Original owner: James J. Abbott
Themes: Architectural, Community development, Conservation

Historical significance: Formerly 115 Red Spring Road; at foot of Indian Ridge Reservation - public open space and recreational area.

Heirs of Hartwell Abbot sold lands here to Indian Ridge Citizens Association in 1897 for conservation area; money for purchase having been raised by public subscription.
This plot of land was once part of the Benjamin Abbott farm at #9 Andover Street. The farm eventually descended down to James Abbot and then to his son Hartwell B. Abbott in 1858. The farm once included 289 acres with various parcels located on Andover and Central Streets, Argilla, Reservation, Red Spring and Dascomb Roads and also included part of what is now the AVIS Indian Ridge Reservation.

The original Abbott homestead at #9 Andover Street included the barn and house at #3 Andover Street and the new house at #123 Red Spring Rd, now listed as #1 Reservation Road. Hartwell Barachias Abbott was born in the old homestead at #9 and later built #3 Andover Street and resided there. His son James Jewett Abbott was born on April 6, 1859 at his parent’s home. The 1880 census has James living with his parents and working on the family farm. He married on June 22, 1882 to Lucy Abbott Blunt born July 22, 1860 daughter of Charles & Lucy J. (Holt) Blunt. They were living at 123 Mineral Street (165 Red Spring Rd) which may have been built for him by his father after he married. This home is not listed on the 1872 map or in the 1880 census but is marked on the 1888 Andover map bearing the name J. J. Abbott. James J. & Lucy had seven children; Chester Denning b. Apr. 3, 1883, James Harwell b. Nov. 11, 1884, Lucy Ballard b. May 4, 1887, Alice Josephine b. July 13, 1889, Ruth b. Apr. 27, 1891, Elizabeth Carroll b. Oct. 29, 1894, and Paul Jewett b. March 9, 1899.

The 1900 Andover Real Estate Valuation register lists the property of the Hartwell B. Abbott Estate as; House and shed $1500, Barn & shed $700, New house $1600, Old house and shed $350 and seven parcels of land totaling 196.5 acres. Hartwell B. died on April 14, 1896. His wife Sara A. had died five years earlier on December 27, 1891.

James J. Abbot inherited the family farm and moved back into his boyhood home at #3 Andover Street. His uncle Timothy Abbot had moved into the vacated house from the old Benjamin Abbott house by 1898. In the 1910 census Timothy age 86, his sister Hannah age 84 and niece Mary Alice, age 47 daughter of Hartwell B. are living in the Red Spring Rd. house. Hannah died in 1911 and Uncle Timothy died Dec. 12,1913. Timothy had just recieved the Boston Post cane on his 90th birthday on Aug. 13th. as the oldest Andover male resident.

Chester Denning Abbott, oldest child of James J. & Lucy Abbott then occupied the house. Chester married on Sept. 21, 1909 in Westerly, RI to Grace Emily Brown age 28 born July 19, 1882 in Allston, MA, daughter of Cyrus H. & Sarah K. (Maxon) Brown. Grace was a teacher in Allston, MA. Chester continued in the family business as a farmer and milk dealer operating the “Horn Bridge Farm” in Ballardvale. He also became a school bus driver in the 1930’s transporting the students in West Andover. Chester & Grace had three children, a son died in infancy in 1911, Hartwell Brown b. Dec. 31, 1912 and an adopted daughter Priscilla B, b. April 25, 1917 in RI.

After the death of Chester’s father James J. on April 5, 1952 the Abbott estate was divided among his children. Chester inherited the farmhouse at 3 Andover St. and most of the remaining farm land. The old Abbott homestead had been sold during the depression in 1933. His wife Grace was given the Chippendale chair and mirror. His sister Lucy A. Pollock was bequeathed the house at 123 Red Spring Rd. Chester and Grace purchased the house from Lucy the following year in 1953. The couple made their home here for 55 years. At some point the house was converted into a two family and the apartment was rented. Tragically Chester & Grace were both killed in an automobile accident in Enfield, NH on August 6, 1965 while in route to visit their son Hartwell. Chester was 82 and Grace was age 83. They are interred in South Church Cemetery.

Hartwell was the executor of his parent’s estate. This farm was subdivided and two lots were created from this location in January 1966 plan #5426. The house was on lot #2 and sold to Richard W. & Esther L. Baker Jr. who had been residing in the apartment of the house. They sold four years later to local builder and Andover Building Inspector Salvatore (Sam) J. & wife Elaine E. DeSalvo in 1970. Desalvo updated the house and converted it into three apartments. Sam DeSalvo then sold to Richard D. Roper of R.D.R. Realty Trust. Roper was a contractor and at the time of the sale the address changed to 1-5 Reservation Road. Roper lost house to the bank which auctioned off the property. It was purchased by Ernest B. & Tara H. Baldwin Jr. on December 14, 1995.

Notes;
When this home was constructed building numbers had yet to be assigned to houses in the rural sections of town. Many streets were numbered but not named. Red Spring Road was known as Mineral Street after a natural water spring located near the Shawsheen River and not far from the current high school football field parking lot. Hundreds of residents used the spring on a daily basis. The streets in Andover were all named in 1904 and in some cases given new names at that time. Numbering was still very random until after WWII. In 1958 the town surveyed every street to determine approximately how many house lots could be created from the existing farm land. In 1959 the houses were renumbered and this house became #123 Red Spring Rd. formerly #165.

When the property was subdivided lot #1 was sold to James Bateson Jr. b. 1060 pg. 233. A new house was built at 11 (#7) Reservation Rd. Sam DeSalvo was a builder and contractor and later served as building inspector for the town of Andover. DeSalvo first resided in the farmhouse then built the home on the new lot and moved there. This property was renumbered 1 Reservation Rd. DeSalvo sold to Richard D. Roper , also a builder on Dec. 21, 1978. The farmhouse was converted into three apartments by 1981.

The homestead is now three condominiums which were created in 2013 by Michael C. Gillis who purchased the property on June 30, 2003. The property is now known as 1- 5 Reservation Road Condominiums and contains three units numbered #1 - #3 and #5 Reservation Rd.