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. Riverina Rd however is the exception.
Riverina takes its name from the Australian rich lands where the finest wools in the world are grown and is the name of a large territory in Australia.

It is interesting to note that George M. Wallace, who lived in Aberfoyle, was the private secretary, close friend and confidant of William M. Wood. Wallace was the agent for the Riverina Mills, in Medford, MA from 1918-1926.It was Wallace’s suggestion to Wm. Wood that the waste wool of the company’s mills could be reclaimed for the manufacturing of carpets. The Riverina Mill was extremely successful under his direction.

The entrance to Riverina Rd from Haverhill St. was once the site of the Smith & Dove Mill, the first mill in the country built for the production of linen threads from flax.

This home was built as part of the Shawsheen Village development 1918 - 1924 by William M. Wood, President of the American Woolen Company. Wood hired about eight different architects to design the homes and structures for the village. Clifford Allbright was the designer of every home built on Riverina St. during this period. Homes were leased or sold through the Homestead Association who had offices in the Post Office building on the corner of North Main & Poor Streets.

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, window boxes all added the “icing on the cake, of the 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 Co. 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 1926 were John & Bessie Mullen. John was an electrician for the American Woolen Co.

This house was sold to Gertrude A. Newcomb, wife of Arthur A. Newcomb on June 2, 1943. Arthur was in sales with WLAW in Lawrence, (radio station?)
Newcomb sold after three years to Walter C. & Barbara D. Wilson, Jr. on June 3, 1946. The Wilsons owned for 11 years then selling to Alphonse & Theodora B. Lukas on Dec. 27, 1957. Alphonse b. 1923 and wife Theodora b. 1921 owned a Rest Home, thr Randolph Nursing Home at 102 Burnham Rd. They purchased it in Feb. 1961 and sold in 1969. Alphonse and Theordora had a parting of the ways shortly after and this property was deed to Alphonse in 1975.

Alphonse Lukas placed the deed in his name and Dorothy Birtles on Oct. 17, 1983. Alphonse died on Aug. 25, 1990. Dorothy inherits the property and the deed is placed into William A. Birtles & Dale E. Johnson on June 21, 1991.