Dover Township is one of the fourteen townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of Athens County

Athens County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 62,223 people, 22,501 households, and 12,713 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 24,901 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 3,797 people in the township, 2,730 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

Located in the northwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Trimble Township
  Trimble Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Trimble Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,710 people in the township, 1,728 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Homer Township, Morgan County
  Homer Township, Morgan County, Ohio
  Homer Township is one of the fourteen townships of Morgan County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 976 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:*Union Township - north...
  
   - northeast corner
• Ames Township
  Ames Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Ames Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,231 people in the township, 1,047 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east
• Canaan Township
  Canaan Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Canaan Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,780 people in the township, 1,472 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southeast corner
• Athens Township
  Athens Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Athens Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 27,714 people in the township, 6,680 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - south
• Waterloo Township
  Waterloo Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Waterloo Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,605 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:*York Township - north...
  
   - southwest corner
• York Township
  York Township, Athens County, Ohio
  York Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 7,740 people in the township, 1,947 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - west
• Ward Township, Hocking County
  Ward Township, Hocking County, Ohio
  Ward Township is one of the eleven townships of Hocking County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,937 people in the township, 1,474 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northwest corner

Several populated places are located in Dover Township:

• The village of Chauncey
  Chauncey, Ohio
  Chauncey is a village in Athens County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,067 at the 2000 census. The local residents pronounce the village name...
  
  , in the center
• Part of the census-designated place
  Census-designated place
  A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
  
   of The Plains
  The Plains, Ohio
  The Plains is a census-designated place in Athens County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,931 at the 2000 census.-Geography:The Plains is located at ....
  
  , in the south
• The unincorporated community
  Unincorporated area
  In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
  
   of Millfield
  Millfield, Ohio
  Millfield is a census-designated place in northern Dover Township, Athens County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45761. It is located near State Route 13 midway between Chauncey and Jacksonville...
  
  , in the north

Much of the township is part of the Wayne National Forest

Wayne National Forest

The Wayne National Forest is located in the south-eastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, in the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. It is the only national forest in Ohio. Forest headquarters are located between The Plains and Nelsonville, Ohio, on US Route 33, overlooking the Hocking River.The forest...

.

Name and history

Statewide, other Dover Townships are located in Fulton

Dover Township, Fulton County, Ohio

Dover Township is one of the twelve townships of Fulton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,468 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Chesterfield Township - north...

, Tuscarawas

Dover Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio

Dover Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,726 people in the township, 4,485 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

, and Union

Dover Township, Union County, Ohio

Dover Township is one of the fourteen townships of Union County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,331 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Leesburg Township - north...

 Counties.

Coal mining has historically been important in Dover Township, which was the site of the Millfield Mine disaster

Millfield Mine disaster

The Millfield Mine disaster, Ohio's worst mine disaster, occurred November 5, 1930, at the Sunday Creek Coal Company Mine Number 6 in Dover Township, Athens County, Ohio. According to the historical marker at the site in Millfield, Ohio, the explosion killed 82 people, including the company's top...

of 1930.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.