and Washington, once called Washington Square, to the corner of Main and Portland, at Lafayette Square, was once a vital commercial area, Begin- ning at the south end of Main Street, where the section of the mill housing Bayhead Products now stands, one would have encountered such establishments as that of Abel C. Smith, who dealt in crockery and glassware, Edmund C. & Wm. N. Andrews, merchants handling En- glish and West India goods, and Thomas E. Sawyer practicing law. Ivory Varney also dealt in English and W. India goods with the offices of James Bartlett, Register of Probate and attor- ney upstairs. At #3 Washington Square could be found James Richardson, Town Clerk and English/W. India goods merchant, with John H. White, attorney, upstairs. English and W. India goods were also sold at the store of George Piper at #4 Washington Square. Daniel M. Christie, attromey, practiced at #5. On Lafayette Square the Sawyer Building has dominated for 150 years. The land on which this building sits was given to Maj. Richard Waldron by grant of the town dated June 1, 1642, and it remained in the possesion of his family until March 1, 1822 when it was sold to Hosea Sawyer for $715. The structure was constructed during 1823 for the sum of $9,300, the itemization of which includes such entries as $3.67 for “rum for the workmen.” Tenants in this building included John P. Hale, a prominent attomey, and George W. Kittredge, M.D. Both also boarded at Isaac A. Porter’s boarding house just around the corner at 2 Belknap (now Young) street. Hosea Sawyer kept store in the first floor rooms now occupied by Krans and Krans, while Elizabeth and Ruth Coffin, tailoresses and mantuamakers, occupied the first floor at 2 Portland street. Joseph Cross, Recorder of Deeds, had an office upstairs. Next door at #4 Susan Webster and Eliza D. Morrison were also tailoresses and mantuamakers, while Lydia Ann Stevens, teacher of private school, occupied the first floor. Other area businesses of record included Dominick Peduzzi, Jr., Lafayette Square confec- tioner; Charles Senter, provision store and barroom on Washington Square: Ebenezer Faxon, blacksmith, Main street at the riverfront; and Abel Kimball, wine cellar on Perkins street, near Main, Orientation: References to the east and west refet to the left and right, respectively, as viewed on the outbound boat trip. The present Dover Public Works Garage is located on the site of a soap factory. At the Public Service Company building on Cocheco street was a deep water facility for unloading coal. Immediately downriver from this building was an area called “the basin” where schooners were turned. Also at this location was the Williams and Stevens Sandpaper and Glue Works, including a glass factory for making their own glue bottles. The next stretch of river is virtually untouched today, but in years past a number of brickyard operated throughout the area. To the west is a pile of large rocks, used as ballast in the schoo- ners which traveled the river. On the east, but not visible from the boat, is the foundation of the powder house. Such structures were located some distance from the populated areas to avoid calamity in the case of untimely explosion. Trickey brook enters from the east. “The Dumps” appear to the west. This is an area where rocks were removed from the boats coming upriver in order to lighten them prior to entering the shallowest part of the navigable water. On returning to the bay, the rocks were retrieved and used as ballast. There are a number of distinct piles of these rocks, each recognized as the property of a specific boat. To the east can be seen the foundation of the Labbe brickyard. What appears to be an island, to the west, was created in 1823 when the river was dredged and the excess material piled here. To the west are ledges, variously known as Dead Man’s Rock or White Man’s Leap, followed by the remains of McKone’s brickyard. On the side of the hill to the east is Tidewater Farm, followed by the entrance of Fresh Creek into the Cocheco. Then, through the trees, you may gain a glimpse of Three Rivers Farm, owned by the Rollins estate. To the west stand the remains of pilings which mark the location of Minniter’s brickyard, which has been out of business since 1890. Downriver just a bit more is the site of the Gage Raitt brickyard, which is in Eliot, Maine. The Salmon Falls River now joins the Cocheco to form the Piscataqua, which continues to the bay and the Atlantic Ocean. To the west, on Thomson's Point, stood a rest house or sanitarium of sorts in the 1800's. ickyard, then on the east the site of the For further information on Dover history, please be sure to visit the Dover Public Library and the Woodman Institute.

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