After the new High School and the Public Library were opened in 1905, there arose a community fervor to place a memorial in the middle of the circle that joined the driveways of the two new magnificent city buildings. Local citizens wished to honor those who had served in the nation’s Civil War. Led by veterans from the local chapter of the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) and members of the Women’s Relief Corps, the proposal was embraced by Colonel Daniel Hall of Summer Street. Himself a veteran, Col. Hall donated funds for the creation of a Soldiers & Sailors Memorial. The 41’6 monument was designed and built by Lewis J. White of Quincy Massachusetts and was made with granite from Barre, Vermont. The army and navy veterans that stand on either side are made of bronze. The statue was dedicated on October 25, 1912 after a parade in which over 150 Civil War veterans marched from the railroad station to the unveiling spot. A large crowd gathered to hear martial music and patriotic speeches by Col. Hall and other city and military dignitaries. One later account says that a time capsule was embedded in the granite behind the letter “V” in the word, “Dover”, but the newspaper articles of the time do not report this.
From the 2001 Heritage Walking Tour Booklet