Small Town. Big History.

Dover may be a small town, but we played a large role in history.

From its beginnings in 1729, Dover was a farming community and in the 1850’s with the addition of the railroad eventually shifted to a more industrial town. Two of the most prominent businesses were E.F. Hodgson, a manufacturer of portable, prefabricated houses, and Harvard Apparatus, a medical instruments company. By 1900 the town was becoming more of a residential community with access to the railroad and automobile making commuting more convenient. For a 30-year period beginning in 1945, the town was the home to many prominent politicians including two Governors of the Commonwealth, a U.S. Senator, a State Senator and a State Representative.