194 North Main Street
Site of History 🛈The Site of History tag is given to properties that were lost before this building survey was undertaken.

Architectural Description: 

Cape style cottage

Historical Narrative: 

Abraham Marland established a cotton mill in 1807 on the Shawsheen River at Abbott Village, which continued until 1811 when he began production of woolen goods. In 1821 “Marland leased from Peter C. Brooks of Boston a mill privilege on the Shawsheen, together with new buildings erected on the site of what had been a powder mill. This are is now known as Marland Village. Abraham Marland built his homestead estate at 29-33 Shawsheen Rd. The buildings, which were leased for a term of twenty years, comprised a brick mill, the oldest of the present buildings at Artia Marland Place, and a row of brick tenement houses.”

In 1828 Marland bought the entire property, his purchased including the mill privilege, old paper and grist mills, and thirty acres of Land. In 1834 the business was organized under the name Marland Manufacturing Company. Abraham Marland was the president until his death on Feb. 20, 1849.
Nathan Frye succeeded Marland as the company president from 1849-1879.

The company defaulted on an 1873 loan from the Andover Savings Bank and the mill was sold at auction to Moses T. Stevens on North Andover in 1879. Stevens began improvements at the mill in 1884 relocating the road, building a causeway across the mill pond, a new bridge, and additional operative housing on North Main Street and Stevens Street.

August 8, 1884 Andover Advertiser, pg. 2 col 7 –
“For several years past the Marland factory has been undergoing changes and improvements, and the erection of new tenement houses, store houses, and other convenient buildings, until it has become one of the neatest and tidiest factory villages in New England.
Passing down Main street towards Frye Village, the attention of the traveler is attracted to the snowy whiteness of the tenement blocks, on the left hand of the great thoroughfare, each having a beautifully embellished flower patch in the front yard. Everything in and about the buildings betokening good taste and much painstaking. But we did not intend so much to notice what has been done, as what is now doing, and the new departure has been entered upon.
This time a new avenue from Main street to Marland street (Stevens St. today), on the west side of the river, about 150 feet south of the dam. This will make a saving of the distance traveled of 250 feet.
The plans were made by Richard A. Hale, Civil engineer of Lawrence. Excavating and building of stone flume, by Henry Keniston of North Andover. Millwork and Piling by James P. Butterfield of Andover. Stone from Lawrence Ledge, furnished by Jessie Moulton. Dimensions of bridge, 40 feet long, 22 feet wide, with 5 foot sidewalk on one side. Made by Boston Iron Bridge Company, Plate Girder Bridge.
Whole length of bridge and roadway is 280 feet. Roadway across pond 30 feet wide; 390 feet from Marland street, near turnpike, to proposed roadway across pond; 1500 perch of stone, and 1200 yards of filling required. The walls of the bridge at the bottom are 5½ feet thick, at the top 3½ feet thick, 14 feet high.”

Stevens Street was formerly known as Marland Street prior to 1904. This street is an ancient way in Andover and predates Main Street, originally called the “Essex Turnpike”, constructed in 1806-1811. Before the Main Street construction, travelers went down School Street to Central Street to Elm Square, then turned down Essex Street to Shawsheen Rd., then down Stevens Street passing through the Marland Mill complex, (Atria Marland Place entrance and driveway), then turning right across the bridge on to Harding Street which then extended through the parking lot behind Powder Mill Square to the North Main Street intersection. Turning left on No. Main and across Stimpson’s Bridge to Poor Street which once began at the site of the Christian Scientist Church and traveled north to the Andover Bridge at the Great Dam in Lawrence.

In 1896 the Marland Mill operation, now M. T. Stevens & Sons, Co. , employed 200 operatives and manufactured 875,000 lbs. of wool yearly. The company later became known as J. P. Stevens & Co. Inc. after World War II.

In 1953 the J. P. Stevens Co. divested itself of all its housing stock in Marland Village which was then subdivided into separate parcels and sold to public residents. Approval of the subdivision plans #2619 and #2020 by the Andover Board of Appeals occurred in Nov. 1952. All the properties on North Main Street were sold to private parties in 1953.

Alice B. Kirwin purchased the property on May 11, 1953. and on May 14, 1957 the deed was placed in both her and Edward Baxter Kirwin names. Alice was the widow of Edgar Kirwin, worked as a mill worker at Marland Mill. In 1953 she shared the house with William & Jeanette Campbell. He was a Production engineer. Her son Edward later lived with her and it that they were the last residents in the house. In 1990 both are retired and in 1994 only Edward is listed. Edward Baxter Kirwin became an Option Holder on his property on May 11, 1993. Wood Ayer Andover East Limited Partnership, Bertram R. Paley Gen. Partner had offered to buy the property with an option to extend the date.
in July 1995 the property was sold and placed in the 188 North Main Street Realty Trust. The house was Vacant in 1996. It was finally razed in 2004 when Powder Mill Square, LLC began construction of the condominium complex on the site today.

Bibliography/References: 

Essex County Registry Deeds, Salem, MA
Essex Northern Registry Deeds, Lawrence, MA
Andover Advertiser AA
Historical Sketches of Andover, S. Bailey 1880
Business History of Andover, 1896 Anniversary Souvenir.
Andover Historical Society files.
Andover Valuation and directories

Owners;
Peter C. Brooks
Abraham Marland – 1828 - Feb. 20, 1849
Marland Manufacturing Co., Abraham Marland Pres., - 1834 - 1849
Marland Manufacturing Co., Nathan Frye, Pres. – Feb. 1849 - July 19, 1879
Moses T. Stevens Co. July 19, 1879 – b. 56 p. 482
M. T. Stevens & Sons Co. – Sept. 1, 1902 – b. 197 p. 180
J. P. Stevens & Co. Inc. – after 1946
Alice B. Kirwin - May 11, 1953 - b. 773 p. 504
Eileen G. Blanchette - Mar. 14, 1957 - b. 851 p. 175
Alice B. & Edward Baxter Kirwin - Mar. 14, 1957 - b. 851 p. 176
Edward Baxter Kirwin Option Holder - May 11, 1993 - b. 3742 p. 317
Wood Ayer Andover East Limited Partnership, Bertram R. Paley Gen. Partner - May 11, 1993 - b. 3742 p. 317
188 North Main Street Realty Trust - July 12, 1995 - b. b. 4292 p. 122

Inventory Data:

StreetNorth Main St
PlaceMarland Village
Historic DistrictAndover Village Industrial NRH District
Historic NameMarland Mills Worker Housing
Present UsePowder Mill Square condominiums
Original UseMill worker housing
Construction Datecirca 1821-1830
SourceERDS, ENRDL
Architectural StyleFederal
Foundationstone
Wall/Trimclapboard/wood
Roofasphalt
Conditionrazed
Demolition Details2004
Settingresidential/commerical
Map and parcel37-24
Recorded byStack/Mofford, James Batchelder
OrganizationAndover Preservation Commission
Date entered1975-77, 8/2014

Map: