Candles in the windows of the Benjamin Caryl House reflect the season.

The Reverend Benjamin Caryl, first minister of Springfield Parish, a part of Dedham and now the Town of Dover, built his house at 107 Dedham Street in 1774.

Built in the Georgian style, the Benjamin Caryl House served as home to the Caryl family until the death of Ellen Miller, Benjamin’s Great Granddaughter, in 1898. In 1899 the 83-acre property was bought by George Ellis Chickering, a prosperous local farmer. In 1917 Chickering donated the property to the Town for use as a park, with the stipulation that the house remain under the care and management of the Dover Historical Society. It is particularly noteworthy for its originality -very few changes were made over the years – and for its first two families, the town’s first minister and his son, George, the town’s first physician.