Themes: Architectural, Community development

This property, numbered Lot #20 on plan of land of John Marland and Jonathan (John) Howe Jr. dated 1847 as recorded by Registry of Deeds, Salem, MA. Marland & Howe of the Marland Mills in Ballardvale owned a large parcel of land and sub-divided it into building lots. They sold at auction on Wednesday, July 28, 1847, several house and store lots in the center of Ballardvale. The auctioneers were Loring, Abbot and Porter of Boston.

This lot was purchased for $93.43. at auction by from George L. Abbott and recorded deed Aug. 4, 1847. Abbott held the empty lot of 16 years then sold to the Reverend Henry S. Greene, wife Mary P. A. on Mar. 31, 1863. Rev. Green also acquired the adjoining lot #31 on the corner of Andover & Village St. (now Church St.) that same day. for Benjamin W Burtt.

Rev. Greene would later sell both lots to his church, the Ballard Vale Union Society of the Union Congregational Church on Nov. 20, 1876. The parishioners then built their church edifice on the the corner of Andover Street.

The Ballard Vale Union Society was formed on March 18, 1850. The name was derived from the membership which included several religious sects. The first service was officiated by Rev. Professor Edward A. Park of the Andover Theological Seminary. Seminary students then filled the pulpit until the parishioners call to Rev. Henry S. Greene in September 1850. On Dec. 31, 1855 the Union Congregational Church was established at a meeting at Rev. Greene's home at 8 Marland St.

The church first held services in the leased hall of the Ballardvale Schoolhouse on the second floor. The former schoolhouse, built in 1849, was directly behind the new church and would become the Ballardvale Community Center in 1889 -1890 after Bradlee School was built. Due to an overcrowded school in 1875 the town was forced to

In 1876 the congregation purchased the two adjoining lots on Village St. (Now Church St.) from Rev. Greene for $150 and erected the church on this site. The Parsonage would come later in 1890. Henry's wife Mary E. P Green died on Jan. 29, 1878. “The aged minister is thus, to use his own words, “left alone – yet not alone.” Rev. Greene deeded his home at 8 Marland Street to the church. Rev. Henry died on June 11, 1880 of Heart disease. He had served the congregation for thirty years. His home then became the church parsonage until 1890. The church auctioned off the brick parsonage in April 1890 and then made plans for building a new home.

Andover Townsman (AT) May 31, 1890 Ballardvale - The Union Congregational Society has voted to erect a parsonage on the lot of land back of the church, and now owned by the Society. A committee consisting of H. F> Wilson, Chas. Green, and Orel Ashton were appointed a committee to obtain plan and specivications. The location is perhaps not the best for all reasons, but the building fund is limited.

AT - June 20, 1890 - Ballardvale - The contract for the Congregational parsonage has been let to Eugene Pitman. It is already staked out, and the stone on the ground for the cellar wall.
AT - July 25, 1890 - BV - The framework of the Congregational parsonage is all up. It is going to be a well built house.
AT - Sept. 5, 1890 - BV - Builder Pitman is progressing finely on the new parsonage.
Oct. 3, 1890 - BV - J. S. Dearborn is painting the new parsonage

This home was the new church parsonage for 1890 to 1968. The first minister to reside in the home would be Rev. G. S. Butler 1888 -1891 and nineteen more ministers would then occupy the house before the church sold the property in 1968. Rev. Robert Bossdorf (1964-1968) would be the last minister to live in the home. The church merged with the Methodist Church on Tewksbury St. in 1955 and became the Ballardvale United Church. In 1968 they built a new church edifice at Clark Rd & Hall Ave. and a new parsonage was created in the old Kibbie home.

The parsonage was sold to William H. & Ina M. MacAfee on Oct. 25, 1968. MacAfee owned three years then selling to Eugene J. & Veronica V. Croke on June 4, 1971. Eugene & Veronica had five children, Thomas, Loretta L, Wanda, Mark and Veronica. Eugene died in 1987 and his widow Veronica would later sell the home to her daughter Veronica and her husband Scott Johnson in 1998.