Historically Speaking: Dover’s farming tradition
Ordinarily, you would assume entries in the National Sign up of Historic Areas to refer to structures, structures this sort of as the Cocheco Mills, or the Woodman Museum sophisticated. But as stated in an before report, two of Dover’s formal landmarks are farms. There are structures on just about every, but the importance of the homes relates to the land and the people today who have lived there, a recognition of the significance of farming to our heritage.
The first example is basically shared with the metropolis of Rochester. It is the Jenness Farm, situated on Upper Sixth Street on the Dover facet, which turns into Pickering Road as you cross the metropolis line. Added to the sign-up in 2001, the vast majority of the 190 acres of land are in Dover. Over the a long time the properties consisted of the key residence the existing house (described as Colonial Revival) was crafted in 1935 on the foundation of the unique which was made in the 1890s but misplaced to a fire in 1934. Outbuildings included a significant barn framework, milking place, lodging for the hens, and sheds for devices and storage.
The farm was began by Cyrus Jenness, who acquired the land in 1837. His son, D.F. Jenness, ongoing the operation which at first consisted of a dairy and potato farm and an apple orchard. This was expanded into beef cattle and a greater wide variety of greens. He was succeeded by Edith and Charles Teague, (Edith was D.F.’s daughter), and they added poultry, progressively lowering the milk output, and by the 1970s most of the agricultural items, in favor of haying and a tree farm.
The 2nd designated location is at the opposite conclusion of city, at the end of Bay See Road, regarded at first as the Samuel Emerson Farm, Sam becoming the initial proprietor of 30 acres as considerably back as 1696. Far more not too long ago as Back again River Farm, it becoming bordered by the Bellamy River which, at one time, was identified as the Back again River (from which arrives Again River Street), and an inlet recognised as Royalls Cove.
The assets consisted of 44 acres at the time of its entry on the National Sign up in 1984. This also involved structures: a two-story wood frame farmhouse that nonetheless retains some inside mid-1700s woodwork and element, a barn and sheds. It was recognised in its day as a single of the “salt h2o” farms in the area, consisting not only of agriculture (a assortment of marsh grass and specified veggies had been regarded to prosper in salt drinking water), but also aquaculture … the harvesting of mussels and/or oysters. (Samuel Emerson was the brother of Hannah Duston, who was taken captive by Indigenous People throughout a raid in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1697. Her escape, which included her killing and scalping a range of her captors, grew to become the matter of any number of tales and legends. Hannah’s sister, Elizabeth, was hanged in 1693 for killing a youngster, and a cousin, Martha Emerson, was one particular of the accused in the Salem Witch Trials. Appealing family….)
The residence remained with Emerson descendants until finally 1876, now developed to 130 acres. In the mid-1900s, and at the time of its addition to the sign up, it was owned by G. Allen Huggins III (an govt with the Strafford National Financial institution) and his spouse, Elizabeth. They produced a actual estate believe in, then transferred 19 acres with river frontage to NH Auduborn in 1970, supplying for several public obtain waterfront trails. An additional adjacent 7 acres was afterwards procured by the Character Conservancy. In the 21st century users of the Huggins family members have set up a conservation easement on most of the remaining land, guaranteeing that it will continue being open area. And likely back to its early roots, an oyster farm has a short while ago been included to a small spot of the river.
We from time to time forget that for considerably of its history Dover (and in point, significantly of the encompassing region) was farm country. There were the mills, of study course, but what would be named an “urban” space was rather compact: Sawyers and Stark Avenue to the south, Glenwood Ave. to the north, the end of Silver St. and Fourth or probably Whittier St. to the west. With the close of Entire world War II things started to change. Homes sprang up on what had been open up areas or cultivated forest. What experienced been as lots of as 60 to 75 performing farms in the early aspect of the century started to give way to new household neighborhoods.
The calendar year 1948 offers us a snapshot of what was taking place. Middlebrook Farm off Stark Ave (dairy and beef cattle) was no more time in existence. Ashton Rollins continue to managed the farm at 3 Rivers Leo Allen owned Strafford Farms. And there ended up other folks … the checklist in this article is by no indicates complete, but all ended up mentioned as “farmers” in the city directory. Some of the names, however not the farms, are nevertheless with us:
Wilfred Janelle on Drew Street, Fred Mudgett on Tolend Road, Chester Bryson on Watson Highway, Sumner Davis on Knox Marsh, Fred E. Riley on the Littleworth Highway and ideal following doorway Napoleon Boucher, Alfred and L. Scott Weeden on Higher Sixth Road, Earl Jenness on Blackwater Road, and Lindley I. Jenness on County Farm Cross Road. Mabel Wills was detailed as a “poultry raiser” on what was then recognized as the Dover Issue Again Road, and Benjamin Rousseu had a farm at 200 Henry Regulation Avenue and up to the existing day his son Peter maintains a modest team of black and white cattle (Banded Galloways?) which will make for excellent streetside viewing. The family and farm buildings are still in put.
There was a directory listing for “industry gardeners:” the Tuttle Family Farm on Dover Place Street (at that time William Penn Tuttle was nevertheless in charge) and more south, on the opposite aspect of the street “close to the schoolhouse” was the Homeland Market, a seasonal farm stand for fresh generate, owned by Albert and Frances Gage. The schoolhouse is still there the farm stand is not.
The key supplier of farm tools back again then was V.H. Cogswell positioned at 67 Fifth St., at the far westerly close of the avenue, a setting up no extended in existence, changed by an condominium advanced. The company had been there for many several years, beforehand owned by F. (for Fred) M. Bunker, and in advance of that Mathes & Bunker. Vaughn Cogswell and spouse Charlotte were obvious and contributing customers of the group, Vaughn becoming regarded for the lobster bisque served per year at the 1st Parish Church Xmas Reasonable.
Finally, there was for a number of many years a “cattle vendor”, found quite near to in-city for these types of an procedure, at 85 Courtroom St. That was Sydney Taylor. George Taylor, of the very same deal with, was outlined as “butcher.” On the Tolend Road Peter J. Callaghan taken care of an “abbatoir” or slaughterhouse. There and on Court docket Street animals, not only cattle, but an occasional pig or sheep, would enter one particular doorway on the hoof to fulfill their destiny and reappear in the form of ribs, steaks and chops.
It was a unique time.
Tony McManus is a Dover native. He is a previous trustee of the Woodman Institute and an beginner university student of Dover’s past. He can be arrived at at [email protected].
