This property was once owned by the Ballard Vale Machine Shop in 1847 and purchased by the Whipple File & Steel Manufacturing Co. in 1858, which went bankrupt in 1869. Assignees of the company; Edward Page, John W. Beals, Thomas J. Homer of Boston and Thornton K. Lothrup of Milton, MA sold off the holdings at auction. Craighead & Kintz would purchase the manufacturing plant and Stephen Blaney of Peabody, MA purchased six parcels of land along Andover St. and one on River St. on April 20, 1870. This lot was one of Blaney's six parcels.

Blaney's land on the east side of Andover Street extended from the B & M Depot lot 174-176 Andover St. to about 140 Andover St. and included the present day Ballardvale Playground. Clinton Court was actually laid out by Blaney to access the two homes and divide the properties into separate parcels. Stephen Blaney sold this parcel to Sarah Clinton on May 9, 1885 for $500. The deed states ..."a lot of land upon which a cottage house, situated in the village of Ballardvale......"