Dover-Foxcroft was originally two towns, Dover and Foxcroft, separated by the
Piscataquis River. Dover was to the south of the river, and Foxcroft was to the north. Dover was purchased from
Massachusetts by
Boston merchants Charles Vaughan and John Merrick, both of whom had emigrated from England. It was first permanently settled in 1803 by Eli Towne from
Temple, New Hampshire, then incorporated on January 19, 1822. Agriculture was the principal early occupation, producing potatoes,
corn and grain. Originally known as T5 R7 NWP, Foxcroft was one of five towns conveyed by Massachusetts in 1796 to
Bowdoin College. It was purchased from the college in 1800 by
Joseph E. Foxcroft of
New Gloucester and settled by John, Eleazer and Seth Spaulding in 1806, when they built the first
mill. It was dubbed Spauldingtown until February 29, 1812, when it was incorporated as Foxcroft, taking its proprietor's name. The Piscataquis River offered
water power sites for
mills. In 1859 the population of Dover was 2,500 and industries included four
sawmills,
shingle and
clapboard manufacturers, one
gristmill, two
tanneries, two
carriage makers, and a
woolen factory. By 1859, the population of Foxcroft was 1,045, industries included two sawmills, one shingle mill, one
carding machine, one carriage builder, one chair manufacturer, one tannery, one fork maker, two
pail makers, one
machinist, and a
sash,
door and
blind factory. In 1866 the Hughes & Son Piano Mfg. Co. was established and ran until closed in 1921. (source: Pierce Piano Atlas 11th ed. ) On March 1, 1922, the two towns merged into a single town. Dover-Foxcroft has a notable
United States post office mural painted during the
New Deal era. The
American Woolen Company Foxcroft Mill is a historic district of industrial buildings added to the
National Register of Historic Places in December 2012. It contains buildings built between 1841 and 1944. Dover-Foxcroft is home to the
Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, an annual one-day event which takes place in late June each year. It started in 2009 to honor the
whoopie pie. The whoopie pie became the official state treat of Maine in 2013. The 2012 festival brought 5,000 people to the town while the 2014 event brought in more than 7,500 attendees. File:Blethen House, Dover, ME.jpg|Blethen House File:Lincoln Street, Foxcroft, ME.jpg|Lincoln Street File:High Water, Foxcroft, ME.jpg|High water in 1909 ==Geography==