5 Baker Lane Baker’s Lane, now Baker Lane, takes its name from the former Bake House of Alfred Putnam circa 1827-1853 formerly located at #9 Baker Lane and razed in 1919.
This home was most likely built as a tenement home for mill workers and their family. The five room 3 bedroom house is snuggled into the hillside on Baker Lane and a portion of the property on the north, left side, once held the house of Thomas Donovan at #7, with a stairway between the two properties

The property along Baker Lane and down to the river was once co-owned by Benjamin Ames and Daniel Cummings in 1814. Benjamin Ames, Esq. b. Oct. 30, 1778 son of Benj. & Phebe (Chandler) Ames, married on May 1, 1809 to Mary Boynton, who sadly died on Nov. 3, 1810. Benjamin remarried on May 11, 1812 to Sally Boynton, Mary’s sister. Daniel Cummings 2nd b. Sept. 2, 1778, a Carpenter, married on June 30, 1801 to Hannah Ames b. July 19, 1781 who was Benjamin’s sister. Ames & Cummings became business partners. Cummings died Dec. 26, 1827 in Maidstone, VT.

Deeds at the Salem registry trace ownership back to Benjamin Ames and Daniel Cummings who sold 5 acres 18 rods of land for $436.72 to Stephen Abbot & Stephen Russell on June 9, 1814. The parcel on Baker’s Lane included buildings and extended down to the river, but excluded a house "now owned and improved by David Holt during his natural life with the liberty to remove the same at his decease, unless sd. Abbot & Russell shall purchase at the appraisal..." Russell later sold his undivided half of the property to Abbot on November 18, 1818.

Stephen Abbot held for a total of ten years then selling on Dec. 17, 1824 to Jonathan Merrill, a Blacksmith, including six acres w/blds for $1500. (b. 236 leaf 193) Abbot held a $1000 mortgage deed. Merrill mortgaged the 6 acres for $1500 to Amos Choate of Salem, MA on Dec. 17, 1824 and an additional $500 on April 3, 1827. The deed includes a small adjoining parcel from Joseph L. Low and includes "...“with one new and two old dwelling houses with the Bake house and Stable about to be erected and all other buildings now standing on the premises.” Amos Choate held the mortgage deed until his death in 1845. Thomas C. Foster & Jonathan Merrill then released the mortgage deed to his widow Mehitable Choate on Sept. 27, 1846.

The Choate mortgage was sold to Samuel Gray on June 16, 1847 for $1710 which only included two houses. The dwellings appear to be 63-65 Essex St. and 1-3 Baker Lane, a portion of the six acres. The Bake House property deed was assigned to Jesse Sargent and included this dwelling house and Donovan’s next door. Jesse then divided the properties and sold them off individually.

Jesse Sargent sold this property to Francis Williamson on July 25, 1853 for $300 - "a certain lot of land with a small Dwelling House thereon, situated in "Abbott Village" beginning at an iron pin at the NE corner by land formerly of Thomas Donovan, east 38' 9" to land formerly of John Harding, SW 38' to a passage way [Baker’s Lane]leading to what was once the Bake House, thence by said passageway NW to 37' land of formerly of said Donovan, thence by last named NE 38' to the iron pin, together with the privilege of passing and re-passing from said road to the conveyed premises through the passageway. Also the right to draw water at all reasonable times and in a reasonable quantity from the well in front of the old bake house near said premises."

Francis Williamson took a $200 loan on the purchase from Sargent and when he sold to Thomas Donovan on March 16, 1854 for $100 the $207 mtg. was transferred with the deed. Donovan sold the following year for $450 to John Dove, Co-founder of the Smith & Dove Manufacturing Co., on Dec. 10, 1855 - b. 523 leaf 286. John Dove died on Nov. 20, 1876 at age 71. George H. Torr was Director of Andover National Bank, (1882-1900) and Treasurer of Smith and Dove Mfg. Co. who transferred the deeds to George W. W. Dove, son of John on Dec. 10, 1879. This property was the 2nd parcel of three.

George Dove then sold to Alexander Dear on Oct. 22, 1882. Dear paid $2100 for two lots, the first on Bakers Lane, "a certain lot of land with a small Dwelling House thereon, situated in "Abbott Village" beginning at an iron pin at the NE corner by land formerly of Thomas Donovan, east 38' 9" to land formerly of John Harding, SW 38' to a passage way [Baker’s Lane]leading to what was once the Bake House, thence by said passageway NW to 37' land of formerly of said Donovan, thence by last named NE 38' to the iron pin, together with the privilege of passing and re-passing from said road to the conveyed premises through the passageway called "Baker’s lane”. Also the right to draw water at all reasonable times and in a reasonable quantity from the well in front of the old bake house near said premises." The second lot, also in Abbott Village, of one acre was near the school house on Cuba Street.

This property was investment for Alexander as he is listed on Mineral St. (Red Spring Rd.) near Cuba St. in the 1885 Andover Directory. Dear owned the property for 36 years. Alexander was born June 11, 1844 in Arbroath, Scotland, son of Alexander & Jane (Smith) Dear. He immigrated in 1871, was a Flax Dresser for Smith & Dove Co. when he married on Dec. 3, 1874 to Agnes Kyle b. Nov. 1851 in Leith, Scotland, dau. of Alexander & Agnes Kyle. They were members of the Free Church. Alexander later purchased property on Stinson Rd. and became a farmer. Alex died on Mar. 30, 1912 of pneumonia. Agnes moved to Summer St. and sold this property to Smith & Dove Manufacturing Co. on Dec. 6, 1918. The lot is #34 on the plan map #676 of Smith & Dove property 1927.
Tenants; #5 Baker’s Lane
1899 – Timothy A. O’Brien, Mrs. Honora, and Catherine, Tyer Rubber Co.
1900 Census - Mrs. Honora O’Brien 70 wid., Catherine A 34, soft rubber wkr. Timothy A. 32 teamster, May A. Hagans, Grand-niece, 23, fitter rubber.
1904 - Edward Doherty, Mrs. Margaret, S & D Co., Elizabeth, Marland Mills
1908 - David Skea, Tyer Rubber Co., Mrs. Skea
1910 Census – not listed
1920 Census -John P. Dowd 27, Painter Flax Mill, wife Martha J. 20 Scot.
1926 – Amos E. & Blanche Henault, operator, Smith & Dove Mfg. Co.
1928 - Amos E. & Blanche Henault, operator, Smith & Dove Mfg. Co.
1930 - Vacant

Smith & Dove recognized the need for operative housing and slowly acquired several homes in the immediate area. Every home on Baker Lane was eventually acquired by Smith & Dove. The company reorganized in 1864 and again in 1912 bringing all their properties together in one deed.
They also built quality housing for their working force at 62-84 Essex St. and all the double homes on Brechin Terrace. The company supplied their workers with a Village Hall for community gatherings and built “Hillside” on Shawsheen Rd. for single women workers, provided childcare service, bowling alley, laundry and large dining room also used for meetings and parities. The company also bought the old Cricket Field off Lupine Rd. for the company soccer, football and baseball teams.

In 1927 the Smith & Dove Co. was sold to the Ludlow Co. The housing real estate was placed in the Smith & Dove Tenements, Inc. that year, changing the name to Andover Homes, Inc. All residential properties were then sold off into private hands. The company operations were moved to Ludlow, MA and the mill closed in 1928.

Virgil D. Harrington, of Andover Homes, Inc. sold the properties. The house remained vacant for three years before Titus & Alice Corkum of Cambridge, MA, purchased the property on July 19, 1932. which comprised two lots #33 & #34 on map #682 of S & D Co. holdings in 1927. Corkum also purchased the Village Hall lot at 77 Essex St. which he held until 1940. They rented the house to Austin M. Hastings, a steam fitter, wife Susan and Mary Hastings are here in 1935.

In 1937 Walter H. & Hazel G. (Broughn) Baker are listed and they purchased the house on Aug. 19, 1938. Walter was a laborer employed by the town. The Bakers were longtime residents of nearly 59 years. Hazel Gertrude was born in Annapolis, Nova Scotia daughter of Arthur & Mary (Corkum) Broughn. Hazel died Nov. 9, 1967 and Walter on April 3, 1996.

The property was sold by the Baker estate to Phillip Hollenbek in Oct. 1996. He married and later sold to Michael B. Arthur in Nov. 2000. Michael Arthur and family had owned 51 Red Spring Rd. before selling to his son Peter. Michael was here about 6 years before selling to the current owner Glen Ippolito in 2007.