“Weaving Through Time”

            This panelized mural was commissioned by Cocheco Falls Millworks as a gift to all who pass through this entrance.  The mural preserves the history of Dover and portrays the influence of the mills on the social and economic development of the city.   The mural was created through the collaborative efforts of Barbara Rainville and Linda Murray of Wallscapes, Etc.

            Traveling from left to right, the first panel of the mural illustrates the Cochecho River winding its way through the young town of Dover, providing a water route for the transport of goods to local industry and merchants.  On the river is a gundalow, one of many types of vessels that brought raw cotton and iron to the Cocheco Manufacturing Company for the production of cloth and nails.

            In 1826, the Cocheco Mills began weaving and printing the first calico fabric produced in New Hampshire.  The grazing cows you see were an integral part of this process, as they provided the dung used in a special bath that made the calico bright and colorfast.

            The B&M locomotive represents the first train arriving in Dover in September, 1841. This service would soon extend to Portland and further into New Hampshire.  Note how the railroad tracks are gathered by a large wheel and transformed into a section of industrial leather belting, which was also manufactured at the Cocheco complex for a time.

            This belt travels upward into the second panel and over loom machinery tended by two young women.  Since 1873, Foster’s Daily Democrat has been reporting noteworthy events in the greater Dover area and the newspaper boy in this upper panel serves to recognize Foster’s contribution throughout the decades. 

            In the third panel, the leather belting evolves into a roadway supporting a horse and cart, a common mode of transportation in the 19^th century.  Also depicted is a young boy, one of many children commonly employed by the mills in the 1800s. 

            The upper fourth (center panel) has a large image of a mill building, which represents the entire Cocheco complex, past, present, and future.  The mill’s dominant central position in the mural reflects its continuing status in the heart of Dover.

            In the immediate foreground of the mill is Mr. John Williams, the original founder.   To the left is one of the many early foremen and, to the right is another male image representing the Boston investment bankers brought in to finance further development of the mills.  While beneficial to the growth of the mills, their involvement eventually led to Mr. Williams’s loss of local control.

            Also, in this fourth panel, the roadway becomes the beautiful calico that was produced here.  Beneath this billowing fabric is a procession of striking women.  The women’s wages were reduced in an effort to cut mill expenses, resulting in the first organized all-women strike in U.S. history on December 30, 1828.  Unfortunately, economics forced the women to return to work just three days later with no satisfactory resolution to their plight.  Also depicted is the raw cotton that was woven into colorful bolts of fabric that are shown here. 

            Included in the upper fifth panel, is the ship Ranger, built in Portsmouth in 1777.  It sailed to France, under the command of John Paul Jones, and was the first U.S. ship recognized by a foreign power. 

In the mid-1980’s, Joseph Sawtelle and his partner, Tim Pearson, had the vision that ultimately transformed these old mills into the Cocheco Falls Millworks as it stands today.  The Ranger’s image is to acknowledge Mr. Sawtelle’s passion for maritime history, especially this ship, and to commemorate his remarkable contributions to this area. 

            The lower part of the fifth panel continues with the parade of striking women and shows several large kegs of nails, which were also manufactured on site.   

Another large wheel propels the calico fabric into the sixth panel, where it flows into the Cochecho Falls, the source of power for the original mill.  Directly over the Falls is the General Sullivan Bridge which replaced the Piscataqua Bridge, built in 1794, connecting the towns of Dover and Newington.

The last panel depicts the current Dover City Hall with its clock tower representing the passage of time. Below City Hall, Cochecho Falls evolves into today’s roadway for the current trolley transport that provides commuter service for the many tenants and visitors to the present-day Cocheco Falls Millworks.