Original owner: Ezra Valpey
Themes: Agricultural, Architectural, Community development
Historical significance: By tradition, builder said he "wanted to make a house strong enough to drive a team of four horses through!"

House difficult to date because cellar beams look 1840's or earlier.
In cellar is hand-made brick arch said to be remains of early blacksmith's forge. [unlikely. arch probable supported a second chimney later removed]. Carriage house was also stable (stalls and hayloft evident). House may have been built on earlier foundations.

This property was once part of Nathaniel Whittier's estate (he lived at 10 Summer Street). Whittier's land was sub-divided and sold for house lots so street # 5 changed. Whittier's heirs, widow Hannah and three daughters Ann E. & Hannah E. Whittier and Mary L. Dickinson sold this lot to Ezra H. Valpey on April 1, 1874, for $1000. Valpey then had the house built. Ezra Valpey estate, Clover J. Stone Extr. - Feb. 12, 1924 - Probate. property sold to Charles R. Hoffman - Feb. 25, 1924 -

George Valpey and his brother Ezra Valpey followed in the family business as butchers. Their father Samuel George Valpey was b. April 12, 1819, son of Samuel S. Valpey & Elizabeth Abbott. Samuel G. owned a butcher shop in Andover in the Brick Block on Elm Square (5 Main St.). He married on Nov. 7, 1840, to Sarah Church Holt, b. April 1, 1821, in NH, dau. of Ezra & & Elizabeth G. (Wardwell) Holt. The Valpey home was at 60 Elm St. Samuel & Elizabeth had four children: George Harrison b. Aug. 3, 1841, Sarah C. b. Sept. 17, 1843, Ezra Holt b. July 26, 1846, and Charles Abram b. Sept. 22, 1849. Samuel died age 44 on Nov. 13, 1863. Wife Sarah died on Aug. 30, 1864.

Samuel's brother, Rev. Thomas Gilbert Valpey, was named guardian of his two nephews Ezra H. & Charles A., both minors at the time. Thomas was licensed to sell off the estate at auction on May 15, 1866. Son George H. Valpey, wife Ellen F. (Dodd), was the highest bidder at $3350. The following year Ezra Valpey receives his one undivided 1/4 share of the property. George H. Valpey and Ezra H. Valpey later sold the 60 Elm St. property to John H. Flint for $8000. on August 23, 1873, which included the house and out-building with nine and half acres.

From the proceeds Ezra Valpey then built this home at 13 Summer St., a short walk to work. They established meat market at 2 Main Street in Sept. 1866, the last of three locations. In 1880, brother George opened a market in Boston, Ezra ran the Andover business. Ezra began his career by driving a butcher cart for his father Samuel from yard to yard.

Ezra Holt Valpey born July 26, 1846, and died March 25, 1923, age 77. Ezra married in 1870 to Adelaide Mayberry of Bridgeton, Maine b. Dec. 3, 1842, d. June 14, 1921, lived at 13 Summer St. for 50 years. Ezra and Adelaide had two children: Fred S. b. Feb. 13, 1871 - d. June 6, 1907, and Edith Hilton b. March 8, 1880 - d. Sept. 18, 1945.

The Valpey family was active in community affairs. They gave to the fund to establish Memorial Hall Library, were active members of Christ Church and the Andover Village Improvement Society. Ezra and his brother George jointly also owned another property at 7 Summer Street (Real Estate Valuation, 1900) the former Mayberry House. The Valpey family are interred in the Christ Church cemetery.

The Valpey home was sold to Charles R. Hoffman on Feb. 25, 1924.