Buildings were built to scale and placed on a landform model based on
site surveys and old deeds.
In research for the 1976 Bicentennial Edition of DOVER DAYS GONE BY I found that the Old Center played an important and intriguing part in our local history.
The area had included unique and significant historical structures - a lockup for tramps, a cigar factory, general stores, public weighing scales, blacksmith shops and a wheelwright shop.
To get a clearer understanding of it I tried to draw a three dimensional illustration to show all the buildings and their relationship to each other. Unfortunately, all my efforts proved woefully inadequate. It was then that young Stanford Adams of Dover agreed to construct a scale model to re-create the whole neighborhood.
The Dover Historical Society gave us enthusiastic encouragement.
From old deeds, diaries, maps, fire insurance sketches, documents and old photographs I identified eighteen structures and a street that no longer exists. Stan and I located these structures and property lines on a large scale base map.
We made a rod and transit topographic survey of the area, field measured old houses and plotted old street lines and intersections. We added this and the topographic information onto the base map. From profile drawings showing the ground surface at regular intervals we made cardboard cutouts and interlocking "eggcrate" forms to glue onto the map on a plywood base.
Stan filled the cardboard profiles forms with plaster and shaped and moulded the surface to make a topographic landform model of the area and adjusted for the narrower roads that existed in 1876.
Buildings were built to scale and placed on a landform
model based on
site surveys and old deeds.
Working from old photographs, Sawin's insurance sketches and building designs common in the 1800 I made scale drawing blueprints for each of the structures. From these blueprints Stan created the finely detailed minature models that make up the Diorama.
Stan Adams at work on the Diorama. He learned
his craft by building railroad models.
The Diorama was finished for the Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1986 and is on display at the Sawin Museum on Dedham Street.
-Dick Vara