The family who owned the house prior to the move, recently acquired it from a relative. The family decided it was too old and needed too much work to satisfy their needs. After having an auction to raise money and clear the house of its valuable furnishings, the house itself went on the selling block. If the house was not sold it may very well have been lost to the wrecking ball. This all took place in November of 2000. The North Andover Historical Society (NAHS) got wind of the potential loss of the house and went to work finding a owner. While searching for a new owner, the NAHS did some research on the house and found that it was the oldest standing house on record in the town. By late November the NAHS had a few possible buyers. Unfortunately at least two of the buyers were interested in moving the house out of town in pieces. It was about this time that we got involved. We heard about the house from a Boston Globe newspaper article and we called the NAHS. After a few months of trying to determine how to go about the task of moving the house, we became the final bidders.
In February of 2001, we began the long task of painstakingly dismantling parts of the house in preparation of separating the house into 3 pieces. Once the house was ready, it moved on April 19, 2001. Of course, April 19 has other significance too, check out the Rev War Link below.
This 4600 square foot house was built about 1680-1690 A larger house was added to the east side in 1721 and that section was extended to the left in the late 18th Century. In the late 19th / early 20th Century, the gambrel was added. A small modern kitchen was added to the rear in the mid 1800s where an older shed room once stood. Thanks to the North Andover Historical Society and a number of dedicated workers, this project is taking place to preserve this very old and important piece of history.
North Andover Historical Society
