45 Silver Street, Dover, New Hampshire
A Major Place in Dover's History

Wow! What a difference! We bought this beautiful antique colonial in May of 2003 and we all went immediately to work. By fall most of the outside was done, with all new roof, 44 new windows, new brick steps, new carved sign, all new paint on the outside and we found most of the original shutters in the barn! We pulled out all the front bushes, got rid of the fence on the right and all the overgrown trees, took off the dark old screens on the side porch, and this building is starting to look like a showcase! And that's just the outside!

Inside, we pulled up the carpets downstairs and found beautiful hardwood, which we had refinished with eight coats of polyurethane. The five gorgeous fireplaces have original wood paneling around each one, and all the wood has been restored. The building just looks awesome now that it is all done. You really must stop by and pay us a visit so we can give you the grand tour.

The most important aspect of 45 Silver Street is its rich and interesting history. Known as "Dame Tibbetts Tavern" and built in 1728, it is one of the oldest houses still standing in Dover. Dame Lydia Tibbetts was not the first inhabitant of the house, but while married to Captain John Tibbetts, took up housekeeping there in the late 1700s. John was lost at sea not long after, and the Dame, who was known for her great cooking and hospitality, turned the large colonial into a tavern. While she lived and ran the tavern at 45 Silver Street, Daniel Webster frequented the tavern when in Dover overseeing the courts as a judge. The Fish & Potatoe Club was formed here, and both founders of the Dover Manufacturing Company, John Williams and Isaac Wendell, made 45 Silver Street the birthplace of their company, meeting there to plan out the vast mills they were to eventually build on the Cocheco River. The tavern was a very respectable and famous social gathering place in Dover for many years until the death of Lydia, when it was auctioned off. We have a framed copy of the original auction notice, dated August 8, 1837,and it can be seen in our beautiful conference room hanging on the wall.

Read More