Themes: Architectural, Community development
AT - May 28, 1897 - William Driscoll has sold his house on Summer Street to John Howell, who will move it, on his land on the new street. Mr. Driscoll intends to build a new house at the place of the old one.
This home on the NE corner of Summer St. and Howell Dr. (once Allen Court) was built by the Driscoll family. Andover Townsman - Sept. 3, 1897 - E. Searl & Co. of Lawrence are building J.W. Driscoll's new house on Summer Street.

Howell Drive was developed by Fred E Cheever in 1956 when he connected Allen Court to Elm Street and the new Fosters Circle. The Allen Court name changed to Howell Drive in 1958, named for Mrs. Mary J. Howell who owned the property and homes on the court.
5 Howell Dr. is the Mary Sigourney house and once occupied this half acre at 34 Summer St..

Mary J. Howell, wife of James H. of Ballardvale purchased the property next door at 28 Summer St. on April 22, 1893 for $6500. It would be the Howells who developed the property along Summer St. when they purchased the Driscoll house on the lot to the east of their house in 1897.

Apr. 17, 1897 p1 Andover Townsman; p.5 – Building mover Wilson is moving two houses from Ballardvale to John Howell’s land on Summer Street.
Ballardvale – John Howell has moved his house, which was on the Plains, to Andover. He has also made arrangements to move his houses which are on Pole Hill to the same place.

April 23, 1897 AT - p 4. Editorial Cinders – If building mover Wilson has good luck, and one half the number of buildings called for by the largest tale, is moved from Ballardvale to Andover, there will be no further trouble about steamers, or railway, or a district share of town officials. They will all be up in the centre.

May 28, 1897 AT – William Driscoll has sold his house on Summer Street to John Howell, who will move it to his land on the new street. Mr. Driscoll intends to build a new house at the place of the old one.

As #5 Howell Drive is the oldest of the three homes Mrs. Howell owned, we believe the Driscoll House to be the home moved to the rear of the lot at #5 to create Allen Court. #7 would be the home moved from Ballardvale.

This deed line takes the property at 34 Summer St. back to a Mary Sigourney in 1828 who sells the half acre lot to Merrill Petingill on Jan. 9, 1828 for $75. Pettingill is bankrupt in 1843 and his estate of five properties is sold at public auction on Oct. 25, 1843. William Stevens of Andover was the court assignee. Sylvester Bowman, a Roxbury merchant, purchased all the properties for $100. The 3rd parcel is "the Mary Sigourney place and house containing half an acre". Bowman then sells the property with building to William D. Stark, a butcher, on Sept. 1, 1845. Stark and wife Martha Ann paid $800. for the property.

It appears that Stark took a loan from the Trustees of the Ministerial Fund of South Parish and James H. Cochran, a blacksmith, as their names appear in the deeds. Stark sells to Oscar G. Ingalls, a carpenter, on Aug. 7, 1847. Ingalls paid $581. Ingalls may have improved the house as one year later he sells the home to Joshua Blanchard for $950. The 1850 Valuation Schedule list Blanchard's assessment as Dwelling house and adjoining 1 1/2 acre land at $800. The 1852 map of Andover shows J. Blanchard next to Henry F. Pasho on Summer St. In 1884 the map has W. D. Allen at the Summer St. location.

Walter B. & Eliza A. Allen purchased the property from Blanchard on June 25, 1870 and Allen owns for 17 years. Allen Court was named from this ownership. John D. Driscoll then purchased the home on April 9, 1887, held for ten year then selling the old house to the Howells in May 1897. Mary J. Howell, wife of James H. had purchased the property at 28 Summer Street on Apr. 22, 1893. The "Driscoll" house was then moved back creating Allen Court, which was a dead end until 1956.

John D. Driscoll then sells the property to Nora M. Driscoll on Aug. 11, 1897. Nora M. Driscoll owned the home for 23 years then sold to Leonard & Harriet H. Elliott on Aug. 11, 1920. The Elliot family owned for 36 years.

O. Lesley & Marion M. Sewell then purchased the house on May 15, 1956 and it was the Sewells that added the second parcel on Dec. 7, 1957