This event has been Cancelled. Refunds have been issued. Join Brylye of Building with Bry: Intentional Connections for a fun singles night in a truly unique setting. Guests will participate in a museum scavenger hunt with guided relationship questions throughout the Woodman Museum in Dover, NH. The event will end with a reception for guests to […]
Woodman House at Woodman Museum will be open Friday, February 27th. This is a bonus “pop up” day to our normal Winter days of Saturdays and Sundays, 10-4. Stop by! We have reduced Winter admission prices, great exhibits for you to enjoy, and engaging books, gift cards, and other items in our gift shop for […]
Join Dover High School and Dover's National Arts Honors Society at the Woodman Museum on March 5th from 4-7pm for the opening reception of the Dover High School Art Showcase. This will be a mixed media show highlighting various DHS student artists in National Arts Honors Society. This event is free and open to the […]
Woodman House at Woodman Museum will be open Friday, March 13th. This is a bonus “pop up” day to our normal Winter days of Saturdays and Sundays, 10-4. Stop by! We have reduced Winter admission prices, great exhibits for you to enjoy, and engaging books, gift cards, and other items in our gift shop for […]
THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT FOR ALL FOUR PERFORMANCES. Join the Woodman Museum and director William Saxe for a fresh take on Oscar Wilde’s classic romantic comedy, “The Importance of Being Earnest”. Two Victorian Era bachelor’s, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, create the alter ego “Ernest” in order to escape their day-to-day responsibilities and attract […]
Join us for the 1st Annual Annie E. Woodman Gala 🎟️ Celebrate Dover’s stories, artifacts, and art as we come together to support the Woodman Museum’s mission to preserve local history and culture through exhibitions, events, and educational programs. The Woodman Museum will be hosting its first ever annual Annie E. Woodman Gala fundraiser this […]
OPENING RECEPTION: June 5th 530PM-7PM. Show statement: Light warms the dark corners; Light shines and reflects for growth; it brightens and highlights that which resides in the dark; Light works magic. ‘There in the light’ is an exploration of what we, as individuals, neighbors, communities, citizens of the world, generate as “fuel” for the continued […]
DUE TO AN UNEXPECTED FAMILY EMERGENCY WITHIN THE PRESENTING ORGANIZATION, THE PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN CANCELLED. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVIENCE. ISSUES WILL BE REFUNDED BY THE PARANORMAL FIVE. Join us for an unforgettable evening of paranormal investigation with Paranormal Five—the first-ever investigation of its kind at the Woodman Museum! What to Expect: Explore 3 […]
The NH Magical Maker Fair is SUPER excited to return for our THIRD season! Join us on June 20th on the beautiful grounds of the Woodman Museum to celebrate Summer and togetherness! This inclusive and family-friendly event is always FREE for the public. You can expect 40+ vendors, makers, entertainment, food, and more! Join us […]
Join the us for a Free Admission Day to the Woodman Museum in support of our extensive Natural History collections. Various organizations including NH Fish & Game and The City of Dover’s Open Lands Commission will be on our grounds to talk about sustainability and conservation. The Blue Ocean Society will have their 65-ft inflatable […]
This year, from Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23, Dover is leaning all the way into that history with Cowabunga Fest, a three-day celebration of turtles, pizza, art, skating and the wonderfully strange bit of pop-culture history that started right here in the Garrison City. CowabungaFest takes over downtown Dover, with local restaurants, shops, museums and […]
Join us this October for a Family-Friendly, Evening, Educational tour of the Woodman Museum and meet the people from the past whose artifacts call the museum home. Guest will be guided to scenes throughout the museum and its grounds. One part Ghost Tour/ One Part Museum Tour, all around fun! Tickets can be found here […]
Born in nearby Rochester NH, John Parker Hale is best known as the first avowed Abolitionist Senator in the United States. It is an odd irony that, in the two decades Hale was in the Senate, Dover profited from the manufacture of cotton products that were produced by Southern slave labor. Living in William’s own house, Hale took a solid stand against slavery - a position that earned him enmity from Southern leaders, even a death threat on the Senate floor from a colleague. It also earned Hale a statue in 1892 on the lawn of the state capitol in Concord, NH, where his figure now stands with Daniel Webster, President Franklin Pierce and John Stark.
Today, the collections throughout two of the three floors of the Hale House are arranged into galleries displaying Hale Family artifacts, local and regional history, New England period furniture, fine and decorative arts and more.
The younger Charles Woodman inherited the estate from his mother. A successful financier and manager of the Strafford Savings Bank, he resided here throughout his life. He married twice: his first wife, Hannah (Coffin) Woodman, died in 1854 and in 1856 he married Annie (Allen) Woodman. When she died in January 1915, Annie Woodman left the sum of $100,000 “for the establishment …of an institution for the promotion of education in science and art and the increase and dissemination of general and especially historical knowledge.” The trustees of the estate acquired the Woodman house and the adjoining Hale House, which by chance came on the market that same year. The renovation of the interior was directed by local architect J. Edward Richardson, and the Institute opened in July, 1916.
Today, the collections throughout the three floors of the Woodman House are arranged into galleries displaying natural science (mounted specimens, rocks and minerals, fossils, seashells), Native American culture, military history, “childhood” history (schools, Scouting, toys, games and dolls), seasonal themed exhibits and more.
In 1915, Col. Daniel Hall (the founding Head Trustee of the Woodman Museum) had an interview with Mrs. Rounds and broached the matter of having the garrison and its contents removed to the grounds of the Woodman Museum. The proposition proved to be acceptable to her; in due time she made a formal gift of the Damm garrison to the Museum. Daniel Chesley was entrusted with the task of removing the house to its new home; it took him one week, using wooden rollers and a horse, to move the garrison to the grounds. Local architect J. Edward Richardson directed the construction of the protective outer “colonnade” building that surronds and protects the garrison currently.
Today, the collections throughout the two floors of the William Damm Garrison House are arranged into galleries displaying local Colonial and Early American history.
Today, the first floor of the Keefe House (the Thom Hindle Gallery) features rotating artist and artisan exhibitions throughout the year. The second floor of the Keefe House (the Robert Whitehouse Library) serves as administrative offices and a climate controlled archive. The attached two story Carriage Barn houses local and regional transportation, trades, farm, and household collections.
Today, the first floor of the Keefe House (the Thom Hindle Gallery) features rotating artist and artisan exhibitions throughout the year. The second floor of the Keefe House (the Robert Whitehouse Library) serves as administrative offices and a climate controlled archive. The attached two story Carriage Barn houses local and regional transportation, trades, farm, and household collections.