Former owners: O'Hara, Joseph & Richard
Themes: agricultural, architectural, community development

This property was once owned by Thomas C. Foster, Esquire of Andover who sold this six acre 17 pole pasture land to Paschal Abbott and brother Abel Abbott on Sept. 17, 1828. The Abbott brothers formed the company Paschal Abbot & Co. and operated a mill on the Shawsheen River where Dundee Park is located today. The Abbots shared a 75 acre farm at 51 & 53 Red Spring Rd., now most of the land occupied by the high school campus. Their business failed in 1843 during a recession.

Their property was taken by creditors and this 6 acre parcel was sold to Abiel Russell. The pasture land remained with the Russel family for 35 years. Lydia Russell sod the parcel to Caroline O'Hara, wife of Thomas P. O'Hara for $150 on Dec. 11, 1877. A second parcel near West Parish Church was also included in the sale. Caroline held just one year then selling to Charles O'Hara for $150.

Dec. 19, 1879, Andover Advertiser AA - Charles O'Hara has nearly completed his new house In the West Parish, upon the site of the one recently destroyed by fire.

Charles O'Hara had the home built on the crest of the hill facing south with a commanding view of the Indian Ridge esker beyond. This spot was also created by the glacial ice sheet receding and leaving coarse sand deposits in a ridge formation called eskers.

Charles O'Hara was born on May 12, 1838 in Ireland and immigrated to the US in 1865. He was married in Ireland to Elizabeth Tyner b. May 25, 1842 in Ireland. Charles and Eliza had two daughters, Elizabeth b. July 12, 1862 and Mary A. b. Apr. 1865 in Ireland. Eliza and the girls immigrated to Andover in 1867. They would have six more children born in Andover; John Dean b. 1872 - d.1876, Robert W. b. 1875, Grace b. 1878 - d.1878, Benjamin T. b. Feb. 1881, Caroline b. Dec. 1882 and Arthur T. born March 21, 1884.

Charles was a farmer and lived here until his death on May 6, 1923. His wife Eliza died on Mar. 4, 1920. Most of their children remained on the O'Hara farm and worked locally. Grace and Arthur T were the last of this generation to live in the house. Grace died in 1943 and Arthur T. in 1957. Arthur willed the property to Joseph C. O'Hara and Richard O'Hara who placed it in a trust. The property was rented as income property.

Joseph O'Hara released to Richard P. & Athena O'Hara of Weymouth, MA on Jan. 10, 1996.
Yvon Cormier Construction Corp. purchased the O'Hara farm on Jun 7, 1996. Yvon Cormier Construction Corp. then made plans to building a condominium project off Shawsheen Rd. The farm house and outbuilding were demolished and two new house lots on Lincoln St. were created at the time.