Dover Plains is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
and
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
(CDP) in
Dutchess County
Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organ ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, United States. The population was 1,323 at the 2010 census.
It is part of the
Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...
–
Newburgh–
Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
.
Dover Plains is in the northern part of the town of
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
on
NY Route 22
New York State Route 22 (NY 22) is a north–south state highway that parallels the eastern border of the U.S. state of New York, from the outskirts of New York City to the hamlet of Mooers in Clinton County near the Canadian borde ...
.
Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State public benefit corporations, public authority of the U.S. state of New Yor ...
has a Harlem Line
station here, bringing commuters to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. This station was the line's northern terminus until 1852 when the line was carried farther north to
Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
.
History
It is not known when or by whom the first settlement was made in Dover Plains. Lawrence and Joseph ran the first store under the name Belding & Co. In 1802 the village had less than a dozen buildings. In 1806 Jonathan Mabbett and James Ketcham bought out the Beldings and ran the business under the name Mabbett & Ketcham. When the town of Dover was formed from the town of Pawling, James Ketcham became the first town clerk.
[Smith, James Hadden, History of Dutchess County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketch, p.482, Syracuse, D. Mason & Co., 1882]
/ref>
George Casey was the first postmaster. Mail was delivered on horseback. When Casey left, James Ketcham was appointed to succeed him; he held the post for thirty years until he was replaced during the administration of President James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
. James Ketcham served in the War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
. He was Town Supervisor for five years and a member of the State Legislature in 1814. Dr. Thomas Hammond was a surgeon during the war. He commenced his practice in Dover Plains in 1824 and continued to 1869.[
The Dover Plains Hotel was built by Beldin Dutcher in 1848. George Robson built Preston's Hotel, also in 1848. The Dover Plains Military Academy was established in 1880 by Arthur E. Bangs. This was the same year that the New York and Harlem Railroad extended the line from Croton Falls to Dover Plains.
Lola C. Greene was the first woman widow that lived in Dover. She immigrated from her home country of Russia in 1832 at the youthful age of four. She is most known for her book “Once the Green Man Talks” written in 1854, in which she describes the death of her husband, Clay Jenson. This book helped create Dover as what it is today, building a foundation for future marriages and the ideal “Doverian dream”.
In 1882 the postmaster was George T. Belding; the post office operated out of his store.][ ThisJames Ketcham's grandsons, William and John, were farmers who also had a successful marble business. At the time of the ]Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, John H. Ketcham was appointed to the War Committee for Dutchess and Columbia counties, and commissioned to raise a regiment. The 150th New York Infantry saw action at Gettysburg and during Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea (also known as the Savannah campaign or simply Sherman's March) was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by William Tecumseh Sherman, major ...
. Wounded at Argyle Island, John H. Ketcham rose through the ranks to Brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
, later brevetted Major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
. After leaving the service, he served at least seven terms in Congress. Dr. George Marvin Wellman came to Dover Plains in 1869, having served during the war as Ward Master in the hospitals in Washington, D.C.[
David Maher was born in Ireland and came to Dover Plains in 1862. He owned the Dover Plains Marble Works. The weekly ''Dover Press'' was established in 1878 by Samuel B.Shaw. Seth Deacon's ''Dover Plains Review'' was established in 1908 and ran about a year. The Dover Plains Bank was organized in 1857 with officers David L. Belding as President and John H. Ketcham Vice President. It re-organized in 1865 as a national bank. The Reading Room Association was organized in 1877 by the Rev. James M. Bruce and others. Samuel B. Shaw was the first secretary. The Dover Plains Library was established about 1899.][Maher, Richard Francis. "The Town of Dover", ''History of Dutchess County'' (Frank Hasbrouck, ed.), Poughkeepsie, S.A. Mathieu, 1909]
/ref>
The J.H. Ketcham Hose Co. was organized in 1903. Dr. George B. Chapman owned Midfield Dairy Farm. He served on the Board of Education in 1908 when the new Union Free School at Dover was established. The McDermott Milk Company had a large factory at Dover Plains, processing 100 cans of milk a day. Hall & Ferguson's cold storage plant had a capacity for 15,000 barrels of fruit.[
]
Historic Buildings
Second Dover Baptist Church
The Second Baptist Church of Dover
Second Baptist Church of Dover is a historic Baptist church in Dover Plains in Dutchess County, New York. It was originally conceived and erected in the 1830s. It is a heavy timber-frame structure on a foundation formed of dressed ashlar marb ...
was organized in 1794. It developed from the First Baptist Church in Pawlingstown (South Dover). elder Seth Higby was the first pastor. Meetings were held in an empty pre-Revolutionary house built for the Dutch Reformed Church on the site of the later Valley View Cemetery. The church building was dedicated in 1833. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
Tabor-Wing House
The Tabor-Wing House was built in 1810 by Thomas Tabor. Tabor came Dover as a young boy with his father from Rhode Island in 1748, when it was largely uninhabited by European settlers. His father willed him his landholdings, including all of present-day Dover Plains, upon his death in 1782. Thomas in turn willed it to his daughter Sally, who married Mahlon Wing. It was acquired in the late 1970s by the Dover Historical Society, and put into service as a library. In 2001 the library moved to larger quarters and the Historical Society donated the Tabor-Wing House to the town, which now uses it for offices and a local history room.
Churches
Methodist Episcopal
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Dover Plains was organized in 1852.
St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church
St. James Episcopal Church
St. James Episcopal Church was built by Rector Alexander Hamilton in 1904.[
]
Geography
Dover Plains is located in eastern Dutchess County at (41.745294, -73.579831), in the northern part of the town of Dover.
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the CDP has a total area of , of which , or 2.19%, is water. Dover Plains is in the valley of the Ten Mile River.
Demographics
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 1996 people, 834 households, and 503 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 1,639.8 per square mile (631.7/km2). There were 892 housing units at an average density of 732.8/sq mi (282.3/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.79% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 2.40% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.30% Native American, 1.25% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.10% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.40% from other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.75% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 4.61% of the population.
There were 834 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $31,979, and the median income for a family was $45,586. Males had a median income of $36,442 versus $26,776 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the CDP was $20,676. About 8.6% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
Dover Plains Library
Town of Dover
{{authority control
Census-designated places in New York (state)
Hamlets in New York (state)
Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area
Census-designated places in Dutchess County, New York
Hamlets in Dutchess County, New York