You Say Cochecho and I say Cocheco

Question: A careful visitor to Dover might notice that the spelling of the name Cochecho differs between the name of the River and the famed Mills that line its banks. What accounts for this difference?

Answer: A clerical error.
According to the Dover Chamber of Commerce, which asked the question of Thom Hindle, a Trustee of the Woodman Institute Museum, it all goes back to a simple typographical error. The “original” spelling of the word Cochecho is with two "h's." Back in 1827 when registering the Cocheco Mill Manufacturing Company in Concord, NH, a clerical error was made, omitting the second "h". Thus all references to the mill were with one "h", while references to the River remained with two "h's."

Ed’s note: we put the word "original" above in quotes because in truth we can’t know the original spelling. Native American’s – specifically the Abenaki in this case - from whom the name was taken, had no written language, so the “original” spelling was still a European interpretation of a Native word.

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