Garrison Hill Tower is a observatory atop Garrison Hill in

Dover, New Hampshire Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,741 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in the New Hampshire Seacoast region and the fifth largest municipality in the state. It is the county se ...

, United States. The current tower, made of iron and painted green, was built in 1993 and is the third tower to exist on the hill. The park in which it stands is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Setting

Garrison Hill Park is located north of downtown Dover, on the east side of

New Hampshire Route 9 New Hampshire Route 9 (abbreviated NH 9 and also known as the Franklin Pierce Highwayhttp://franklinpierce.ws/highway.pdf ) is a state highway located in southern New Hampshire. It runs across the state from west to east and is a multi-state rout ...

. It is a glacial

drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated ...

that is roughly circular in shape, with a summit elevation of . The park occupies about around the summit, and is accessed via Abbie Sawyer Memorial Highway. The road leads to a parking area at the summit, providing access to the observation tower, a town-owned concrete water storage tank, and radio transmission towers.

History

In 1880, the top of Garrison Hill was purchased by Joseph Ham and Harrison Haley, who developed it as a public park. Haley purchased—for $1,000—a wooden observatory designed by architect B. D. Stewart and opened it to the public. The observatory contained a restaurant in the base, and offered a telescope through which the public could view

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, ...

. The city acquired the property in 1888 and continued to operate it as a public park. The city also built a reservoir (since filled in) on the site. After the wooden observatory burned down in 1911, Abbey Sawyer commissioned a replacement, made of steel, to honor her husband. She also funded the construction of a new roadway (the present Abbey Sawyer Memorial Drive) to the summit, replacing the 1880 carriage road (now a footpath). The tower, erected in 1913, was taken down in 1990 due to safety concerns, and a third tower (the one now standing) was built by volunteers. On a clear day, one can view the White Mountains and the

Isles of Shoals The Isles of Shoals are a group of small islands and tidal ledges situated approximately off the east coast of the United States, straddling the border of the states of Maine and New Hampshire. They have been occupied for more than 400 years, fi ...

from atop the tower.

References

{{NRHP in Strafford County, New Hampshire Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Buildings and structures in Dover, New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Strafford County, New Hampshire Towers in New Hampshire Parks in New Hampshire

Setting

History

See also

References