Dover dates to 1807, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #522 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Tabor-Wing House, the Second Baptist Church of Dover and the Dover Stone Church. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1811.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 70% of U.S. towns, #522 of 758 in New York. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dover’s overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Dover’s 3.6 sits below most of its state (30% of New York towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±5.6 points). Two sources give 1807.
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.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Dover had its own post office from 1811 to 1871. Six other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Dover
1811–1871
Chesnut Ridge
1826–1860
South Dover
1826–1911
Wing's Station
1853–1905
Chestnut Ridge
1861–1903
Dover Furnace
1867–1937
Dover Plains
1871–today
Webatuck
1880–1907
Wingdale
1905–today
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bains CornerChestnut RidgeDogtail CornersDover FurnaceDover PlainsHigh PlainsLakeside Grove Mobile Home ParkOniontownPowell Mobile Home ParkPowell ParkSouth DoverTallyho Mobile Home EstatesWebatuckWiley ShelterWingdaleWingdale Village Mobile Home Park
In 1637, the Pequot people had been driven from their former homes in Connecticut and settled in what is now Dover. They were led by Gideon Mauwee for part of their time in this location.
The town was formed in 1807 from part of the town of Pawling. The first town meeting took place in the home of John Preston, an early settler. That home, built circa 1730, is now an inn and restaurant known as Old Drovers Inn.
Extracts from Munsell's History of Morris County, page 40. 18S2: The first forge at Dover was built, it is said, by John Jackson in 1722 on what is still called Jackson's Brook, near the present (1882) residence of Alpheus Beemer. Jackson purchased a tract of 527 acres of one Joseph Latham, including the site of this forge and much of the land west of Dover. (The town of Dover [1913] includes about 600 acres.) The venture was not a successful one and in 1757 the forge passed into the hands of Josiah Beman and the farm into those of Hartshorne Fitz Randolph.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Trustees appointed according to law by an association of persons in the Village of Dover in the township of Randolph, in the County of Morris, for the promotion of learning, according to the act entitled an act to incorporate Societies for the promotion of learning, do hereby certify under our hands and Seals that we have taken on ourselves the name of 'The Trustees of the Dover School House."
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Leading manufacturers and merchants of New Hampshire1887 · page 86Read the page →
Read the text
Dover Steam Laundry, No. 6 Orchard Street.— A popular and highly useful institution to which special attention is directed in this article, is the excellent and admirably conducted Dover Steam Laundry, located at No. 6 Orchard Street. This business was founded four years ago by the present enterprising and prosperous proprietor, Mr. T. G.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Leading manufacturers and merchants of New Hampshire1887 · page 71Read the page →
Read the text
kind. Mr. Smith is known as one of the enterprising and progressive merchants of this city, and an important factor in building up the name and fame of Dover. W. M. Courser, Groceries and Fresh Meats, No. 116 Washington Street. — Of the merchants in Dover in this line of trade none are more equal to the demand made upon
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Dover, 1785 to 1965
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
In 1807, according to Wikidata. Dover’s post office opened in 1811, and the census of 1820 counted 2,193 people here.
How does Dover rank for history?
Dover is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #522 of 758 in New York. 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?
Three places: the Tabor-Wing House (listed 1982), the Second Baptist Church of Dover (2010) and the Dover Stone Church (2014).
How old are the homes in Dover?
16% of Dover’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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1965
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