This property was once part of the Henry F. Pasho and Laura F. Clark. Their heirs; George H. Pasho, Lizzie A. Wilson, Charles W. Clark, Ethel R. Clark, and Dana D. Clark, sell off a lot of land to Stella J Lowd on May 31, 1911. Stella is the wife of Joseph Lowd who live at 29 Bartlet St. The Lowds may have given the house lot to their daughter Marion D. as a wedding present. She married William Harnden Foster on May 27, 1911.

The home was built shortly after and Marion & husband William H. Foster were occupants in 1913 resident directory. Marion D. (Lowd) Foster was deeded the property from her mother Stella on May 15, 1926.

William Harnden Foster's father, Frank Mace Foster was born on Oct. 17, 1857 in Tewksbury, MA, son of Oliver & Abby (Hill) Foster. Frank was the youngest of four children and remained on his father’s farm in Tewksbury until his father died. Frank married on Dec. 23, 1880 in Wilmington, MA to Annie Maria Harnden b. 1860 in Wilmington, dau. of Everell & Julia A. (Clemons) Harnden. In 1883 they moved to Andover and purchased a farm at 61 Porter Road on April 3, 1883. They owned the property until May 1895 when they moved to the town center purchasing a new home at 29 Summer St.

The Fosters had five children, of which two sons survived to adulthood. Both William Harnden Foster b. July 22, 1886 and his brother Kenneth Clemons Foster b. Feb. 8, 1895 were born in the 61 Porter Rd. farmhouse. A daughter Rhoda W. was born on May 12, 1900 but died at 2½ years old on Dec. 10, 1902.

The Fosters later moved to 29 Summer Street and it is here that 12 year old Bill, a budding artist, submitted his drawing for the new Andover Town Seal. He merged the John Whiting logo used for the town’s 250th Anniversary in 1896 with the old circular Town Seal. Bill’s design was selected and approved at Town Meeting on March 5, 1900.

Bill graduated from Punchard High School in 1904 with good friend Henry (Harry) Wesley Davies. His future wife Marion D. Lowd was in the class of 1905. Foster attended the Museum School in Boston and then joined Howard Pyle’s school in Wilmington, Delaware in 1908. Bill was an avid outdoors-man, loved trains and railroading and often painted these subjects. Pyle encouraged Foster to submit his railroad life series to Scribner’s Magazine in New York. They bought his paintings at “a price that made him gasp” and his career as an illustrator began.

Bill married Marion D. Lowd on May 27, 1911 in Andover. Marion was born on May 28, 1889 in Andover, daughter of Joseph H. & Estella J. (Stevens) Lowd. The newlyweds honeymooned at their recently completed bungalow in South Freeport, Maine. The Fosters made their home at 71 Chestnut Street and raised his family here but spent every summer in South Freeport, Maine. Bill & Marion had three children; Dorothy b. 1914, William H. Jr. b. 1915 and Helen b. Mar. 6, 1920.

In 1915 Bill Foster friend Harry Davies with his father Charles Davies set up a twelve station shooting game in a field behind Davies house at 73 Dascomb Road. They called it “Shooting ‘round the clock”. All the men were avid hunters and wanted to perfect their shooting techniques off season. The Davies also raised hunting dogs. (see 73 Dascomb Rd). It is said they came up with the idea in the Davies kitchen, drawing it out on a scrap of paper. After a few alterations to the range it became a half circle of 20 yards and for several years the men enjoyed the trap shooting on their range.

In 1926 Foster presented their game to the public in the National Sportsman magazine. A prize was offered to anyone who could give the new game a name. “Skeet”, Scandinavian for shoot, was the winner. Andover now had the first Skeet Shooting range in America and a second one followed in South Freeport, Maine.

Foster became editor of both National Sportsman and Hunting and Fishing Magazines. He also wrote for Outdoor Life Magazine, became the first president of the National Skeet Shooting Association and first to be elected into the Skeet Hall of Fame.

Bill’s friends in Maine included N. C. Wyeth, one of Howard Pyle’s greatest proteges and Leon L. Bean the great sportsman and entrepreneur. Bill Foster’s illustration “The Moose Hunter” graced the first cover of the L.L. Bean catalog in 1925.

William H. Foster died on October 31, 1940 in Scotland, CT while attending an Sportsman hunting dog show. He is interred at the Spring Grove Cemetery in Andover, MA. His wife Marion died on Jan 1, 1957 and the house was inherited by their children; William H. Foster Jr., of Trumbull, CT, Dorothy S. Monro of Winchester, MA and Helen L. Scobie of Cohasset in 1957.

The Foster home was sold to James J. & Margaret N. Ryan on July 22, 1958.
James J. Ryan died Feb. 25, 1965 and Margaret Ryan remained in her home. She then sold to Joseph F. & Katheen Ryan on Nov. 20, 1987 who owned for 10 years.

The property was sold to Brian T & Kerrin M. Gibson - Sept. 15, 1997 who then sold to William E. Hammun III on June 25, 1999. The title was place in both William E. & Jeanne W. Hannum III name in July 1, 1999. Jeanne Walker Hannum had the title in Dec. 9, 2003 and then sold to Daniel & Lisa Grecoe on Aug. 30, 2004.