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The Morrill Block on Franklin Square


468-484Central Avenue

Joseph Morrill (1796-1871) built this four-story wooden building between 1870-74. Its more famous occupants included D. Lothrop and Company, pianos, organs & sewing machines and Lothrop's & Farnham's.

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The Morrill Block circa 1923

A fire January 3, 1932 razed the building and wiped out 26 businesses. One of Dover's most devastating and spectacular fires, the blaze required fireman from as far away as Haverhill, Massachusetts, and burned so hotly that the sprinkler system in the Strand Theater was set off. The current two-story Morrill Building was rebuilt shortly thereafter.
    From the 1984 Heritage Walking Tour Booklet.

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