Andover "Yarns"
(Webster's Dictionary defines yarn as "to tell a tale")
Our descendants helped establish the Town of Andover which was "settled in 1642 and incorporated May 6, 1646." "In order to incorporate a town in a Massachusetts colony, first, there had to be a church and congregation established." "The creation of South Church in 1711, formally separated the Andover's North and South parishes."( ) The town has a rich history and many interesting stories and information I would like to share.
"In 1692, more people from Andover were accused and arrested for witchcraft than from any other town in New England." "Andover also holds the dubious distinction of having the most confessed witches, and the highest number of children arrested." "When the madness was over, 3 adults had been hanged and one woman perished in jail." George & Hannah's eighth child, Benjamin (1661-1703), was one of the main accusers and "witnesses" during the trial. ( )
"Slavery was the most divisive moral and political issue of the mid-19th century, chiefly due to Westward expansion and new states joining the Union." Andover residents were involved in the anti-slavery, abolitionism cause, and the Underground Railroad. "Since the Underground Railroad was a clandestine and dangerous method of political protest against the institution of slavery, it's difficult to document. To be involved in the abolitionist movement not only meant a deep personal commitment to human rights, but often required civil disobedience." "Sites such as the William Jenkins House, where fugitive slaves like George Latimar hid out, and conductors like William Poor, who secreted runaways under the floorboards of his wagon, are well documented." "Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) lived in Andover from 1852 to 1863 (her husband Professor Calvin Stowe accepted an appointment to the Andover Theological Seminary), where she was visited by leading abolitionists like Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Sojourner Truth."(23)(to learn more click here for link to a paper written by Old South Church historian Charlotte Lyons)
Here is some information on the various homes you viewed in the slide show, they are/were all located in Andover, Massachusetts:
Chandler-Bigsby-Abbott House, 88 Lowell Street. "The house, otherwise known as the Margaret Ward House, was built by Captain Thomas Chandler (older brother of Hannah (Chandler) Abbot) before 1673. His daughter, Hannah, and her husband, Captain Daniel Bigsby, continued to occupy it after the death of her parents. The sixty-acre farm extended to the Shawsheen River." "Three generations of Bigsbys have occupied the house. Other occupants were William Abbott, who married a Bigsby, Jeduthan Abbott, and Amos Abbott (1786-1868), a
member of the House of Representatives from 1840-1849 (member of the Whig political party).
Chandler – Bigsby – Abbott Homestead
Built c. 1673
88 Lowell Street, Andover, Mass.
One of the ancient homesteads of the Chandlers is located at 88 Lowell Street in the West Parish. The house was built before 1673 by Captain Thomas Chandler. His daughter Hannah and her husband Captain Daniel Bigsby continued to occupy the house after the death of Hannah’s parents. The farm consisted of over sixty acres on the south side of Lowell St. and extended east to the Shawsheen River. Several additions have been added to the original structure including a lean-to addition to the northeast rear and an ell on the northwest side. It is believed to be the oldest First Period home still standing in Andover today. The interior rooms on the south facing side on both levels contain huge hand hewn summer beams with chamfered edges and gunstock post corner beams. Many of the interior wall sheathing are covered with horizontal tongue and grooved or shiplap wide pine board paneling. The kitchen fireplace is nearly 7’ wide, 5’ high and 42” deep. The original chimney was removed at some point in the early twentieth century and rebuilt in the early 1960’s. The floors are all wide pine boards measuring 12” to 22” in size throughout the house. There are two separate cellars, one below the kitchen on the east end of the building and accessible only by a south bulkhead door. The second cellar runs under the west end of the house and continues northward under the ell addition. This foundation however takes an unusual turn, leaving a small portion of the northwest corner unexcavated. Three stairs ways descend into this basement. One next to the kitchen fireplace, one by bulk head on the south front west side and the third under the back NE stairs. There is no basement under the center portion of the main house where the center chimney was built nor under the lean-to addition. Six rooms are on the first floor and two entry porches and five rooms on the second floor. The main staircase is enclosed in vertical paneling. A second stair way built on the northeast corner of the ell is also enclosed, but in plaster walls. There is evidence of an older staircase in the middle room of the ell on the first floor which may have been removed when the last addition was built. Most floor and roofing timbers in the entire house have been hand hewed. The roof construction is framed with post and beam rafters with horizontal purlins. The wood sheathing runs vertical from eve to ridge pole. Evidence of a small fire on the north wall of the kitchen can be seen on the wall studs. There are a variety of window sizes and styles from different periods but the majority of the window openings measure only 24 inches wide. An 1888 map shows two barns on the property and the site still has the foundation of one on the East end of the house. The current garage was built in 1961 and has a full basement below.
The following is a chronology of the residents and owners of the property for the last three hundred years.
member of the House of Representatives from 1840-1849 (member of the Whig political party).
Chandler – Bigsby – Abbott Homestead
Built c. 1673
88 Lowell Street, Andover, Mass.
One of the ancient homesteads of the Chandlers is located at 88 Lowell Street in the West Parish. The house was built before 1673 by Captain Thomas Chandler. His daughter Hannah and her husband Captain Daniel Bigsby continued to occupy the house after the death of Hannah’s parents. The farm consisted of over sixty acres on the south side of Lowell St. and extended east to the Shawsheen River. Several additions have been added to the original structure including a lean-to addition to the northeast rear and an ell on the northwest side. It is believed to be the oldest First Period home still standing in Andover today. The interior rooms on the south facing side on both levels contain huge hand hewn summer beams with chamfered edges and gunstock post corner beams. Many of the interior wall sheathing are covered with horizontal tongue and grooved or shiplap wide pine board paneling. The kitchen fireplace is nearly 7’ wide, 5’ high and 42” deep. The original chimney was removed at some point in the early twentieth century and rebuilt in the early 1960’s. The floors are all wide pine boards measuring 12” to 22” in size throughout the house. There are two separate cellars, one below the kitchen on the east end of the building and accessible only by a south bulkhead door. The second cellar runs under the west end of the house and continues northward under the ell addition. This foundation however takes an unusual turn, leaving a small portion of the northwest corner unexcavated. Three stairs ways descend into this basement. One next to the kitchen fireplace, one by bulk head on the south front west side and the third under the back NE stairs. There is no basement under the center portion of the main house where the center chimney was built nor under the lean-to addition. Six rooms are on the first floor and two entry porches and five rooms on the second floor. The main staircase is enclosed in vertical paneling. A second stair way built on the northeast corner of the ell is also enclosed, but in plaster walls. There is evidence of an older staircase in the middle room of the ell on the first floor which may have been removed when the last addition was built. Most floor and roofing timbers in the entire house have been hand hewed. The roof construction is framed with post and beam rafters with horizontal purlins. The wood sheathing runs vertical from eve to ridge pole. Evidence of a small fire on the north wall of the kitchen can be seen on the wall studs. There are a variety of window sizes and styles from different periods but the majority of the window openings measure only 24 inches wide. An 1888 map shows two barns on the property and the site still has the foundation of one on the East end of the house. The current garage was built in 1961 and has a full basement below.
The following is a chronology of the residents and owners of the property for the last three hundred years.
"The Old Red Abbot House," 56 Central Street. "The home was built in 1704" for Deacon John Abbot and family, by his brother Timothy Abbot (he was the one captured by the Indians), both are sons of George & Hannah. "The house was built near the spot where the original garrison house stood." "The original house had two stories, each floor a 20' x 20' room, with a stair entry and fireplace. Lean-to's and wings were added over the years. But they were not rooms for the family. With doors leading directly outside, and windows for light, not view, they were spaces for food storage, equipment, and animals." "The family lived in the original two rooms. They had no privacy and did not expect it. This is partly because their lives were full of the labor which was necessary on a farm, but mostly because they had never known privacy. In 1848, the house was gutted by fire and then razed." "Anna Wales Abbott made a fine drawing of the house. She was the daughter of Reverend Abiel Abbott, who was born in the house in 1770."
Benjamin Abbot Homestead, Andover Street and Argilla Road. "The homestead was erected by Benjamin (8th born child of George & Hannah) probably at the time of his marriage to Sarah Farnum in 1685 and has been in the possession of his descendants to the eighth generation." "Four large rooms on the ground floor are centered by a huge chimney and there is a fireplace in every room." "Bricks covered with plaster, made of clay and straw, are laid between the inner and outer walls as an additional protection against the weather." "At the eastern end, a quaint well house enabled the occupants to draw water without going out of doors." "The house was used in 1835 by students for an abolition meeting when churches and schools were closed to them." There used to be a 250 year old elm, "nineteen feet in girth," near the house. It was blown over during the Hurricane of 1938. First Period/Colonial farmhouse
Interior is virtually intact; exposed framing, panelling & detail similar to Parson Barnard House.
Three fireplaces.
East room & loft above 1685; westerly portion 1725; restored 1800; later addition under slanting roof at rear.
No heat in 2nd floor, no electricity in 4 rooms.
historical narrativeContinually lived in from 1685 erection (August 1977)
Owners: Frank & Jeanne Demers (7/1/74)
Patsy & Joel Claydon (1990)
Individual listing in National Register; see NR nomination form, 1975.
Benjamin Abbot built for bride, Sarah Farnum 1685.
Themes: agricultural, architectural
One of the two oldest houses in Andover, the Benjamin Abbot House has been listed in the National Register, the first in Adover so designated, and in 1976 received a grant for restoration work from Massachusetts Historical Commission.
It has been lived in since it was built and is "in sound condition and reveals much about architecture and methods of construction of the period" (Fuess). It stands on an estate which was part of Indian Ridge, the famous geological site (a much-publicized and studied glacial phenomeneon) and its connection with the witchcraft panic of 1692 and abolition cause of the mid-19th Century make it historically significant.
Benjamin Abbot (1661-1703) was the 8th child of George, an original grantee. In 1685, Benjamin, a carpenter by trade, built his home on the banks of the Shawsheen River. The farm was originally 75 acres. In May, 1692, his neighbor, Martha Allen Carrier was arrested for witchcraft, Benjamin Abbot having named her the cause of his foot swelling and open sore on his side. They had previously had a dispute over boundaries of their lands and she had threatened Benjamin Aboot. He was convinced that she had bewitched him when upon her arrest and imprisonment his wounds bgan to heal. (See Bailey, Sarah. Historical Skethches of Andover, 1880, p. 203 ff.)
The house remained in the Abbot family through eight generations, until 1933. Benjamin's son of the same name continued to farm his father's land & his daughter, Sarah, married James Holt. He added land to 275 acres and during his occupancy, the roof was raised at the back and more rooms added. It was in 1835 that an abolitionist meeting was held in the house, local churches having been closed to the anti-slavery groups.
In 1847, James Abbot was living here. Dorcas Clark Abbot and her brother, Timothy, also lived in the old house. In the 1890's Mary Alice Abbott used to serve tea to guests under the famous old elm, destroyed in 1938 hurricane.
Sold to Arthur Stone Dewing of Newton in 1935, it was passsed to Frances R. Dewing. In 1950 it was the property of Mrs. Lloyd Morain of San Francisco, whose father had bought it to donate to Andover Historical Society. The society had to refuse the gift because of the upkeep costs. Philip Vigeant and family lived there as caretakers over 20 years, and they converted the shed into an ell in the sixties, with a bathroom, children's playroom, and bedroom. In 1971, a fire destoyed the barn which had been built about 1900. Architecturally, the house had been little altered considering its age. There is the pedimented vestibule, characteristic of old Andover houses. Four large rooms on the ground floor centered by a huge chimney and a fireplace in every room. It is 2 1/2 stories, with a long sloping rood, "Indian walls", or a layer of brick between the inner and shells. 15" beams; huge oak timber in ceiling with hand-forged nails.
Interior is virtually intact; exposed framing, panelling & detail similar to Parson Barnard House.
Three fireplaces.
East room & loft above 1685; westerly portion 1725; restored 1800; later addition under slanting roof at rear.
No heat in 2nd floor, no electricity in 4 rooms.
historical narrativeContinually lived in from 1685 erection (August 1977)
Owners: Frank & Jeanne Demers (7/1/74)
Patsy & Joel Claydon (1990)
Individual listing in National Register; see NR nomination form, 1975.
Benjamin Abbot built for bride, Sarah Farnum 1685.
Themes: agricultural, architectural
One of the two oldest houses in Andover, the Benjamin Abbot House has been listed in the National Register, the first in Adover so designated, and in 1976 received a grant for restoration work from Massachusetts Historical Commission.
It has been lived in since it was built and is "in sound condition and reveals much about architecture and methods of construction of the period" (Fuess). It stands on an estate which was part of Indian Ridge, the famous geological site (a much-publicized and studied glacial phenomeneon) and its connection with the witchcraft panic of 1692 and abolition cause of the mid-19th Century make it historically significant.
Benjamin Abbot (1661-1703) was the 8th child of George, an original grantee. In 1685, Benjamin, a carpenter by trade, built his home on the banks of the Shawsheen River. The farm was originally 75 acres. In May, 1692, his neighbor, Martha Allen Carrier was arrested for witchcraft, Benjamin Abbot having named her the cause of his foot swelling and open sore on his side. They had previously had a dispute over boundaries of their lands and she had threatened Benjamin Aboot. He was convinced that she had bewitched him when upon her arrest and imprisonment his wounds bgan to heal. (See Bailey, Sarah. Historical Skethches of Andover, 1880, p. 203 ff.)
The house remained in the Abbot family through eight generations, until 1933. Benjamin's son of the same name continued to farm his father's land & his daughter, Sarah, married James Holt. He added land to 275 acres and during his occupancy, the roof was raised at the back and more rooms added. It was in 1835 that an abolitionist meeting was held in the house, local churches having been closed to the anti-slavery groups.
In 1847, James Abbot was living here. Dorcas Clark Abbot and her brother, Timothy, also lived in the old house. In the 1890's Mary Alice Abbott used to serve tea to guests under the famous old elm, destroyed in 1938 hurricane.
Sold to Arthur Stone Dewing of Newton in 1935, it was passsed to Frances R. Dewing. In 1950 it was the property of Mrs. Lloyd Morain of San Francisco, whose father had bought it to donate to Andover Historical Society. The society had to refuse the gift because of the upkeep costs. Philip Vigeant and family lived there as caretakers over 20 years, and they converted the shed into an ell in the sixties, with a bathroom, children's playroom, and bedroom. In 1971, a fire destoyed the barn which had been built about 1900. Architecturally, the house had been little altered considering its age. There is the pedimented vestibule, characteristic of old Andover houses. Four large rooms on the ground floor centered by a huge chimney and a fireplace in every room. It is 2 1/2 stories, with a long sloping rood, "Indian walls", or a layer of brick between the inner and shells. 15" beams; huge oak timber in ceiling with hand-forged nails.
THE BENJAMIN ABBOTT HOMESTEAD AS IT APPEARS
TODAY.
TODAY.
John Lovejoy Abbot House, 57 Central Street. "Built in 1678, by one of the sons of George Abbot, what was then the kitchen is one of the oldest rooms in Andover. The old beams, part of the feather-edged pine panelling may still be seen."
Deacon Isaac Abbot's Tavern, 70 Elm Street. "The house was probably build in 1680, but it first appears on the records in 1776, when Deacon Abbot petitioned the General Court to be allowed to keep a house of general entertainment." He mentions the "extraordinary travel" from Boston, the house is "near the old stage coach road." "In 1795, Deacon Abbot's Tavern became the first post office in Andover." "The great event in its history was the visit of General Washington, there in 1789, shortly after his inauguration as President." "Thursday morning (November 5th) he drove to Andover, and breakfasted at Deacon Isaac Abbot's tavern...Here as he stood in front of the house, some of our more aged citizens remember to have seen him. While tarrying here, he asked the little daughter of Deacon Abbot to mend his riding glove for him; and when she had done it, took her upon his knee and gave her a kiss, which so elated Miss Priscilla, that she would not allow her face to be washed for a week."
present owner Ernest and Eleanor Castle Young (1945). Land of Deacon William Lovejoy. Themes - Architectural, Community Development and Transportation.
Although no records are available to show exactly when the house was built, we know Issac Abbot had this house large enough to convert into his inn, 1776. The house was probably built c.a. 1680 (says Goldsmith), on land of Deacon William Lovejoy, whose granddaughter, Phebe Lovejoy Chandler was married to Issac Abbot. Architect LeBoutillier dates the house 1740, stylistically.
Issac Abbot was a school master in 1728, after graduation from Harvard, he served as 2nd Lieutenant in Capt. Benjamin Ames' Company. Col. Frye's regiment was wounded at Bunker Hill. He was also a storekeeper. In 1776 Abbot petitioned General Court "to keep a house of General Entertainment…"complaining of "extraordinary travel which is rendered necessary by means of the Army before Boston" as his house is "near the old stage road. The house near having been closed, I have been subjected to no small inconvenience for the application of passengers for refreshment." So Issac became innkeeper and The Abbot Tavern found its place in history and local legend when George Washington stopped Nov. 5, 1789. Daughter Priscilla Abbot got a kiss on the cheek for mending the First President's riding glove. In 1795, The Issac Abbot Tavern became Andover's first post office. The innkeeper served as postmaster, 1795-1825. After 1788 he was also Selectman, Town Clerk and Clerk of Markets. He was a Deacon at South Church 1794-1825. In 1795, he sold 25 acres of land and his inn to Jonathan Patten Hall of Boston, subject to two mortgages held by Samuel Abbot. 1799, Jonathan Patten Hall deeded property to John Cornish, "tailer" of Boston, who in 1811, estate went Nathaniel West of Lynn. A relative, Capt. Edward West from Salem resided here. In 1848, Nat'l West sold his to his son-in-law, Amos Abbot. After four transfers, Abbot deeded to Samuel Locke of Charlestown in 1861. Land he bought from Abbot stretched from Elm St. to Walnut Ave. and included Wolcott and Carmel Roads. Lockway Road is named for Squire Locke. Since 1941, it has been the residence of Locke's great-grand daughter, Eleanor Castle (Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Young). The building has been altered some over the years, but retains its unusual paneling in the dining room, broad floor boards and overhead beams, which testify to its early age construction. The great central chimney of its Colonial past was torn out to make room for bathrooms on each floor. Its past history as a tavern is evident in chambers on the West side with their panelled partitions held in place by brass bolts which can be removed to make a long ballroom. The tap-room was back of the east parlor. The vestibules on the west and southern exterior are later additions, the small, highly arched windows typical of a local craftsman, who probably executed the arches at The Jonathan Swift House (23 Central St. ) and Rose Cottage, around 1795. Priscilla Abbot married Squire John Kneeland just before she turned 50, and such family connections between the houses would logically lead them to choosing the Andover craftsman to ornament their dwellings.
1988 Pat and George Edmonds
present owner Ernest and Eleanor Castle Young (1945). Land of Deacon William Lovejoy. Themes - Architectural, Community Development and Transportation.
Although no records are available to show exactly when the house was built, we know Issac Abbot had this house large enough to convert into his inn, 1776. The house was probably built c.a. 1680 (says Goldsmith), on land of Deacon William Lovejoy, whose granddaughter, Phebe Lovejoy Chandler was married to Issac Abbot. Architect LeBoutillier dates the house 1740, stylistically.
Issac Abbot was a school master in 1728, after graduation from Harvard, he served as 2nd Lieutenant in Capt. Benjamin Ames' Company. Col. Frye's regiment was wounded at Bunker Hill. He was also a storekeeper. In 1776 Abbot petitioned General Court "to keep a house of General Entertainment…"complaining of "extraordinary travel which is rendered necessary by means of the Army before Boston" as his house is "near the old stage road. The house near having been closed, I have been subjected to no small inconvenience for the application of passengers for refreshment." So Issac became innkeeper and The Abbot Tavern found its place in history and local legend when George Washington stopped Nov. 5, 1789. Daughter Priscilla Abbot got a kiss on the cheek for mending the First President's riding glove. In 1795, The Issac Abbot Tavern became Andover's first post office. The innkeeper served as postmaster, 1795-1825. After 1788 he was also Selectman, Town Clerk and Clerk of Markets. He was a Deacon at South Church 1794-1825. In 1795, he sold 25 acres of land and his inn to Jonathan Patten Hall of Boston, subject to two mortgages held by Samuel Abbot. 1799, Jonathan Patten Hall deeded property to John Cornish, "tailer" of Boston, who in 1811, estate went Nathaniel West of Lynn. A relative, Capt. Edward West from Salem resided here. In 1848, Nat'l West sold his to his son-in-law, Amos Abbot. After four transfers, Abbot deeded to Samuel Locke of Charlestown in 1861. Land he bought from Abbot stretched from Elm St. to Walnut Ave. and included Wolcott and Carmel Roads. Lockway Road is named for Squire Locke. Since 1941, it has been the residence of Locke's great-grand daughter, Eleanor Castle (Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Young). The building has been altered some over the years, but retains its unusual paneling in the dining room, broad floor boards and overhead beams, which testify to its early age construction. The great central chimney of its Colonial past was torn out to make room for bathrooms on each floor. Its past history as a tavern is evident in chambers on the West side with their panelled partitions held in place by brass bolts which can be removed to make a long ballroom. The tap-room was back of the east parlor. The vestibules on the west and southern exterior are later additions, the small, highly arched windows typical of a local craftsman, who probably executed the arches at The Jonathan Swift House (23 Central St. ) and Rose Cottage, around 1795. Priscilla Abbot married Squire John Kneeland just before she turned 50, and such family connections between the houses would logically lead them to choosing the Andover craftsman to ornament their dwellings.
1988 Pat and George Edmonds
Abbot-Baker House 1685 5 Argilla RoadOriginal owner: Thomas Abbot, son of George "the Immigrant". Themes: Architectural, Agricultural.
This house, along with the Benjamin Abbot and Ballard-Foster houses, are situated in what was once known as "Happy Hollow". In 1900, George F Baker, road commisioner who lived here, named the street for his ancestral one at Ipswich; Argilla Road from the Latin for clay.
The house is said to contain an early room (kitchen) older than any in the Benjamin Abbot house, dating from 1671. There is the huge central chimney of First Period architecture, this one built on a large rock of hand made brick chimney; 5 fireplaces; wainscotting throught the house and H&L hinges. Some of the walls are insulated with birch bark and one room has a brick exterior wall, protection against Indian attack. The house is said to be built on two sets of sills placed on the ground; one set for floor timbers and one for wall uprights.
Thomas Abbot bought 1662 land "Westerly side of Shawsheen, Northerly side of the road together with The Mansion House and barn in together with the same with tan house and tan fats and all buildings..."from Job Tyler, whom the original Andover propietors found occuping it. Tyler supposedly received this acreage as a land grant from King James I in 1621. Thomas Abbot II, brother of Benjamin, whose land this adjoins, acquired the land through inheritance and built here in 1697. What became of the original "Mansion House", and whether or not, Thomas built onto or out of this structure is not certain. It is assumed however, that the early kitchen, was part of the Tyler structure. Three Thomas Abbots lived here in succession, until in 1797, the estate was purchased by Dr. Symond Baker, physician at Andover and Methuen, whose second wife was Lydia Gray of Andover. His son, David Baker, a founder of the anti-slavery Free Christian Church, inherited and it went to George Frost Baker, then to his daughter Ina Baker White, mother of the present owner Sidney White.
He restored it, particularly after the house was damaged by fire Sept. 20, 1941. The original barn burned in 1931 and he replaced it with a new one keeping with the architectural character of the house.
This house, along with the Benjamin Abbot and Ballard-Foster houses, are situated in what was once known as "Happy Hollow". In 1900, George F Baker, road commisioner who lived here, named the street for his ancestral one at Ipswich; Argilla Road from the Latin for clay.
The house is said to contain an early room (kitchen) older than any in the Benjamin Abbot house, dating from 1671. There is the huge central chimney of First Period architecture, this one built on a large rock of hand made brick chimney; 5 fireplaces; wainscotting throught the house and H&L hinges. Some of the walls are insulated with birch bark and one room has a brick exterior wall, protection against Indian attack. The house is said to be built on two sets of sills placed on the ground; one set for floor timbers and one for wall uprights.
Thomas Abbot bought 1662 land "Westerly side of Shawsheen, Northerly side of the road together with The Mansion House and barn in together with the same with tan house and tan fats and all buildings..."from Job Tyler, whom the original Andover propietors found occuping it. Tyler supposedly received this acreage as a land grant from King James I in 1621. Thomas Abbot II, brother of Benjamin, whose land this adjoins, acquired the land through inheritance and built here in 1697. What became of the original "Mansion House", and whether or not, Thomas built onto or out of this structure is not certain. It is assumed however, that the early kitchen, was part of the Tyler structure. Three Thomas Abbots lived here in succession, until in 1797, the estate was purchased by Dr. Symond Baker, physician at Andover and Methuen, whose second wife was Lydia Gray of Andover. His son, David Baker, a founder of the anti-slavery Free Christian Church, inherited and it went to George Frost Baker, then to his daughter Ina Baker White, mother of the present owner Sidney White.
He restored it, particularly after the house was damaged by fire Sept. 20, 1941. The original barn burned in 1931 and he replaced it with a new one keeping with the architectural character of the house.
Abbot-Battles House 1809 31 Lowell Street
Front part of this house built by Jeduthan Abbott 1819, after he purchased the property from Alacy (or Elace?) Faulkner, whose family operated a grist mill at Frye Village.
To settle his estate, Faulkner had removed the front portion of the house, leaving the present ell, which with its huge fireplace, brick oven and summer beam, was part of one of the earliest houses built at Frye Village, (about 1700).
Joseph W. Smith, son of John Smith, a manager-founder of Smith and Dove Manufacturing Company was born in this house-1831.
Winslow Battles occupied in 1844 and house remained in possession of Battles family for nearly a century.
Later owners:
William A. Trow -1946
Elden F. & Ruth L. Stark
Harold S. & Elizabeth Buckley - 1952
Barbara Creamer - 1971
Elizabeth Buckley -1973
present owner, Frost, Norman & Lselie -1973
Front part of this house built by Jeduthan Abbott 1819, after he purchased the property from Alacy (or Elace?) Faulkner, whose family operated a grist mill at Frye Village.
To settle his estate, Faulkner had removed the front portion of the house, leaving the present ell, which with its huge fireplace, brick oven and summer beam, was part of one of the earliest houses built at Frye Village, (about 1700).
Joseph W. Smith, son of John Smith, a manager-founder of Smith and Dove Manufacturing Company was born in this house-1831.
Winslow Battles occupied in 1844 and house remained in possession of Battles family for nearly a century.
Later owners:
William A. Trow -1946
Elden F. & Ruth L. Stark
Harold S. & Elizabeth Buckley - 1952
Barbara Creamer - 1971
Elizabeth Buckley -1973
present owner, Frost, Norman & Lselie -1973
Abbot-Stinson House 6 Stinson Road
Asa & Sylvester Abbot House 1830 15-17 Porter Road
Built in two parts for two brothers. Original owners Asa and Sylvester Abbot - brothers. Timothy Abbot-Bailey House. Themes: Argricultural, Architectural and Community Development.
Porter Street was formerly South Street. 1891 -"name of street from westerly end of Highland Road and easterly end of Boston St., changed from Beck Street to Porter St. " (Bessie Goldsmith, Townsman's Andover p. 91-91)
Third and present double house built by Asa and Sylvester Abbot of 7th generation- was homestead of Timothy Abbot, who was captured by Indians, 1676. Old well on land now covered, was place where a later Timothy Abbot drowned in 1777. Samuel Henry Bailey took over farm in 1890. July 1946, Ralph Bailey sold land south side of Porter road. C. Madeleine Hewes and Mrs. Roderick Cannon and Ralph Bailey owners in 1946. C. Madeleine Hewes in 1962. Following Quote from: Poore, Alfred "A Genealogical-Historical Visitation of Andover, Mass. In the year 1863" Essex Institute Historical Collections., Vol. 48, 1912
"Asa A. and Sylvester Abbot own and occupy the homestead of 155 acres, and since their barn which stood on the opposite side of the street was burned June 21, 1855, each has built a barn of uniform design. In the old barn was stored large collection of old furniture, as well as very old papers and books, taken from the old house, all of which were burned. The present house was built on site of old one that stood about 80 years, having been built by Asa Abbot, of the 4th generation from George, emigrant, when Timothy was 9 years old, about 1754. Original house stood on opposite side of street about 6 rods SW"
Present owner of 15 - Helen F. Cannon and of 17 Gordon Cannon
Built in two parts for two brothers. Original owners Asa and Sylvester Abbot - brothers. Timothy Abbot-Bailey House. Themes: Argricultural, Architectural and Community Development.
Porter Street was formerly South Street. 1891 -"name of street from westerly end of Highland Road and easterly end of Boston St., changed from Beck Street to Porter St. " (Bessie Goldsmith, Townsman's Andover p. 91-91)
Third and present double house built by Asa and Sylvester Abbot of 7th generation- was homestead of Timothy Abbot, who was captured by Indians, 1676. Old well on land now covered, was place where a later Timothy Abbot drowned in 1777. Samuel Henry Bailey took over farm in 1890. July 1946, Ralph Bailey sold land south side of Porter road. C. Madeleine Hewes and Mrs. Roderick Cannon and Ralph Bailey owners in 1946. C. Madeleine Hewes in 1962. Following Quote from: Poore, Alfred "A Genealogical-Historical Visitation of Andover, Mass. In the year 1863" Essex Institute Historical Collections., Vol. 48, 1912
"Asa A. and Sylvester Abbot own and occupy the homestead of 155 acres, and since their barn which stood on the opposite side of the street was burned June 21, 1855, each has built a barn of uniform design. In the old barn was stored large collection of old furniture, as well as very old papers and books, taken from the old house, all of which were burned. The present house was built on site of old one that stood about 80 years, having been built by Asa Abbot, of the 4th generation from George, emigrant, when Timothy was 9 years old, about 1754. Original house stood on opposite side of street about 6 rods SW"
Present owner of 15 - Helen F. Cannon and of 17 Gordon Cannon
J.T. Abbot House 1844 343 Essex Street
Amos Abbott House and Store, 106 and 112 Main Street (1832–33). Both structures were built for Amos Abbott, businessman, deacon, political figure and one of the community’s most respected citizens in the mid-19th century. Abbott lived at 106 and is said to have operated a dry goods, grocery, and drug store at 112. Both buildings have a side hall plan and fully pedimented gable ends. 106, a wood frame building, is more delicately articulated and has the distinctive window cornerblocks of its builder, Jacob Chickering. 112, believed also to be the work of Chickering, has a sturdy brick façade.
Abbot Stanyan-Boyton House, 173 Lowell St. Built for Zebediah Abbot, shopkeeper, circa 1780. Purchased by Abbot’s son Zebediah, who was a charter member and deacon of the West Parish Church. His daughter Ann married Captain John Stanyan, another charter member of the West Parish Church. After several intermediate owners, the house was bought in 1868 by Benjamin Boynton, shoe manufacturer. The clapboard house is a spacious 2½ stories with a gable roof, center entrance and side chimneys. The broad 5-bay façade is articulated by large, elegantly detailed windows.
Abbot–Brown House, 161 Lowell Street. Built for Herman Abbot, (brother of Zebediah, above) circa 1780s. Herman Abbot kept a tavern here, where the stage coach from Lowell to Salem stopped. With the coming of the railroad in the 1830s, stage coaches disappeared and the house changed hands several times before 1842. From 1842 until 1934, the house remained in the family of Artemas Brown. The clapboard house is 2½ stories with a broad gable roof, pedimented center entrance and side chimneys. The 5-bay façade is distinguished by original 8/12 and 12/12 windows.
The list of residents/visitors to Andover of historical significance include (I include this list to show all the historically significant persons our ancestors came into contact with):
George Washington1732-1799 (1st President), John Adams 1735-1826 (2nd President), Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826 (3rd President), James Monroe, 1758-1831 (5th President), John F. Kennedy 1917-1963 (35th President), Franklin Pierce 1800-1874 (14th President, second home in Andover known as the "Summer White House"), Andrew Jackson 1762-1845 (7th President), Martin Van Buren 1782-1862 (8th President), George Herbert Walker Bush 1924 (41st President, attended Phillips-Andover Academy), George W. Bush 1946 (43rd President, attended Phillips-Andover Academy), Theodore Roosevelt 1858-1911 (26th President), William Howard Taft 1857-1930 (27th President & 10th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), Calvin Coolidge 1858-1911 (30th President), Oliver Wendell Holmes 1809-1894 (student at Phillips-Andover Academy, author, poet, physician and teacher), Simon Bradstreet 1603-1697 (Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony 1679-1686, 1689-1692), Anne Dudley Bradstreet (first woman poet of the colonies), Colonel Samuel Osgood 1748-1813 (leader of the Minutemen & elected to the Continental Congress in 1781, Postmaster General under President Washington), Elizabeth Stuart Phelps 1815-1852 (author of 57 volumes of fiction, poetry and essays), Harriet Beecher Stowe 1811-1896 (abolitionist and author, wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin), Martha Allen Carrier 1643-1692 (an accused witch, she was hung 8-19-1692), Thomas Carrier 1626-1735 (husband of Martha, "he was a 7'4" tall Welshman who lived to be 109 years old - real last name was Morgan, may have been involved with the execution of King Charles I in 1649" ("Thomas was possibly the executioner himself"), Samuel Francis Smith 1808-1895 (in 1830 he entered Andover Theological Seminary, while living in Andover he wrote new words to a German tune he liked- the song came to be known as "America"), Frederick Douglass 1818-1895 (American social reformer, orator, writer, and statesman), William Lloyd Garrison 1815-1879 (American abolitionist, journalist and social reformer), Helen Adams Keller (American writer, political activist and lecturer, first deaf/blind person to earn a college degree), Sojouner Truth 1797-1883 (given name was Isabella Baumfree, she changed it in 1843) African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist, she was an emancipated slave, Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882 (Essayist, lecturer and poet who led the Transcendentalism movement, a philosophy developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the US as a protest to the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University, and the doctrine of the Unitarian church taught at Harvard Divinity School. "Among the core beliefs was the inherent goodness of both man and nature. They believed that society and its institutions - particularly organized religion and political parties - ultimately corrupted the purity of the individual. They had faith that man is at his best when truly self-reliant and independent. It is only from such real individuals that true community could be formed."
Phillips-Andover Academy Famous Alumni:
Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida, graduated 1971
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots Head Coach, graduated 1971
Humphrey Bogart, Actor, expelled 1918
Edgar Rice Burroughs, author, student 1894
Lincoln Chafee, Governor of RI, former US Senator, graduated 1971
A. Bartlett Giamatti, President Yale University, MLB Commissioner, graduated 1956
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., author, graduated 1825
John F. Kennedy, Jr., son of President, graduated 1979
Patrick Kennedy, son of Ted Kennedy, former congressman, graduated 1986
Jack Lemmon, actor, graduated 1943
Samuel Morse, inventor of telegraph and Morse code, graduated 1805
Benjamin Spock, pediatrician, graduated 1921
Bill Veeck, former owner Chicago White Sox, graduated 1932
For a complete list, click here.
Phillips-Exeter Academy Famous Alunmi:
Daniel Webster, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, born in N.H., graduated 1796
Franklin Pierce, 14th United States President, graduated 1820
Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln, Secretary of War, graduated 1860
Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., entrepreneur, son of President Ulysses S. Grant, graduated 1870
Amos "Alonzo" Stagg, "Grandfather of Football," graduated 1880
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Historian, graduated 1933
Joseph Coors, CEO, Coors Brewing Company, graduated 1935
Gore Vidal, author, graduated 1943
George Plimpton, author/editor, jounalist, actor, graduated 1944
Pierre S. duPont IV, former Republican Governor of Delaware, graduated 1952
John D. Rockefeller IV, Democratic Senator from West Virginia, graduated 1955
H. John Heinz III, Senator from Pennsylvania, graduated 1956
John Negroponte, first Director of National lntelligence, graduated 1956
Judd Gregg, former US Senator from NH, graduated 1965
David Eisenhower, grandson of 34th President Dwight Eisenhower, graduated 1966
Kent Conrad, US Senator from North Dakota, graduated 1966
For a complete list, click here.