#9 Center St. today was formerly #7 Centre St. in earlier directories. Re-numbering and corrections were done in Andover in 1959. Centre St. on earlier maps and deeds was also referred to at times as Central St. in Ballardvale.

The Ballardvale Machine Shop Corp., John Marland, President, purchased much of the property in the center of Ballardvale in 1847. The land was then sub-divided the into house and store lots and began selling off parcels in 1848. John Marland and John Howe Jr. owned the parcel along Centre St. (now Center St.) and began auctioning off their 35 lots on July 28. 1847. The auctioneers were Loring, Abbott and Porter of Boston.

The Ballardvale Machine shop would begin selling off their holdings in 1848 and Samuel Abbott and William Abbott followed suit with their property on Oak and Tewksbury Streets. The greater portion of the village center was developed at this period of time.

This lot, #12 on the Marland & Howe 1847 map, was sold to Hiram O. Tuttle on July 28, 1847 at auction. Tuttle paid $59.40 for the 4752 sq. ft. parcel. Tuttle also purchased lot #11 of 5254 sq. ft. to the south of this lot. The deeds are interesting but confusing in that Tuttle appears to have purchased a portion of lot #12 and did "not embrace or include" a smaller portion containing 2016 sq. ft. Tuttle however did sell it to Thomas Finn on Oct. 28, 1848, rec. Dec. 19, 1848, for $600. Finn later sold to Edward Farrell for $500 on Mar. 13, 1854.

Edward Farrell was a yeoman and father of Patrick Farrell wife Maggie, who purchased, "all that portion of lot #12 not embraced and included", four years later for $500. It contained 2016 sq. ft. John Farrell, wife Delia of Lawrence would buy the property from Patrick on Jan. 3, 1868. John paid $1500. which included all to lot #12 and lot #11 equaling 10016 sq. feet. Both parcels combined equal that sq. footage. A second property now #5 Center St. is also included with the deed.

John Farrell sells 9 Center St. to Hannah Nolan on Jan. 4, 1870 for $700. Hannah later married John Rixon of Lawrence. Mary Theresa Farrell may have inherited the property from Hannah as she sells to John A. Riley on July 31, 1909. The 1920 Valuation for John A. Riley is House $600. 1/8 acre land $150 on Center. St. and a House $500 on Oak St. with 1/2 acre of land. The property remained with the Riley family heirs until Sept. 1962 when the house was sold to Joseph Emil Blanchet. Emil, as he was known by born in 1913, was a store proprietor. In 1962 Street List - the property is list as #7 Center St. Some deeds also reference this as #7. The official address is #9.