Dover dates to 1683, and 18 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns · #7 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it
Most of Dover was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. 18 places in town are on the National Register, among them the John Dickinson House, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 561 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1791. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Dover’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dover is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #7 of 37 in Delaware. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dover’s overall grade.
Delaware towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Delaware town has 29.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Dover’s 146 sits above most of its state (70% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 583 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1683.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Dover’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places that used to be
Old corners and burying grounds
Dover’s post office has been open since 1791.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bicentennial VillageCapitol GreenCedar ChaseChestnut GroveCoopers CornerCrossgatesDover East Estates Mobile Home ParkDover HeightsDoverbrook GardensEast Lake GardensEdge HillEdgehillEdgehill AcresFairviewFour SeasonsFox HallGoldsboroGreens of DoverHeatherfieldIndependence VillageKings Cliff Mobile Home ParkLaffertys CornerLincoln ParkLower Moores Corner
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Dover
Holy CrossLakesideNew Jerusalem BaptistSunset Memorial GardensWhatcoat
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Dover was founded as the court town for newly established Kent County in 1683 by William Penn, the proprietor of the territory generally known as the "Lower Counties on the Delaware." Later, in 1717, the city was officially laid out by a special commission of the Delaware General Assembly. The capital of the state of Delaware was moved here from New Castle in 1777 because of its central location and relative safety from British raiders on the Delaware River. Because of an act passed in October 1779, the assembly elected to meet at any place in the state they saw fit, meeting successively in Wilmington, Lewes, Dover, New Castle, and Lewes again, until it finally settled down permanently in Dover in October 1781. The city's central square, known as The Green, was the location of many rallies, troop reviews, and other patriotic events. To this day, The Green remains the heart of Dover's hi…
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dover. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1930Wyoming sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Dover.
Every building
Dover, building by building, 1885–1919
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1683, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Dover’s post office opened in 1791, and the census of 1870 counted 1,906 people here.
How does Dover rank for history?
Dover is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #7 of 37 in Delaware. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Dover?
18 listings: 16 buildings, among them the John Dickinson House (a National Historic Landmark since 1961), and 2 historic districts, the Dover Green Historic District and the Victorian Dover Historic District, with 561 contributing buildings. 583 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Dover?
6% of Dover’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 1983.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (18), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
1904
1920
c. 1930
c. 1930
c. 1930
c. 1930
c. 1930
c. 1930
