Dover was located on the west or Talbot County side of the Choptank River about four miles east of Easton and about one mile below the Dover Bridge. In 1748 Anthony Bacon, a London merchant who operated ships which traded on the Choptank River, and James Dickinson operated what was referred to as “a great store at Dover on Choptank.” Several warehouses and wharves apparently were built here to accommodate the lucrative tobacco trade.
Sailing ships would lie at the wharves in the Choptank’s fresh water to kill the barnacles and worms on their hulls (see also Barkers Landing). Dover became the county seat of Talbot County in 1778 and authorized the building of a courthouse, but due to the war nothing was done. Easton eventually “won” the rights for the court house and became the county seat in 1786. Soon thereafter, the town of Dover died.
(Choptank River Cultural Resources Inventory, 1999-2002)