DOVER—
On April 1, the Woodman Institute Museum opens for the 95th season in Dover. Recognized as a traditional turn of century natural science, local history and art museum, the Woodman opened to the public in July, 1916 and today is often referred to as a “museum’s museum.” Displaying collections in old fashioned cabinets throughout four historic homes, a new adventure awaits around ever corner as visitors move from room to room.
This season, the museum opens with a special exhibit: “Toymaker - Collector - Naturalist” Henry Clinton Fall (1862-1939).
As a young school boy attending Belknap Grammar School, Henry was a collector and builder of model boats and trains, (influenced by vessels sailing into Dover on the Cochecho and steam trains passing through Dover several times a day), a collector of stamps/postmarks, and had a fascination with butterflies and beetles. He would graduate with the Dover High School class of 1880 and Dartmouth College in 1884 with a Bachelor of Science degree. While teaching at Pomona and Pasadena, California, Henry studied the beetles of Southern California and New Mexico. In 1917, he returned to Tyngsboro, Massachusetts where he continued to collect, curate, and write 133 scientific articles on beetles. At the time of his death in 1939, Henry had collected over 200,000 species of beetles, one of the largest private collections in North America, and been recognized as one of the country’s leading naturalists.
Now on display are some of the original model boats and several steam engine trains that have survived all these years and were recently returned to Dover for young and old to enjoy. The exhibit features an 1876 Belknap Grammar School spelling exam book where Henry misspelled just seven words out of a list of 1,161, an original hand bell and photos of the school located on the corner of Belknap and Silver Streets.
Visitors can also see Henry’s recently restored and framed original DHS 1880 diploma, the original hand school bell, front door key, 1880 graduation program, and photographs of the first high school that was located at the end of First Street and now Chestnut intersection. Graduation exercises were held at Dover’s second city hall building that was located in Central Square at the intersection of Central and Washington Streets. That building was destroyed by fire in 1889. The old high school was torn down when a new high school was built on Locust Street in 1904.
Museum visitors can view photographs, original period business advertising trade cards, invoices and items related to early Dover children’s clothing stores – soda and tonic bottling companies, the Middlebrook Dairy Farm and the B&M railroad – on display in the Woodman House gallery throughout the 2011 season.
Special thanks for making this exhibit possible goes to Lawrence David, Dover High Class of 1971, who contacted members of the Cate and Fall families and was responsible for acquiring most of the models, letters, photographs, and facilitated the restoration of the 1880 diploma. Also Art Evans, entomologist/naturalist, who is connected with the Smithsonian Institute, for the background information on Henry’s professional career. The exhibit underwriter/sponsor is Center for Assessment at One Washington Center in Dover.
The Woodman Institute Museum, located at 182 central Avenue in Dover, is open Wednesday-Sunday 12:30-4:30. Group tours welcome by reservation. Call 742-1038 or visit www.woodmaninstitutemuseum.org for additional information.
Photo caption: This toy B&M engine can be found in the Henry Clinton Fall exhibit at the Woodman Institute Museum. (Courtesy photo)
On April 1, the Woodman Institute Museum opens for the 95th season in Dover. Recognized as a traditional turn of century natural science, local history and art museum, the Woodman opened to the public in July, 1916 and today is often referred to as a “museum’s museum.” Displaying collections in old fashioned cabinets throughout four historic homes, a new adventure awaits around ever corner as visitors move from room to room.
This season, the museum opens with a special exhibit: “Toymaker - Collector - Naturalist” Henry Clinton Fall (1862-1939).
As a young school boy attending Belknap Grammar School, Henry was a collector and builder of model boats and trains, (influenced by vessels sailing into Dover on the Cochecho and steam trains passing through Dover several times a day), a collector of stamps/postmarks, and had a fascination with butterflies and beetles. He would graduate with the Dover High School class of 1880 and Dartmouth College in 1884 with a Bachelor of Science degree. While teaching at Pomona and Pasadena, California, Henry studied the beetles of Southern California and New Mexico. In 1917, he returned to Tyngsboro, Massachusetts where he continued to collect, curate, and write 133 scientific articles on beetles. At the time of his death in 1939, Henry had collected over 200,000 species of beetles, one of the largest private collections in North America, and been recognized as one of the country’s leading naturalists.
Now on display are some of the original model boats and several steam engine trains that have survived all these years and were recently returned to Dover for young and old to enjoy. The exhibit features an 1876 Belknap Grammar School spelling exam book where Henry misspelled just seven words out of a list of 1,161, an original hand bell and photos of the school located on the corner of Belknap and Silver Streets.
Visitors can also see Henry’s recently restored and framed original DHS 1880 diploma, the original hand school bell, front door key, 1880 graduation program, and photographs of the first high school that was located at the end of First Street and now Chestnut intersection. Graduation exercises were held at Dover’s second city hall building that was located in Central Square at the intersection of Central and Washington Streets. That building was destroyed by fire in 1889. The old high school was torn down when a new high school was built on Locust Street in 1904.
Museum visitors can view photographs, original period business advertising trade cards, invoices and items related to early Dover children’s clothing stores – soda and tonic bottling companies, the Middlebrook Dairy Farm and the B&M railroad – on display in the Woodman House gallery throughout the 2011 season.
Special thanks for making this exhibit possible goes to Lawrence David, Dover High Class of 1971, who contacted members of the Cate and Fall families and was responsible for acquiring most of the models, letters, photographs, and facilitated the restoration of the 1880 diploma. Also Art Evans, entomologist/naturalist, who is connected with the Smithsonian Institute, for the background information on Henry’s professional career. The exhibit underwriter/sponsor is Center for Assessment at One Washington Center in Dover.
The Woodman Institute Museum, located at 182 central Avenue in Dover, is open Wednesday-Sunday 12:30-4:30. Group tours welcome by reservation. Call 742-1038 or visit www.woodmaninstitutemuseum.org for additional information.
Photo caption: This toy B&M engine can be found in the Henry Clinton Fall exhibit at the Woodman Institute Museum. (Courtesy photo)
