Historical Voices From The Pine Hill Cemetery

For the record I don't spend my every waking hour in a cemetery but I will admit they fascinate me. I love wandering around the grave stones, and often invent stories around those who lie beneath them.

This weekend though, I gave my imagination a rest and simply allowed a variety of volunteer actors from the Woodman Museum to tell the true stories behind some of the most prominent characters that are buried in the 75 acre plot, that makes up Pine Hill Cemetery in Dover.

The tour began at 10am sharp and my companions and I were treated to eighteen scenes from various graves. The first of these included three prominent Dover Sea Captains, William Flagg, Washington Hardy and Daniel Card. Each of these men had obtained either a reputation or had amassed a small fortune as Dover had prospered during the boom times of the 1800's.

Money was a theme that resonated throughout the tour and none more so that when we stopped by the grave of Johnathan Sawyer. He had owned the Sawyer Mills, was known to be a good employer but he also loved a lavish lifestyle. Where now stands Burger King in Dover once stood a 26 room mansion, complete with plumbing and an artificial pool. Even in death he liked to show off, his gravestone was imported from Italy and is one of the biggest in Pine Hill.

On the other end of the scale was Micheal Reade, Jr. A solitary figure at best and one who in many ways turned his back on society. He was frugal, owning only two suits, one for Summer and one for Winter. When the price of butter went up to .25 cents a pound he swore he would never buy it again. He was to become an accidental historian though, as he kept a diary of day to day events in and around Dover from 1812 – 1864, and so created his own historical documents.

Sarah Low was another accidental historian. She served as a nurse during the civil war in Washington. D.C. She would detail the carnage, and tell the stories of the soldiers she was treating through letters that were written home. She also witnessed the creation of the Arlington Cemetery. Her letters are now housed at the NH Historical Society in Concord and are recognized as the important documents they are.

A doctor who was featured on the tour was Ezra Green who had been a surgeon during the Civil War, after which he was appointed Postmaster of Dover, by George Washington himself. Ezra lived to the ripe old age of 101, had thirteen children and created a variety of apple known as, “The Pecker.” in his later life.

As we walked around we bumped into various characters. One of these was Special Officer George E. Pray, still in his uniform. This kindly gentleman remind my party never to wander around the cemetery after sunset. He also told us his fascinating but sad story. He was the first known N.H. officer to died in the line of duty, not a distinction he was proud of. He had been sent to arrest a mentally unstable man and return him to Concord. The man shot him clean through the chest and condemned him to duty at the cemetery until the end of eternity.

Talking of sad stories it would be remiss of me not to mention Henry Law and Cordelia Teatherley Griffin, whose love affair that never was, is forever immortalized in the cemetery. Cordelia loved Henry, Henry loved Cordelia. However Henry did not share her love of her beloved puppy, When Cordelia would not part with her dog Henry would break off the engagement but Cordelia's love never died. She had her tomb erected next to his, complete with a statue of herself, her back forever turned on him. There were many other sad stories brought to life that day, Elisha Thomas for example, was the first man to be hanged in Dover at what is now Henry Law Park.

There were also up-lifting stories told, like the ones of Mary Edna Hill Gray Dow and Marilla Marks Ricker. Both were woman who would not take no for an answer. Marilla was the first woman to become a lawyer in NH, she also refused to be told no when it came to her voting rights. She would register and attempt to vote for over 30 years. Sadly she died before that right was given. Mary, on the other hand was one of the first female entrepreneurs. She purchased the Dover railway in the late 1890's and turned into a profitable business before selling it a year later for a handsome profit.

There were several other scenes played out on that perfect fall Columbus day but I will leave you to discover those yourself. This production was put on by the Woodman Museum and was not only informative but very entertaining. All the volunteers and actors are to be congratulated on bringing history to life so vividly.