Themes: Architectural community development, industry

This property and the house next door at #93 were once owned by Merrill Pettingill, blacksmith, son of Asa Pettingill. Merrill sold five parcels of land to Asa for $5000 on May 20, 1837. This property was the 4th parcel containing two dwelling houses. Jonathan White of Lowell, MA took Merrill to court to recover equity in property that was owed him. The courts rule in White's favor and $442.20 was awarded to White who took this property as payment. White then sold it to Asa Pettingill, on Jan. 14, 1839, who was living in New Orleans.

Asa Pettingill later sold the property on Jan. 26, 1843 to Edward Callahan and William & Sarah Callahan. Pettingill placed a deed restriction on the sale, which included the right to draw water from the well of the home at 95 North Main. The Callahans' owned for ten years then sold on May 27,1853 to Samuel Morrill, William C. Donald and George H. Morrill. The three gentlemen were business partners in Morrill, Donald & Co., an ink company. Their business was located across the street on Pearson St. near the current safety center. Their business had been destroyed by a fire in February 1853. Perhaps this property was used as temporary office space until they reorganized. They dissolved their partnership in 1854 and in 1856 moved the company to South Dedham. Wm Donald would later open his own Ink Company in Frye Village.

Feb. 19, 1853 Andover Advertiser; - Samuel Morrill, William C. Donald, George H. Morrell, - Printing Ink Manufactory old Depot buildings on Main St.
June 3, 1854 –AA - Co-partnership – dissolved by Morrill, Donald, Scrimgeour & Co. on June 1. Donald to close affairs of the late company.

The old deeds refer to the Boston & Maine Railroad, as does the Ink Manufacturer. The Andover - Wilmington Railroad built in 1838 terminated at the location of the current site of the fire station. It was then extended to Haverhill bisecting North Main St. west of the large stone retaining wall behind these homes on North Main then down Harding Court to High Street and on to North Andover. The tracks were moved to the current location in 1848 and the company became the B&M Railroad. Their former maintenance buildings were then sold off for private industry.

Morrill, Donald & Co. then sold this property to Cornelius Crowley & Dennis Donovan on Apr. 1, 1854. The men paid $800. for the property and divided the lot and house at #95 in half. Donovan lived on the north side and Crowley on the south. The 1860 Valuation schedule lists Donovan 1/2 Callahan house, $400. and Crowley Dwelling house $600. In 1870 Dennis has half house and shed, 1/8 acre, and farm stock valued at $60. Cornelius 1/2 house is $700. and 1/8 acre $100. Dennis Donovan sold his side 29 years later to Cornelius Moynihan on Jan. 27, 1882.

The Crowley family owned the property for 102 years and the Moynihans would be their neighbors for thirty of them. .With the death of Cornelius and his wife Margaret, their children Daniel J, William F. and Catherine L. Moynihan inherit the property. Catherine L. sells their north half of the house to Ellen Crowley on April 23, 1912.

Of the Crowley children, Dennis and Michael J. become tailors and worked for Paul J. Hanlon in his men's clothing store at 9 Main St. Michael J. would later buy out Hanlon and became partners in Burns & Crowley at 15 Main St. Brother William C. Crowley went to work for Arthur Bliss, the druggist and Postmaster, who once worked for Brown, took ownership and moved the store into the National Bank building. He would later move to the corner store in the Barnard Block.

When Ellen Crowley died the children then sold the property to Richard C. Simmers on May 18, 1956. Simmers was a lawyer and real estate agent in Andover. The property was used as income property and it was Simmers that again divided the property into two separate lots. This time the house at 95 was divided off from the house at #93. On Feb. 23, 1960 Simmers sold off the twp properties to O. Wilton Tompkins & Olga J. Tompkins on Feb. 23, 1960.

O. Wilton Tompkins died on October 12, 1962 and his widow Olga then sold both properties to Giles, C. Lincoln on May 20, 1964. Giles was a real estate developer in Andover and his specialty was rehabilitating older properties into multi-units and professional office space. The Nathan Frye House on North Main and Old Andover Village at 89 - 93 Main St. are just two of his many rehabs. These homes were renovated then sold off separately. Howard J. & Katherine M. Yezerski purchased #93 on June 3, 1968. Yezerski and David Sullivan were artists and opened an art gallery in another Giles rehab just south

Number 95 was sold to Wayne D. & Janet C. Wilkinson on May 29, 1969.