Powisset Farm – A Brief History
One of the most visible reminders of Dover’s rich agricultural heritage is Powisset Farm. Situated on Powissett Street, the land is said to have been used by Dedham residents to pasture cattle as early as the 1660’s and has been farmed continuously for more than three centuries. Onetime local historian Frank Smith (1914) tells us that Powisset Farm was first settled by Samuel Chickering (1689-1778), presumably at some point shortly after his marriage to Mary Harding in 1720. Smith adds that the Chickering homestead was situated “near Rattlesnake Rock” which may be the area known today as Powissett Peak, although
Dover Church Bell: Holbrook Bell Foundry, Millis
One of the pitfalls of local history is the tendency to see one’s community as an entity apart from its surroundings. In actuality, of course, Dover was a part of Dedham until 1836, and the original Dedham Grant encompassed 200 square miles stretching from Boston to the Rhode Island border. It is not surprising, therefore, that our history is very much interwoven with that of the surrounding area. One particularly audible manifestation of this connectivity is the bell in the Dover Church. The church itself was established in 1754 as the Fourth Parish of Dedham. The original structure burned in
