Caryl House Opens Its Doors For Historical Tours

On this beautiful past Sunday afternoon members of the Dover Historical Society donned 18th century period clothing and welcomed residents into the historic Benjamin Caryl House on Dedham Street in Dover.

Historic preservationist Bill Finch was on hand to give tours of the house and to explain its uniqueness to the era and some of the house’s structural needs. 

Finch revealed to the tour-goers that the exact date of the construction of the house is unknown. The Dover Historical Society believes it to be 1777 because of a poem written by Caryl’s granddaughter in 1877 stating that the house was a century old. “The only basis for the exact date is the poem,” Finch said. 

Later on the tour, Finch suggested the use of dendro-chronology on some of the oak beams could determine the true age of the house. He said they would drill cores from the beams and then compare them to known tree rings in the area to determine the age that tree was felled. Depending on who is hired to perform the dating, the process costs between $1,200 and $2,000 per drilled core, according to Finch.

Finch said there were shoes found behind the chimney that the historical society dated to the early nineteenth century, putting their guess of the construction of the house closer to 1777.

Walking through the kitchen, Finch said the fireplace is mainly intact and original.

He noted that the house is reversed. Most homes face north, but the Caryl House faces south and Finch has yet to determine the reason why.

At the front staircase he said there is some structural damage that will eventually need to be tended to. He jumped up and down on the staircase, exclaiming, “This is a scientific test” to show its current integrity. The wall has cracked substantially at the first landing on the stairwell.

Caryl House curator Barbara Palmer said the historical society would be discussing what they will do with the $150,000 the town awarded them at their next meeting in mid-June.