76 Haverhill St. now 4 Liberty St.

This property was once owned by Isaac Wilson of North Andover (North Parish) and was part of a 14 acre wooded parcel on the north side of the road leading from Frye Village to North Andover, now called Haverhill Street. The Town of Andover gained a right of way through the property in July 11, 1898 from Isaac L. Farnham for the construction of the town’s sewer system and filter beds for leeching. The road now known as Liberty St. was once called Filter Bed Rd. This property boarders the road on the west side.

The land was inherited by Abiel Wilson and Susan P. Green in June 1879. Susan acquired twelve parcels of land from the estate including lots in North Andover, Frye Village, West Parish and South Lawrence totaling nearly 180 acres. Isaac L. Farnham and his brother Charles H. Farnham purchased two parcels of about 22.4 acres in Frye Village from Mrs. Green in August 1880. Charles later inherits the property after Isaac’s death.

Charles Farnham sells a part of the land to Emeric Pariseau in 1902 and the 14 acres to John B. Warwick in Feb. 1904. Warwick further divides the property selling 5 acres to the American Woolen Co. in Oct. 20, 1920. This area is then developed into the extreme northeast section of the new Shawsheen Village neighborhood. Map #708 published in 1927 at the Registry of Deeds in Lawrence shows Haverhill St, Filter Bed Rd., Enmore St. and Carlisle St.
#76 Haverhill St. is listed as parcel lot #22. A later map #877 June 1932 lists the lot as #38.

The 1922 map of Shawsheen Village lists this house as the old Warwick property. When the American Woolen Co. acquired this property in 1920 the house was then updated and painted white with green shutters to blend in with the new look of this section of the Village.

Shawsheen Village was named after the Native American name for the river Shawshin, which means Great Spring. Prior to Shawsheen Village this area was known as Frye Village. All the new streets in the Village were named for Castles & Cathedrals in Great Britain. The development of Shawsheen Village from 1918-1924 was created by William M. Wood, President of the American Woolen Co. Wood hired about eight different architects to design the homes and structures for the village. Homes were leased through the Homestead Association who had offices in the Post Office building on the corner of North Main & Poor Streets. Existing homes, like this one, were updated to conform to the style of the Village. Several homes were relocated to new sites as plans were altered. Few of the original homes of Frye Village remained in private hands.

After the death of William M. Wood on Feb. 2, 1926 most of the residential and commercial buildings were then sold. Some were held by the Wood family in the "Arden Trust" and others with the American Woolen Company, which had been deeded the property in December 1920. The A.W.Co. Board of Directors authorized its President, Lionel J. Noah, to deliver all deeds, as deemed necessary to the Textile Realty Co. for sale on Dec. 29, 1931.

The Textile Realty then transferred ownership to the Andover Shawsheen Realty Company on June 30, 1932, holding the mortgage on the properties. T. Edwin Andrew, treasurer, was authorized to sell or lease the properties. With the Great Depression sales were sluggish and many homes were rented until the economy rebounded.

One of the first occupants of record to lease the home in 1926 was Martha A. Graham, widow of John Graham.

This house was sold to Charles H. Dufton on May 2, 1940. Dufton then resold to James R. & Florence E. Mosher on July 1, 1940. James was a clerk at the American Woolen Co. and were living at 78 Haverhill St. in 1943. James J. & Margaret D. Sullivan are listed at #76. James is a lawyer at 263 Essex St. in Lawrence. Mosher owns the property for 17 years then sells to Albert E. & Phyllis J. Fisher Jr. on Oct. 21, 1957.

Three more owners would occupy the house before Anne Marie and Associates,William Buck, Manager purchased the property in 2014. The home was deemed deficient for modern living. The size and lack of maintenance resulted in the building to be demolished for a new home to built on the site. The Andover Preservation Commission reviewed the property, deemed it historically significant, but regrettably let the building be razed. New plans were revised and modified to accommodate the lot constraints and style of the homes in the neighborhood.