History of Dover

There is no doubt Christian Deardorff and his brother-in-law, Jesse Slingluff, had high hopes for the tiny community they laid out in 1806. In that thirtieth year in the life of the United States, Thomas Jefferson was in his second term as President of the United States of America, and Lewis and Clark had just returned from an arduous exploration of the Louisiana Territory. Abraham Lincoln was yet to be born. The United States was a very different place during those early years. The largest city in America, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, had a population of about 30,000.

Ohio had been a state for only three years when Deardorff and Slingluff purchased the 2,175 acres of western frontier land for just over $4,600. The square of soil that would become Dover was located in the east central part of Ohio and was bordered by Front, Second, Third and Fourth streets. Race, Market (now Wooster) and Walnut ran north and south through the area. The plat was filed in 1807 and left plenty of room for a county courthouse and other county and city buildings.

However, Dover was slow to take root. By 1818, it was hardscrabble home to only five buildings including three taverns and two homes, even though it was laid out to be the future county seat. When Tuscarawas County was formed in 1808, New Philadelphia was chosen as the political center.

Dover secured a leg up on growth when an important stretch of the Ohio Erie Canal was carved out next to the Tuscarawas River in the mid 1820s. Dover was the only tolling station on the canal in Tuscarawas County, and the canal trade helped swell the population to from 46 people in 1820 to 598 by 1840. By then, Dover was a milling center with several flourmills that created the first real commerce in the area. It was during the booming canal era that the city's post office address became known as Canal Dover to distinguish it from the other Ohio cities called Dover. Serving as only a postal designation, on December 8, 1915, the post office was officially renamed the Dover Post Office. A new, WPA-constructed post office building was constructed on Third Street in 1935, and still stands today.

In 1842, Dover was incorporated as a village with Joseph Slingluff elected its first mayor. Oddly, the charter was permitted to lapse, and Dover had no official government until 1867 when it was again incorporated. Dover was incorporated as a city on December 6, 1901.

Dover became a steel center early on, with the first blast furnace opening in the mid 1850s. The first steel rolling mill began in 1867, and was purchased in 1882 by J. E. Reeves, becoming the foundation for the building of Reeves Steel. The legacy of Mr. Reeves, his company and his family still impacts Dover and Tuscarawas County through such local treasures as the
J. E. Reeves Home and Museum and the Reeves Foundation. The Reeves Foundation annually contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars to local good works.

Dover became a rail stop in 1854.

Dover's first schoolhouse was constructed in 1827 in a forested area on the south side of Fourth Street (near the cemetery). There was a separate Negro School on W. Front Street until 1917, at which time Dover's school system was fully integrated.

Dover's Water Works was established in 1898 on what is now the site of the Dover Light Plant. It moved to 17th Street in 1935. Because the water supply is so clean, Dover's water remained untreated in any way until 1998, at which time a state-of-the-art treatment facility began operation, and was the last city east of the Mississippi River to sterilize its water before distribution.

Dover made a far-reaching move in 1898 when voters approved a $5,000 bond issue for the construction of an electric-generating plant. It would be a few more years before the light plant became a reality. In 1935, submarine cables were laid under the river. As part of a major rebuild by the Public Works Administration (WPA) in 1938, a 400-pound pressure boiler was installed. In 1945, the Dover Dam was built on the Tuscarawas River to maintain water level. Today, the light plant includes fiber optic cable in its list of up-to-the-minute improvements. Today, after expansions and changes, this facility serves over 6,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Dover's Fire Department was organized in the 1870's.

Dover voters took the city "dry" in 1908, putting 22 saloons and two breweries out of business overnight. Dover became somewhat infamous during prohibition for official Volstead Act violations and many officials resigned in disgust. The city again allowed the sale of liquor after repeal of prohibition in 1933.

A coal strike in 1920 closed all steel operations for a grueling 13 months.

It became legal for Dover movie theatres to show movies on Sundays in 1930.

Dover's steel mills, along with manufacturing facilities nationwide, converted their operations to help the stateside effort to supply the armed forces during World War II. Women employed during wartime at Reeves Steel made shell casings. On January 23, 1943, an airplane carrying leaflets for a war bond drive crashed in Dover, killing three, including a 12-year-old boy.

Dover's city building was remodeled in 1957, and the bell tower was removed. Today, the bell can be seen in front of the Utility Office on Third Street.

A downtown renovation project in 1981 provided beautiful trees and winding sidewalks, with new, attractive street lighting.

Famous Dover natives include master woodcarver Ernest "Mooney" Warther, who is fondly remembered peddling his bicycle around Dover, helping children look for spear points in local fields, and providing a good story or two. Dover is home to the Warther Museum, which is an excellent look at Warther's greatest works, including amazingly intricate locomotives. Dover also is the birthplace of playwright Elliot Nugent (1899-1980), and Rear Admiral Herald F. Stout (1903-1987), for whom the U.S.S. Stout was named. Admiral Stout is interred at Dover Burial Park. An infamous native is Civil War guerilla leader William Clark Quantrill (who is buried at Fourth St. Cemetery).

The City of Dover celebrated its bicentennial in 2007. A fireworks display, festival and other events helped mark the celebration as one of the largest and most successful events in the city's history.

Each year, Dover is the host of many events celebrating its rich history. The Canal Days Festival fills downtown with families, music and other entertainment during the Memorial Day weekend. The Italian-American Festival celebrates the culture of Tuscarawas County's Italian heritage.

The history of Dover not only tells the story of the city, but also of the United States of America. Each generation since Dover's inception represents the perseverance that has made our country great. Through rough economics, times of war, periods of growth and times of fear or elation, our residents have shown that it takes a dedicated community to make history worth retelling.

With gratitude to the Dover Historical Society.