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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
Just outside of the center of Dover, a Georgian-style house keeps watch over Dedham Street. The home looks as though it could have grown out of the landscape; so perfectly fitting is it for the environment that one could convince himself that it had been there forever.
Perhaps that’s because it has been.
Relative to the town, at least.
The Benjamin Caryl House has been a Dover landmark since the town’s 1836 incorporation, but it dates all the way back to the American Revolution, when the town was still a part of Dedham. It served as the private residence of Dover’s first minister and his family.
These days, it serves as a reminder of the town’s rich history.
“I believe it’s the only house in Dover that’s on the National Register of Historic Places,” says Janet Comiskey-Giannini, curator of the Benjamin Caryl House. Comiskey-Giannini’s passion for the property is on full display as she walks visitors through the home, lovingly explaining the details of its every nook and cranny.
“The date has been changed a little bit,” she reveals as she opens the front door to the house. “It’s actually 1774. Before a dendrochronological study, it was 1777,” she adds.
“We have a gem; a wooden house that did not burn,” says Comiskey-Giannini. Given the number of fireplaces that dot the house, it seems almost miraculous.
That’s not the only miracle about the place, of course. There are countless little eye-opening details about the Caryl House that are only revealed with a proper tour.
There are leather water buckets - not wood ones, which would have been reserved for a more economically humble family and home - hanging by the doorway in the event of a town fire alarm.
There are expert works of embroidery and Scherenschnitte (the art of paper cutting) from the Civil War era.
There are the tools of Dr. George Caryl’s trade; Dr. Caryl, Benjamin’s son, practiced medicine in town from 1790 up until his death in 1822.
There is a fife, which looks as though it could have been snatched from the nimble hands of a marching Continental soldier just yesterday.
One could even argue that among the little miracles is Comiskey-Giannini herself, whose enthusiasm and warmth are contagious. She, however, is quick to turn any and all praise into an opportunity to recruit like-minded souls.
“The Dover Historical Society is always looking for volunteers,” reminds Comiskey-Giannini. “You don’t have to be a history major. You could have a love of music, a love of gardening, something of that nature. We’re always looking for docents, and we only ask for one weekend a season.”
Whether approaching as a volunteer or tourist, one thing remains certain: Dover’s Benjamin Caryl House is one of the town’s must-see locales, and another of the Dover Historical Society’s myriad treasures.
