Dover Streets and Squares
Abbott Street was named for Abbott Littlefield who owned land in the area. His wife built a house at the corner of Abbott Street after he passed away.
Atkinson Street was named for William King Atkinson, born in Portsmouth, and a nephew of King George. He was born in 1783, graduated from Harvard and practiced law in Dover, becoming one of Dover’s most prominent citizens.
Baker Street was named for John Nelson Baker who was the foreman carpenter of the Boston and Maine Railroad. He built a house at 15 Baker Street.
Belknap Street was named for Reverend Jeremy Belknap, a pastor of the First Parish Church for twenty years. He was also a well respected New Hampshire historian. His house was located where the Belknap Professional Building now stands.
Blackwater Road derives its name from a brook near there whose water appears very dark.
Cataract Avenue runs from Central Avenue to Bellamy Road. The Cataract Hand Tub (firefighting equipment) was housed in a barn near here.
Charles Street was named in honor of Charles Sawyer. The Sawyer family owned the land and built several corporation houses for Sawyers Mills here. In 1883, the Street was renamed Broadway.
Chesley Street was named for T. Jewett Chesley, a former mayor of Dover.
Clifford Street was named for Charles Clifford who owned land in the area.
Court Street was named for the Court house that was located opposite St. Mary Academy.
Cushing Street was named for the Cushing family who were early settlers of Dover. The Reverend Jonathan Cushing was the minister at the First Parish Church for fifty years.
Durrell Street was named for Daniel Meserve Durrell who had a house there. He practiced law in Dover, was a Congressman and member of the state legislature, Chief Justice of the Circuit Court of Common Pleas and U.S. District Attorney-General.
Everett Street was named by Valentine Mathes in honor of his son.
Gilman Street was named for Joseph Gilman who sold part of his farm to a land company who laid out and named the streets.
Green Street was named for Dr. Ezra Green, Dover’s noted physician. He was the surgeon on the first warship that John Paul Jones sailed from Portsmouth. Dr. Green was also the first postmaster of Dover, appointed by George Washington.
Hale Street was named for William Hale, grandson of Samuel Hale, who was a captain in the French and Indian Wars.
Ham Street was named for John Ham, a farmer who lived at the top of Ham’s Hill. The property remained in the Ham family for 200 years
Hancock Street was named for General Winfield Scott Hancock. Hancock ran unsuccessfully for president against James Garfield.
Hanson Street was named for the Hanson family who owned the land and built many houses along this street.
Henry Law Avenue was formerly known as Payne Street. The city renamed the street in honor of Henry Law, a local philanthropist who gave the land which became Henry Law Park to the city of Dover. See also Payne Street
Horne Street was named for William Horne who was "captain of the troop" and built his house soon after 1780. His widow lived at Horne’s Hill, Sixth Street.
Hough Street was named for Ralph Hough, who lived at the corner of Fifth and Chestnut Streets. He started working in the mills at the age of ten and spent the next 18 years learning the business, eventually becoming foreman. He owned much land in the vicinity of Hough Street.
Kirkland Street was named for Reverend Samuel Kirkland Lothrop who was the first minister of the Unitarian Church.
Locust Street was named for the many beautiful Locust trees that grew beside it, particularly in the vicinity of City Hall and the Library.
Locust Street
Lowell Street was named for George J. Lowell, a former Mayor of Dover. He was also an assessor, and a trustee of the Dover Public Library.
Mast Road was once the main passageway for the logging wagons that brought the tall timbers destined to be masts for sailing ship to the shipping point.
Milk Street got its name from the herd of cows kept there by the Cocheco Manufacturing Company. The cotton mills in Dover needed 30,000 bushels a year of cow manure for their "dung baths". Newly-printed cotton would be run through this acidic bath to set the colors and keep them bright. The Company didn't care about the milk the cows produced and gave it away to its employees for free.
Nute Street was named by the descendents of James Nute who signed the Dover Combination, Dover’s declaration of self government.
Orchard Street was named for the fragrant orchard growing on it.
Paul Street was named for Moses Paul. Mr. Paul was an agent of the Cocheco Manufacturing Company in 1843. He was an ardent Free Mason whose life was one of continuous progress and accomplishment. His Masonic activities mark him as one of its outstanding leaders. Moses Paul Lodge, organized in 1889, was named after him.
Payne Street was named for William Payne, president of the Dover Manufacturing Company. Payne Street was renamed Henry Law Avenue in 1933. See also Henry Law Avenue
Pierce Street was named for Thomas W. Pierce who built the Pierce Memorial Church in memory of his parents.
Richmond Street was named for the Reverend John B. Richmond who lived at the corner of Washington and Richmond Streets.
Rogers Street used to be called Henderson’s Lane before the lower end was made a street connecting it to Cocheco Street. For a long time there was only a path over the lower part of the hill near the sand banks belonging to the brick yards, which were then in operation on the Gulf Road, now Cocheco Street. The Hendersons owned the land on the east side. John P. Hammond named it Rogers Street before he bought land there in honor of the Rogers family in Eliot as he was very fond of them.
Rose Street was named in honor of Rose Literneau [sic], whose husband was a contractor. He bought land in the locality and built several houses here.
Rutland Street got its name because the land was very slow to dry out and wagons caused many ruts in the road.
St. Thomas Street once ran alongside the old St. Thomas Episcopal Church. After the church was razed it was rebuilt at the corner of Hale Street and Locust Street.
Silver Street was known as the Barrington Trail when the first settlers went up there to haul masts for the king’s ships. In a deed of 1780 it was called Barrington Road. There is a legend concerning the house numbered 51-53 Silver Street which was built in 1786 by Henry Mellen, which resulted in the present name of the street. Mellen, a lawyer in Dover, had a silver service that many people came to look at, or even at the house that had so much silver in it. The street thus became known as Silver Street.
Sixth Street was once known as Brick Street because of the brickyards located there.
Snow’s Court was named by Hiram Snow who owned the land and built all the houses on it, except for the harness shop.
Stark Avenue was named in honor of General John Stark who led New Hampshire soldiers in Battle of Bunker Hill.
Trakey Street was named in honor of Charles Trickey, a sea captain. He gave the cowpath next to his house to the city on the condition it would be named Trakey. He did not like his surname.
Twombly Street was named after Jacob Twombly who ran a hotel on Third Street, near the depot. He built several houses on Twombly Street.
Varney Road is one of the oldest roads in Dover. It was named for the Varney family who arrived in Dover in 1659 and built their homes in this area.
Waldron Street was named for Thomas Westbrook Waldron, a great grandson of Major Richard Waldron. He owned a great deal of property in Dover, having inherited Major Waldron’s homestead as well as his mills at the falls.
Wallingford Street was named in honor of Zimri Wallingford who was an agent of the Cocheco Manufacturing Company.
East Watson Street was named for the family of Jonathan Watson who was on the Dover tax list in 1675.
Wentworth Street was named for George F. Wentworth, who was a letter carrier.
Whittier Street was named for the Dover relatives of poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Obediah Whittier owned a fulling mill, a grist mill, and a building for dressing cloth on the easterly end of Tolend Falls.
Williams Street was named for John Williams, the agent for the first cotton mill in Dover.
Young Street received its name from two brothers, Jeremy and Nathaniel Young, who operated the tannery in that vicinity. Jeremy drowned in the Cocheco River in 1848.
Squares in Dover
Tuttle Square
Central Square
Central Avenue ran from Tuttle Square to Franklin Square with Central Square in the center. It is now known as Lower Square.
Court Square
The space between the Dover Hotel, New Hampshire Hotel and the Court House, next to Tuttle Square, was known as Court Square.
Durrell Square
Located at Broadway (once Charles Street) and St. John Street. It was once the home of Judge Durrell.
Franklin Square
Franklin Square was named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. The streets entering Franklin Square were Church Street (now Portland Avenue), Main Street, Central Street, Third Street, Franklin Street (now Central Avenue) and Charles Street (now Broadway).
Franklin Square became an important part of the city after the trains came to Dover in 1842. The Avenue from Garrison Hill to Franklin Square was known for many years as Franklin Street. The road from Sawyers Mills to Garrison Hill was named Central Avenue in 1886. It is now known as Upper Square The terms Upper and Lower squares were first used in the 1940s or 1950s.
Lafayette Square
The space at the junction of Main Street and Portland Street was named Lafayette Square in honor of General Lafayatte’s visit to Dover in 1825. The square is located in front of the Sawyer Block on Main Street.
Tuttle Square
Tobias Tuttle was a soldier of the Revolutionary War. He built the brick block at the corner of Central Avenue and Silver Street. After his death in 1822 the area was named “Tuttle Square”. It was previously known as “The Corner”.
Washington Square
Washington Square was at the junction of Washington Street, Perkins Street and Main Street, at the bend by the new #1 Mill.