Wentworth-Douglass Hospital History

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital was conceived as a 30-bed hospital on March 15, 1904 when the Dover City Council accepted $100,000 in trust of a legacy from the late Arioch Wentworth for a hospital to be called the Wentworth.

The hospital opened on August 30, 1906.

In 1917, hospital services were overwhelmed by the influx of wounded soldiers.

The influenza pandemic of 1918 also created heavy demand.

It was Haskell’s persistence in 1925 that convinced the city of Dover to fund new laboratory equipment, improved X-ray equipment and a new patient record system, allowing the hospital to be designated a Class A Hospital by the American Hospital Association.

In 1950 an addition to the original building created space for 33 more beds and additional services.

In 1954, the hospital changed its name to Wentworth City of Dover Hospital.

The Douglass Memorial wing opened on July 30, 1961, bringing the total capacity to “90 beds and 24 bassinets.”

In 1982, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital became the first Seacoast hospital to be designated as a trauma center and that same year the hospital separated from the city and incorporated as a non-profit community hospital.

The Garrison Wing, which opened in 2012 provides new, spacious, private patient rooms designed for a comfortable, family centered, healing environment.

The hospital’s largest addition, the four-story Garrison Wing – named in honor of Dover’s nickname “the Garrison City” - opened in January 2013.

In 2017, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital joined the Massachusetts General Hospital family and Mass General Brigham system.