This land once belonged to John Abbot and was sold to Oliver H. Perry on Oct. 21, 1855 who had purchased the Coggswell house at 68 Phillips St. This six acre parcel ran south along the west side Abbot St. from the corner of Phillips St. At this time it was referred to as the road to Wilmington and Boston. It was later named Woburn St. beginning at Phillips St and continued all the way to the Wilmington line. About 1900 the east end of Woburn St was renamed extending Abbot St. to Porter Rd.

With the death of Oliver Perry his wife Mary Ann Perry inherited the estate and then sold to Lyman A. Belknap of Boston on June 10, 1879. The estate contained four parcels of land and the Coggswell house. This property was a portion of the first parcel of 6 acres mentioned in the deed to Belknap.

Belknap then began to develop the vacant property along Abbot street dividing up house lots. This lot was sold to
Charles O. Hemenway on June 17, 1897 and the house was built at that time. Charles O. was born in April 1847 and in the 1900 Census lists his occupation as Sexton. His wife Elizabeth b. May 1860 in Canada. They have three children; twins Rena E. and Ethel D. b. Jan 1884,and a son Charles M. b. July 1885. The title was transferred into Flora Dresher on Sept. 15, 1908 and then placed in both Charles O. and son Charles M. Hemenway names on Dec. 18, 1908. Hemenway took a mortgage with the Andover Savings Bank and sadly defaulted on the loan. The property was sold at public auction on Feb. 13, 1911 to James Shorten for $2950.

James & Elizabeth Shorten and family owned the property for 70 years. With the death of James Shorten his wife Elizabeth inherited the house. The property was placed in her name and her son Henry J. and wife Dorothy H. In 1931 the house was sold to Mildred R. Shorten, wife of Walter, Elizabeth's son. The deed came with a restriction to allow Elizabeth life tenancy of the first floor of the home. Mildred and Dorothy J. Quintal later held joint ownership.

The property left the Shorten family in March 1981 when it was sold to Linda A. Cutter of Osgood St. in Andover. Linda Cutter was a Realtor in Andover. Cutter began to restore the house. A fire in 1997 forced a complete renovation of the interior and restoration of the exterior. Linda Cutter died unexpectedly of heart failure. Her estate was sold by Benjamin B. Cutter Jr. through probate on Oct. 21, 2000 to Allan & Karen C. Wood.

Map, tax list & street directory information:
1872 map: no houses on Abbot or Phillips

1906 map: C.O. Hemenway, cross-shaped house
1910 tax list - Charles O. Hemenway house, 53 Abbot St., Phillips ($1,400), 1-3 land, 53 Abbot St., Phillips ($700)
1913: 7 Shortens, 5 work at Tyer Rubber Co.
1916: Charles Shorten boards, is a farmhand; Christopher E., b. watchman T.R.Co.
1918-19: house of James Shorten farmer and Elizabeth; Christopher E. & Henry J. (USA) board; Herbert E. rubber worker b.; Walter R. Shorten a Gardener b.
1920 - Henry J. Shorten (Dorothy) board, Herbert E. rubber wkr. board, James (Elizabeth)'s house, James is a farmer; Walter R. is a gardener & boards 53 Abbot
1920 tax list James & Elizabeth Shorten house, 53 Abbot ($2,000); 1-3 acre land 53 Abbot ($800); total 2,800
1926: St. Dir.: Mrs. J. Shorten
1930-31 St. Dir.: Henry Shorten, Mrs. Elizabeth Shorten and Dorothy Shorten (Henry's wife)
1949 St. Dir.: Mildred R. Shorten & Philip Robinson

1997 fire - see Andover Townsman in u. f.; Henry J. b.; Walter R. b. rubber wkr.
1999 Preservation Award for restoration of the house.