Sept. 1, 1882 Andover Advertiser AA - "The Smith & Dove Manufacturing Co. are building a new hackel machine shop in Abbott Village, half as large as the "Stone Mill". Several old buildings have been removed to furnish a space for it."

On the 1896 and 1901 Sanborn Maps of the Smith & Dove complex this building is labeled as Hand Hackling Building and Machine. Hackling is the process of taking the raw Flax plant and chopping or mangling the stems until it turns to Tow fiber.

The 1901 map states the building is one story with an addition to the rear north end. The building was remodeled and the second story added after 1910 as a period photo of the mill complex still shows a gable roof in 1910.

As early as 1682 this area of Andover was being offered by the Town Proprietors as a “Mill privilege on the Shawshin, near Roger’s brook” to any inhabitant willing to build a saw mill. In 1753 one half of a saw mill was sold by Humphrey Holt to Asa Abbot and then in 1764 to Nathan Abbot.

Abbott Village was established early in the 1800's with the more than adequate source of water to power the mills. Abel & Paschal Abbott moved their wool mill operation here from the North Parish about 1815. Abiel Russell was their first foreman and Daniel Saunders leased a portion from 1817-1825. James Howarth also established a wool mill 1824-1847, building the stone mill on the east side of the river. The Abbot brothers had a successful business until about 1838 when the market took a down turn. Creditors sold the Abbot Mill buildings to Smith & Dove Co. in 1843.

Smith & Dove Co. produced linen thread and was established in Frye Village (Shawsheen Village) in 1835. The company founders John Smith, Peter Smith and John Dove were all Scottish immigrants from Brechin in County Angus. The company continued operations in both Frye and Abbott Villages gradually relocating all production up river to this location.

In 1865 they became the Smith & Dove Manufacturing Co. producing linen thread for shoe laces, carpets and sail cloth. Later operations included broad cloth. Smith & Dove claimed to be the first linen production manufacturer in America. The company continued to expand operations through the years and by 1894 had completely abandoned the former plants in Frye Village. A new Main Mill plant opened in 1894 in Abbott Village and improvements continued well into the first decade of the 20th century.

The Smiths and Dove families were active in community affairs, contributors to educational institutions and helped establish Memorial Hall Library. They were all abolitionists, with John Smith and John Dove charter members of the Free Christian Church, which John Smith established. It would be the second generation of the Smith & Dove families that expanded the Abbott Village mill buildings to meet the needs of the 20th century. Worker housing, a village hall, recreational facilities and a pension fund were all established to help their operatives.

In 1927 the Smith & Dove Co. was sold to the Trustees of the Ludlow Manufacturing Associates of Ludlow, MA. The housing real estate was placed in the Smith & Dove Tenements, Inc. that year, changing the name to Andover Homes, Inc. that then sold off the housing stock to private hands. The company operations were moved to Ludlow, MA and the mill closed in 1928.

The Indian Ridge Co.,Inc. acquired the mill properties and some of the housing stock. Through the company treasurer Virgil D. Harrington the mill buildings were then parceled off sold to private investors.

Indian Ridge Co. Inc. via Virgil D. Harrington, the treasurer acquired the property on Nov. 14, 1932. It was then sold to the Conroy Leather Co. Inc. two years later on Dec. 1, 1936. The Conroy Leather Co. Inc., manufactured leather soles and heels. The company owned the building for 18 years.

In Oct. 1955 the F. W. Stuart Co. Inc. of Beverly, Ma, Wallace M. Pearson, treas. purchased the property. It was later sold on Feb. 8, 1966 to the Vulcan Corporation of Cincinnati, Ohio, Wallace M. Pearson, now vice president of Vulcan.

Lolli Mfg.of Leominster, MA with Ralph Lolli Jr. Pres. acquired the property on Dec. 2, 1974. It was then bought by Norman A. Riley on Aug. 25, 1981.

Jaguar Realty Trust, James M. Coskren, Peter J. Richards, Charles T. Germain, trustees, purchased the building on Dec. 12, 1989 and held the property for 17 years then sold to Building 8 Associates LLC, Stewart O. & Deanna Junge, trustees on Dec. 5, 2006. Now under the name of Junge Realty Trust in July 24, 2007.

A variety of small businesses have leased the property through the years since Conroy Leather. The current tenant in 2014 is a carpentry shop "Landmark Finish" customizing in Cabinetry, Millwork, Trim and Stairways.