An independent nonprofit 501c3 history center. 
Funded by the generosity of people like you.

Research Websites

Clifford S. Wrigley (1922-2004) was an artist, teacher, and researcher who was passionately interested in the history of the origins of the present day towns of North Andover, Andover, and South Lawrence.

Wrigley’s thesis was that the town was settled in 1629 not 1646, the official incorporation date on Andover’s Town Seal. His interest in the founding date was inspired by the town’s 350th anniversary which was celebrated in 1996. If the 1629 date was accurate, the town was, he believed, marking the incorrect date.
 

Clifford S. Wrigley Research website

​​On this website you will find Andover Police Department personnel listings from 1853 to 1953.  Listings can be sorted by year, name, or officer's title/position.  Records in this database were obtained through the following sources, all of which are available either at the Andover Historical Society or through the Memorial Hall Library website.

Andover Police Department History website

Explore the history of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who lived in Andover and North Andover from settlement through 1850.
This project was inspired by the men, women and children of color who populated Andover from 1600 through 1850, for two and a half centuries.


The database and website are works in progress. Please let us know if you would like to contribute your research to the project, or if you would like to volunteer to work on the project at the History Center.

 

​In May 2023, the History Center received a Partnership Grant from Essex Heritage to convert the raw data into a searchable database. If you would like to be a part of this project, please call 978-475-2236 or email info@andoverhistoryandculture.org.

An online database hosted by the Andover Center for History & Culture researched and compiled by Joan C. Patrakis

The database is presented in honor and memory of Joan Patrakis,  who passed away December 2022.

Detail from the 1830 U.S. Census showing Flora Chandler and Lucy Foster, two women included in the database.
Andover Lest We Forget is research site devoted to Civil War era history related to the town of Andover, Massachusetts and its residents, businesses, organizations, and places.

​In Spring 2014, the Andover Historical Society, in cooperation with numerous community partners, was pleased to present a series of events commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War. This website continues to provide resources for exploring the history of our town, its people, and their stories during this pivotal period of United States history.

Andover Lest We Forget Civil War website

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

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The History Center is funded by individual, foundation, and corporate donations and receives no Town of Andover funding.

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