Shawsheen Village was named after the Native American name for the river Shawshin, which means Great Spring. Prior to Shawsheen Village this area was known as Frye Village. All the streets in the Village were named for Castles & Cathedrals in Great Britain.

York Street takes its name from York Minster Cathedral , seat of the Archbishop of York, second highest office in the Church of England. The Gothic Church is one of the largest in Northern Europe. There is also a York Castle, in York, England. A Norman castle built by William I

The north end of York St. was once part of the Walter Kaye property, and Smith & Dove Manufacturing Co. The Kaye home was moved to 22 Haverhill St. for construction of York St. Some homes nearer the entrance of Brickstone were first built in error on the entrance way to Wood’s Shawsheen Mills. Wood, away on tour in Europe, upon his return, saw the homes and said, “removed those home immediately” and so they were relocated to York St.

Andover Townsman (AT) - May 12, 1922 - The houses on York street extension are all completed, sewers have been put in and at the present time the street and sidewalks are being finished.

This home was not built as part of the Shawsheen Village development 1918 – 1924 but relocated here from another location. The 1922 map of Shawsheen Village clearly marks this house as the John Taylor home which meant, he was the occupant prior to it being relocated to this site. It is believed that the home was built on the north side of Haverhill St. on land now used as parking for Brickstone Sq.

William M. Wood, President of the American Woolen Company, hired about eight different architects to design the homes and structures for the village. Older homes that were saved and moved were done over and modified to blend in with the Colonial Revival architecture of the new village neighborhood. Homes were leased through the Homestead Association who had offices in the Post Office building on the corner of North Main & Poor Streets.

A walk down York Street will find a mix of the old and new as Wood moved a few older homes in Frye Village to sites on York St. and Balmoral St. Each home incorporates a different look, style and design modifications, most noticeable with the front door entrances. Decorative details on the corner boards and a variety of ornamental trellises add to the “icing on the cake, of the maintained original designs. Most of the homes now sport a variety of different colors no longer all white with green shutters as dictated in the original deeds.

After the death of William M. Wood on Feb. 2, 1926 most of the residential and commercial buildings were then sold. Some were held by the Wood family in the "Arden Trust" and others with the American Woolen Company, which had been deeded the property in December 1920. The A.W.Co. Board of Directors authorized its President, Lionel J. Noah, to deliver all deeds, as deemed necessary to the Textile Realty for sale on Dec. 29, 1931.

The Textile Realty then transferred ownership to the Andover Shawsheen Realty Company on June 30, 1932, holding the mortgage on the properties. T. Edwin Andrew, treasurer, was authorized to sell or lease the properties. With the Great Depression sales were sluggish and many homes were rented until the economy rebounded.

One of the first occupants of record to lease the home in 1923 were John & Elizabeth D. Smith. John was an operator at American Woolen Co.

This house was sold to Thomas H. Simpson on May 2, 1934. Simpson must have continued to lease the home as John & Elizabeth Smith remain at this address inn 1943. WIth the death of Thomas Simpson, his children inherit the property. Eight heirs are listed; Clarence, Joseph, George and Grace E. Simpson, Helen L. Baldwin, Dorothy E. (Simpson) Cahalane, Lillian G. Sturba and Virginia Simpson. Grand-daughter Dorothy E. Cahalane buys the home from the estate.

The property is then place in both Joseph A. & Dorothy E. Cahalane on Feb. 15, 1946. They held the property for two years then selling to Robert F. & Mary Helen Wilson on May 2, 1948.