Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1819.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 88% of U.S. towns, #176 of 993 in Ohio. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dover’s overall grade.
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Dover’s 9.2 sits above most of its state (73% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 12 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.9 points). Two sources give 1806.
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.
Originally named Canal Dover due to its location and origins along the Ohio and Erie Canal, the land was platted in 1807, with Christian Deardorff and Jesse Slingluff recognized as the founders. Beginning in 1815, the post office first began operation. Canal Dover incorporated as a village in 1842 and became a city under the Ohio municipal code of 1903. On February 12, 1916, the city officially changed its name to Dover.
Passages that mention Dover, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio1884 · page 321Read the page →
Read the text
The third quarter of Township 9, Range 2, situated in Dover Township and including the village of Dover, was granted to Col. James Morrison, of Lexington, Ky., by patent of April 22, 1800.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio1884 · page 342Read the page →
Read the text
June 3, 1820. — “New Bridge. — The new bridge lately built across the Tuscarawas, opposite the town of Dover, is now ready for crossing. It is upward of 400 feet in length, and constructed in such a manner as promises durability. The bridge will add much to the convenience of travelers, and be of great advantage to the people of that town and the adjoining country. The proprietor has been at much expense in erecting it, and as it is a public benefit, we hope the profit arising from the bridge may amply repay him for an enterprise so well entitled to reward. ”
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, 1806 to 2001
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 1806, according to Wikidata. Dover’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1840 counted 598 people here.
How does Dover rank for history?
Dover is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #176 of 993 in Ohio. 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?
7 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Jeremiah Reeves House and Carriage House (listed 1982, the first). 12 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Dover?
24% of Dover’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1968.
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 (3), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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.
2018
2006