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A Brief History of Andover

​​1835-1865 Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an illegal secret network of people, safe houses, and transportation that moved formerly enslaved people from the south to freedom in the north.

Andover had at least two “stops” on the Underground Railroad where fugitives from slavery could find refuge. The William Jenkins House (now at 8 Douglass Lane) had a secret panel in the back of one closest that led to a place where fugitives could hide.

In Frye Village (now Shawsheen Village) stories about the Poor Wagon shop being a stop on the Underground Railway cannot be fully documented. Given that assisting fugitives from slavery was illegal, it's not surprising that documented evidence is rare. It is known  that the Poor family, headed by William Poor, were known abolitionists and among the founders of the Free Christian Church. 


Reference: Juliet Haines Mofford, Andover Massachusetts: Historical Selections from Four Centuries

William Poor's Wagon Shop located in what is now Shawsheen Village was a stop on the Underground Railroad.

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Andover Center for History & Culture
97 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
978-475-2236

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