Orchard Street Gatehouse Historical Association
Orchard Street Cemetery
The Red Tour
Sunday, May 7, 2023
12pm to 5pm
Orchard Street Gatehouse Historical Association
Orchard Street Cemetery
Event Information
- Go on a brief walking tour of the cemetery
- Listen to a talk on the veterans buried in the cemetery who died while serving.
- Stop at the graves of men from the Civil War, World War I and World War II
- Learn about preservation efforts to date and our plans for the future
- Parking available on Chestnut Street and Second Street in front of the cemetery.
A story of civic pride and local philanthropy that still continues to this day, the Orchard Street Cemetery was founded in 1851 when residents determined there was need of such in Dover. William Young, a local baker, traded his one-acre “garden plot” at the end of Orchard Street to this new endeavor in return for several building lots on Orchard Street.
Formally incorporated in 1854, the following year, Jabez Mills and his wife, Hannah, sold approximately 4.5 acres of their land to the Trustees of the Dover Cemetery Association, thereby constituting the final boundaries of the cemetery to its current 5.4 acres.
Today, the Orchard Street Gatehouse Historical Association is dedication to the preservation and stewardship of the grounds, gravestones, and receiving house located on the site.
