This house was once part of the property of Horace Hale & Bessie C. Smith next door at #54 Lupine Road. Horace Hale purchased the lot of land from Elizabeth P. (Abbott) Pratt, widow of Thomas Franklin Pratt on Aug. 2, 1910. On a parcel map #72 Aug. 1910 drawn by Horace H. Smith include his house and a smaller boat house on the river across the street. Hale purchased this former rubber manufacturing building in late August and had it moved down from a location nearer Austin Ave. and Marion Ave.
Andover Townsman (AT) August 19, 1910 pg. 1 - The Shop on Railroad Street (Lupine Road) which was built a few years ago for the manufacture of rubber goods, has been purchased by Horace H. Smith, the well known Lawrence civil engineer, and the property is new [sic. now] being converted into a boat-house and garage.

Andover Rubber Co.
Andover Townsman - Dec. 7, 1906 p. 4- New Firm Incorporated – Andover Rubber Co. – Matthew Hannon, pres., W. J. Burns treas. (the tailor), D. S. Burns, brother, V. P. - To make Rubber gloves and surgical supplies – New plant to be built on Railroad street (Lupine Rd) on land purchased by W. J. Burns from the estate of late Geo. S. Swift and Lyman A. Belknap. Plans for the building have been completed and the work of construction will be started this week.

Andover Canoe Club
The canoe club’s first boat house was located just north of the Central Street Bridge (Hartwell Abbott Bridge) on the lower flats meadow next to the river. Built on stone piers the building was for canoe storage and measured approximately 20’ x 30’ with a wooden boat ramp down to the river edge. The boat house had been quickly built according to John Broderick, with a gable roof and wide doors giving entry to many canoe racks inside. Access to the site was a set of stairs and ramp that ran down the embankment from Lupine Road, (called Rail Road Street then) The street was extension created from the Electric Company building and the St. Augustine’s Catholic Cemetery through to Central Street.

Horace Hale Smith seems to be the driving force in establishing a boat rental facility and canoe club at this site. Smith designed and built for himself a fine Prairie Craftsman style home of stucco at #54, on the hillside opposite the flats with a grand view of the river and the great arched railroad bridge over the Shawsheen River.

1913 Andover Canoe Club Pomp’s Canal ½ mile long

Andover Townsman, November 28, 1913 - Andover Canoe club is just completing an addition to its clubhouse which will accommodate 24 additional canoes & also include a hall to be used for social purposes. 35 canoes are now enrolled in the club.

1915 - Map of Shawsheen River 1915. BALLARD LINE – Most picturesque scenic excursion in eastern Massachusetts. Map created by Horace Hale Smith & F. Homer Foster – Engineers – 1915 Andover Canoe Club. The map begins at the bridge on Essex Street at Shawsheen and Red Spring Roads just north of the Smith and Dove Manufacturing Company dam and continues south up river to the Ballardvale Mill dam near Andover Street in Ballardvale Center.

April 30, 1915 – Hearing on a Game Sanctuary – secretary of the State Game Commission.
February 15, 1916 – Work on Game Sanctuary
June 16, 1916 AT - p. 1. Launching of the “William Ballard” an excursion boat on the Shawsheen River between Abbott Village and Ballardvale.
June 30, 1916 pg1 Launching of the “William Ballard” the boat on the Shawsheen River on Sat. July 1.
July 7, 1916 AT -pg. 8 William Ballard launched.

The new motor yacht, WILLIAM BALLARD, of the Ballard Line is built in a very unique manner, resting almost on the surface of the river, requiring but ten inches of water when all thirty passengers are on board…The Andover Canoe Club Livery Canoes are built to a special design which is both safe and fast, being particularly adapted to our beautiful stream.
These Kennebec canoes may be rented at 50¢ for five hours any time except Sunday 2 to 5 and holidays when triple the rate is charged. For timid, we have an absolutely safe row boat.
(AHS MS s 339 & AVIS - A History of Conservation, Chapter 10 pg. 159)

Andover Townsman – April 28, 1916 pg 4 - Canoe Club Notes
The Andover Canoe Club is now enrolled in the American Canoe Association, an organization which includes clubs of this nature all over America. It is a strong organization and the local members no doubt will derive some benefits from the affiliation.
Tomorrow evening, April 29, at 8 o’clock, the election of officers will take place and the program of the season will be announced. Refreshments will be served.
At this meeting a travelogue will be given by E. H. Van Nortwick, on canoe cruising in New Jersey. You are welcome whether you belong or whether you may or may not want to join. Come and get a glad hand from Clarence H. Weeks, commodore; F. Homer Foster, secretary, and Horace Hale Smith, chairman House Committee.

Andover Townsman – May 5, 1916 pg 4 - Canoe Club Election
The annual meeting and housewarming of the Andover Canoe club was held in the clubhouse last Saturday evening with a large attendance of members and friends. The officers elected for the ensuing year were as follows: Commodore, John Erving; vice commodore, John A. Burtt; captain George W. Donovan; first lieutenant, George Symonds; second lieutenant, John Dugan; secretary, F. Homer Foster; treasurer, James Nicoll; chairman house committee, Horace Hale Smith; steward, Richard Major.
It was voted to hold the annual regatta at Pomp’s pond on July 4, and it was also voted to repair the canal from the Shawsheen to Pomp’s pond. The reports of the various officers for the past year showed and excellent condition of the club and a successful season is looked forward to. The officers will hold a meeting later and issue announcements as to the summer events. Refreshments were served during the evening.
An interesting travelogue on “Canoe Cruising in New Jersey” was given by E. H. Van Nortick and P. W. Partridge gave a talk in reference to the Grand Banks Cruising.
This was one of the most enthusiastic meetings ever held. This club is the largest canoe club north of the Charles River. There are fifty canoes in the house at the present time and more will be added this year. The Andover Canoe Club is enrolled in the American Canoe Association.
Aug. 4, 1916 pg. 5 - 4th Canoe Club Regatta on the Shawsheen River
November 10, 1916 Map of State Reservation drawn by William H. Foster
AHS achieves pg. 105 folder 2 MS s 339.

Andover Townsman – June 28, 1918 - Canoe Club Meeting.
The Andover Canoe Club held its monthly meeting Monday evening at the clubhouse, with a large attendance. Plans for the regatta which is held yearly at Pomp’s Pond were completed. In spite of the fact that many of the most active members are with the colors, this will be one of the best events. Commodore Burtt and Captain Bateson have arranged a splendid program.
It was decided to build a new dam at the river end of Pomp’s Pond canal. This structure will be of concrete and much more convenient than the present wooden one.
The club has a good membership list and an enthusiastic set of officers who are working to reach high-water mark with every event on this year’s calendar.

Horace & Bessie Smith sold their house property and the lot across the street to Charles E. and Blanche F. Foster in October 1920. Bessie Smith retained the Boathouse lot at #50. On Mar. 26, 1919 Bessie sold the canoe house lot a #55 west-side on the river with 16 canoes, paddles and other fittings now or in the said canoe house on said land to Kenneth C. & Emma A Foster.
Bessie Smith held on to the boathouse property another 18 years before selling #50 to to Christopher & Helen Muller in May 1938. The Smiths were living in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.
Christopher & Helen sold to Gordon W. & Peggy D. Bartow in Nov. 1959. Bartow held for 5 years selling to Richard J. & Shirley Eldred in June 1964. The Eldred Family Trust retains the property in 2014 at 50 years.

Interviews;
Mr. Jim Trott, who grew up at 85 Central Street, states in an article in the Townsman October 19, 2006 by Bill Dalton, that “Abbot Academy …maintained a boathouse on the Shawsheen River. It disappeared sometime in the ‘30s …inside it were racks with 8 to 12 canoes resting upside down. These canoes were available to the general public for a fee, and many times my father would rent one and load up such members of the family that wanted to paddle off. I think we always went up river. Not to far down the river you came to Frye (Abbot) Village and a dam, which furnished power for a textile mill. So we went up the river, never to Ballardvale, but always taking a tributary stream that got very narrow, usually requiring some portage, and finally took you to Pomp’s Pond… We would picnic on the shores, roam the woods and return home late in the day. It was good for the soul. One of the best parts was dragging your hands in the cool water, from the canoe, on a hot summer day, snagging water lilies and cowslips as you went. Father and sons would fish sometimes and come up with a small sunfish or perch or – great day! – a pickerel. I remember one time, while we were threading the stream flowing from Pomp’s Pond, seeing a long black snake looped along the stream-side bushes.”

On September 18, 1998 Dick Eldred and Jim Batchelder did a taped interview with John Broderick in the Eldred home, about his memories of life on the river. John was born in 1915, lived in Abbot Village, and was referred to as the “River Man” by locals. John spent nearly his entire life boating on the Shawsheen River. He remembers “the boathouse as a large one story, barn-like shanty not well constructed or maintained. It sat on piers and had a ramp that extended into the water. An excursion boat tided up to it and ran tours up and down the river. It was a wide low boat with about a three foot clearance between the water and the bridge.” (on Central St.)

Oct 28, 1920 - Bk 433, p 61 - Horace Hale & Bessie Smith sold to Charles E and Blanche F. Foster, for “$1 and other valuable considerations”
Property description:
Two parcels on Lupin (sic) Road
“… assigns right of way over said premises from the land reserved by said grantors to Lupin Road” Is this the origin of the long sidewalk on the south side? Access to Henderson farm?