Dover’s Two Largest Retail Chain Stores

Dover’s two largest retail chain stores stood on opposite sides of Central Avenue, with Montgomery Ward on the left facing J.J. Newberry's on the corner of Second Street. Between Second and Third Streets on the right stood the new Morrill Block, rebuilt after a devastating fire in January 1932 wiped out 26 businesses there. Stores in the Morrill Block included The Besse Store for men's clothing, Michel's for ladies' apparel, Edmond W. Aubert's shoe store, Tober's Dry Goods, and Lothrop & Pinkham's Pharmacy, while upstairs were Clyde Whitehouse, optometrist, and Hector's Barber Shop. F.W. Woolworths, another five and dime, was just down the street. In the center stood the Morrill Fountain, donated by Joseph Morrill's descendants to the city in 1914, and traffic on Central Avenue was two-way.

Dover, New Hampshire · United States