Woodman House on the left, Damm Garrison in the center, John P. Hale house on the right.
When she died in January 1915, Annie E. Woodman created a trust with the sum of $100,000 “for the establishment …of an institution for the promotion of education in science and art and the increase and dissemination of general and especially historical knowledge.” The trustees of the estate acquired the Woodman House and the adjoining Hale House, which came on the market that same year. The renovation of the interior was directed by local architect J. Edward Richardson and the Institute opened in August, 1916. The Woodman House serves as the natural history section of the Institute, with collections of minerals, fossils, extinct animal species, and Indian artifacts. The Hale House contains most of the items relating to Dover history, including garrison artifacts, military articles and ship models. The Damm Garrison, the oldest house in Dover, and the only surviving garrison of 16 built in this area, was moved to the Woodman Museum in 1915 by four men using rollers, and one horse pulling. An 800 artifact collection if cooking utensils, farm tools, and colonial furniture can be seen inside the Garrison.
The Damm Garrison is sheltered by this Colonnade
The Woodman House
