In 1623, Captain John Mason sent a Scotsman, David Thomson, and two fish-mongers from The Company of Laconia in London, William and Edward Hilton, under the authority of an English land grant to settle what is now known as New Hampshire. They landed near the confluence of the Cochecho, Bellamy, and Piscataqua rivers to establish their fishing industry. This was the first settlement in New Hampshire originally called Hilton’s Point; now the City of Dover.

Dover New Hampshire is the oldest continuous settlement in New Hampshire, and the seventh oldest in the United States. The colony's original township included the present cities of Dover, Durham, Madbury, Lee, Somersworth, Rollinsford, as well as parts of Newmarket, Newington, and Greenland. The colony was called Pascataqua or Pascataway under Edward Hilton’s management. Native Indians called it Newichwannock, which means “place of wigwams”, and Cochecho, which means "the rapid foaming water".

Hilton’s Point of Landing is now a public park called Hilton Park, located near the tolls on Spaulding Turnpike Rt. 16 just before the first exit to Dover. The park is open during the hours of 6:00AM and 8:00PM. Pets must be leashed, and the possession or consumption of Alcoholic beverages is strictly prohibited.