The pasture land on this side of Red Spring Road, formerly known as Mineral Street before 1904, was once owned by brothers Abel & Paschal Abbott. Paschal & Abel built and lived in the houses at #51 and #53 Red Spring Rd, respectively. Their 75 acre farm included much of what is now the campus of Andover High School. The Abbott brothers built a woolen mill in 1813 on the Shawsheen River at the bottom of the hill of Red Spring Road and Essex Streets. Their mill was purchased by Smith and Dove Manufacturing Co. in 1843. The Abbotts’ farm was sold to a brother Job Abbott who in turn sold to his son Amos C. Abbott. Paschal and his family moved to Dexter, Maine. Abel and his wife Mary remained at #53 with a life tenancy until their deaths.

Amos C. Abbott sold to John Chandler in February 1869 and moved west to Kansas. Chandler was an Andover merchant with his business on Main Street. He ran a successful wood and coal fuel company. He also tended to his 75 acre farm. After John Chandler retired he began selling off his property. The three and a half acre pasture across the street from his home was sold off in house lots in 1887

Joesph Midgley purchased two parcels of land from Chandler on July 16, 1888. Midgely died seized on Oct. 7, 1890 and his heirs Charles O. Shattuck, Martha J. Davis & Mary A. Sargent, next of kin, inherit the property. The property is transferred to John Bain of Lawrence on Dec. 11, 1890 and then sold to Mary Cox on Jan. 15, 1891. The property does not list "with buildings."

John Henderson purchased the lot on Nov. 7, 1892. In the Andover Townsman on Nov. 25, 1892, "John M. Henderson has begun building a house on Mineral Street (#64) in Abbott Village. John Dubord put in the cellar." [correction later John Henderson – no "M."]
Henderson was a carpenter and built his home. John Henderson purchased the lot of land on Nov. 7, 1892.

Nov. 25, 1892 Andover Townsman – John M. Henderson has begun building a house on Mineral Street in Abbott Village. John Dubord put in the cellar. [correction later John Henderson – no M.]
A 1906 map of Andover reveals that the house built was this two family. The lot next door would become the site for their carpenter shop.

March 25, 1892 AT - “Abbott Village School”, the present school building in Abbott Village will be moved from the foundation during the coming spring vacation and placed temporally, so that it can be used until the new one is completed, on which work will begin very soon. School vacation begins Friday, April 1. [The school lot is the current playground at 27 Cuba St.]

June 22, 1894 AT p.1 The old Abbott Village Schoolhouse buildings are advertised to be sold at auction tomorrow (Saturday June 23) afternoon at 2 o’clock by auctioneer Rogers.

June 29, 1894 AT p. 1 – Sold At Auction – Old Abbott Village Schoolhouses – The old Abbott Village schoolhouse buildings were auctioned off by Rogers last Saturday afternoon. The large one brought $36 and was bought by the Henderson Brothers who will use it as a carpenters shop. The small one was knocked off to Andrew Thompson for $84 and he will convert it into a dwelling. [28 Cuba St.]

John Henderson moved the old schoolhouse to the lot next door sited next to the road lengthwise across the lot.

August 1, 1894 AT – A part of the old Abbott Village schoolhouse it seems, is now the Red Spring pavilion, where a dance is advertised for every Friday evening, with music by the Lowell orchestra. To-night Miss Maud Hopkins, child cornetist from Lowell, is advertised to play.

It is yet unknown when the old schoolhouse was finally removed and Henderson built the house at #64 but John and wife Jemima eventually moved into it.

They held the property as income rentals for nearly 30 years before selling to the Smith & Dove Manufacturing Co. in May 1923.

Smith & Dove made linen threads and cloth and was one of the major employers in Andover. Nearly every home in Abbott Village had a family member who worked in the mill. Smith & Dove had been acquiring several properties in the Village for housing and building quality tenements for their employees. This two family was a late acquisition as the company was purchased by the Lulow Co. in 1927 and the mill operations in Andover closed down. Smith & Dove placed all their holdings into the Smith & Dove Tenements, Inc on Feb. 21, 1927. It was the subsidiary that began to sell off the housing stock later renamed Andover Housing, Inc.

John & Sadie Sullivan purchased this house on May 6, 1927 as investment property. They had purchased the house across the street at #61 from Smith & Dove in 1922 and lived there. John was a shipper for the the company and when they closed, went to work for American Woolen Co. in Lawrence.

The Sullivan held the property for 42 years selling to Raymond F. Fortuna in September 1969. The Fortuna's lived out on River Rd. and again used the house as income property. Raymond F. & Anne S. Fortuna then sold to Laurie A. & John C. McMullen on May 1, 1993. John C. is a firefighter with the Andover Fire Dept. They live in the house and rent the other apt.