37 Stevens Street

Architectural Description: 

Ranch style home of the 1960s

Historical Narrative: 

Certificate from the Massachusetts Historical Commission on file.
The land along Stevens Street was once large pasture and meadow and extended to Abraham Marland’s homestead estate at 29-33 Shawsheen Rd. Marland established a cotton mill in 1807 on the Shawsheen River at Abbott Village which continued until 1811 when he began production of woolen goods. In 1821 “Marland leased from Peter C. Brooks of Boston a mill privilege on the Shawsheen, together with new buildings erected on the site of what had been a powder mill. This is now known as Marland Village.
The buildings, which were leased for a term of twenty years, comprised a brick mill, the oldest of the present buildings, and a row of brick tenement houses.”
In 1828 Marland bought the entire property, his purchased including the mill privilege, old paper and grist mills, and thirty acres of Land. In 1834 the business was organized under the name Marland Manufacturing Company. Abraham Marland was the president until his death on Feb. 20, 1849.
Nathan Frye succeeded Marland as the company president from 1849-1879.
The company defaulted on an 1873 loan from the Andover Savings Bank and the mill was sold at auction to Moses T. Stevens on North Andover in 1879. Stevens began improvements at the mill in 1884 relocating the road, building a causeway across the mill pond, a new bridge, and operative housing on North Main Street and Stevens Street.

August 8, 1884 AA pg2 col 7 Article on Marland Village, new tenements and new road and bridge.

In 1896 the Marland Mill operation employed 200 operatives and manufactured 875,000 lbs. of wool yearly. In 1902 the company was now M. T. Stevens & Sons, Co. and later became known as J. P. Stevens & Co. Inc. When the purchased the Marland Manufacturing Company, the property included the tenement housing on Marland Street, later renamed Stevens Street in 1904. In 1953 the Stevens Co. divested itself of all its housing stock in Marland Village which was then subdivided into separate parcels and sold to public residents.

J. P. Stevens Co. had the property surveyed and subdivided in Nov. 1952. The plan was approved by the Andover Board of Appeals and the houses and empty lots were then sold in 1953. This was an empty lot Numbered Lot 11 on the plan #2620. The lot remained vacant until 1964 when the small five room 3 bedroom ranch style home was constructed. Anthony J. & Hadwig M. Ratyna purchased the lot on Dec. 14, 1953 and held the property until selling to Joseph L. & Anita D. Poirier on Aug. 9, 1962. Poirier owned the property next door at #29 which they had purchased in 1958.
Manuel J. & Elizabeth Sliva purchased the new house on June 9, 1965. Manny was a custodian and Elizabeth a housewife. Silva owned for 27 years and Elizabeth Silva sold to Suzanne E. Robert on April 23, 1992 who continues ownership in 2014.

Bibliography/References: 

Essex County Registry Deeds, Salem, MA
Essex Northern Registry Deeds, Lawrence, MA
Andover Advertiser AA
Historical Sketches of Andover, S. Bailey 1880
Business History of Andover, 1896 Anniversary Souvenir.
Andover Historical Society files.
Andover Valuation and directories

Owners;
Abraham Marland – 1828 - Feb. 20, 1849
Nathan Frye – Feb. 1849 - July 19, 1879
Moses T. Stevens Co. July 19, 1879 – b. 56 p. 482
M. T. Stevens & Sons Co. – Sept. 1, 1902 – b. 197 p. 180
J. P. Stevens & Co. Inc. – after 1946
Anthony J. & Hadwig M. Ratyna - Dec. 14, 1953 - b. 786 p. 12
Joseph L. & Anita D. Poirier - Aug. 9, 1962 - b. 965 p. 28
Manuel J. & Elizabeth Sliva - June 9, 1965 - b. 1035 p. 312
Elizabeth P. Silva -
Suzanne E. Robert - April 23, 1992 - b. 3448 p. 239

Inventory Data:

StreetStevens St
PlaceMarland Village
Historic DistrictAndover Village Industrial NRH District
Present Useresidence
Original Useresidence
Construction Date1964
SourceERDS, ENRDL
Architectural StyleOther
Foundationconcrete
Wall/Trimclapboard/wood
Roofasphalt
Conditiongood
Acreage0.220 acre
Settingresidential
Map and parcel54-117
Recorded byJames S. Batchelder
OrganizationAndover Preservation Commission
Date enteredJuly 2014

Map: