Dover’s Waterfront History: Shipping and Industry on the Cochecho River
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Dover400, a committee of residents organizing Dover’s 400th Anniversary, continues its virtual lecture series with an online presentation about Dover illustrious history as a 19th century shipping port. The speaker, George Maglaras, is proprietor of George’s Marina which is located at the former epicenter of Dover’s thriving and bustling seaport. This shipping trade, which included all manner of vessels from gundalows to 3-masted schooners, also supported many businesses and industries which lined the Cochecho River. This area, along Cochecho Street, was the commercial center of Dover for 200 years, until the great flood of 1896, called “Dover’s Black Day”, wiped out most riverfront businesses and deposited vast amounts of silt and sand into the river, essentially ending large-scale shipping. George Maglaras grew up along the waterfront and is a highly regarded raconteur of Dover’s maritime history. Mr. Maglaras has been a Strafford County Commissioner for 19 terms, and Chairman since 1987. He has over 45 years of involvement in numerous civic, municipal, and state organizations as well, serving in the NH Legislature and as Mayor of Dover in 1990-91. His presentation combines the waterfront history with a large dose of entertainment through George’s tales of river lore and legend.
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