An independent nonprofit 501c3 history center.
Funded by the generosity of people like you.
A Brief History of Andover
A Brief History of Andover
1800-1900 Industrial Revolution
“Industrial Revolution” is a somewhat misleading name because industry has been a part of Andover since 1682 when the town granted permission for brothers Joseph and John Ballard to set up the first mill in South Parish. Over time saw mills, fulling mills, and grist mills were in operation along the Shawsheen River.
By the mid-19th century there were four mill districts in Andover, some of which still bear their 19th-century names:
Ballardvale – south Andover
Abbot Village – where Dundee Park is today
Marland Village – Stevens Street
Frye Village – Shawsheen Village today
In the early 1800s Abraham Marland set up a cotton-spinning mill and later a woolen fabric mill on the location of Samuel Phillips’ gunpowder mill.
In 1815, brothers Paschal and Abiel Abbot set up a woolen mill, buying wool from local farmers to spin into woolen yarn.
In 1836, John Marland, Abraham Gould, and Mark Newman bought the Ballard’s property and rights along the river in the Ballardvale section of Andover, and set up their woolen mill.
In 1856, Henry Tyer opened a factory to produce rubber cement. The company produced rubber shoes, water bottles, pharmaceutical supplies, rubber bands, and sneakers.
Reference: Juliet Haines Mofford, Andover Massachusetts: Historical Selections from Four Centuries
The Marland Mills on what is now Stevens Street.
The Marland Mills on what is now Stevens Street.
Preserving the pastEducating for the future
Connecting with our community
Preserving the past
Educating for the future
Connecting with our community
Andover Center for History & Culture
97 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
978-475-2236
Andover Center for History & Culture
97 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
978-475-2236
The History Center is funded by individual, foundation, and corporate donations and receives no Town of Andover funding.
Show your commitment to Andover's history by donating today.
The History Center is funded by individual, foundation, and corporate donations and receives no Town of Andover funding.
Show your commitment to Andover's history by donating today.
Show your commitment to Andover's history by donating today.
