Mark Newman House - ell addition

The Deacon Mark H. Newman house (now 18 Ridge St.) once stood on the corner lot of Central & School Streets where the current Episcopal Church building is located. The house is a Federal period structure which had its center main entrance facing Central St. and two large wings off the rear of the house.

It is said Newman boarded boys from Phillips Academy here. Mark was married twice, first to Sarah Phillips and then to Abigail Dodge. Mark died on June 15, 1859. His daughters Margaret Newman and Hannah N. Fay sold the house and property to the Proprietors of Protestant Episcopal Church also known as Christ Church Parish on November 21, 1885 for $6000. The next month the Christ Church Parish put the Newman house up for auction provided it was moved off the site.

Dec. 11, 1885 Andover Advertiser (AA) p2 – The Henry [sic] Newman house, corner of School &Central Streets will be sold at public auction tomorrow afternoon at 3’ o’clock.
Dec. 18, 1885 AA p9 - The Mark Newman house was sold last Sat. to Mr. Dennis O’Brien. Mr. Dennis O’Brien has purchased two house lots on School Street, near the B & M Station of Messrs. Abbott & Jenkins, he intends moving his Mark Newman house to that place.

George L. Abbott and William S. Jenkins were Andover business partners in the building firm Abbott & Jenkins building contractors located on Essex St. in the former Andover – Wilmington Railroad buildings. The two carpenters purchased the land of 4 1/4 acres at the lower end of Brook and School Streets in 1877 and created Ridge Street about mid 1882. The Birdseye view map of Andover in 1882 does not show Ridge St. The first house lot sold in August 1882 at #8-10 Ridge St.

Dennis O’Brien did move the house and the two back addition ells down to this location. The main house was placed on a high, ground floor cellar foundation and the two wings were placed on the lot to the east and north of the house creating four separate buildings for tenement housing. The houses at #14–#16 and #18 Ridge St. and #77 School St. comprise the original parts of Newman house. O’Brien converted all the structures into income rental apartments with the plan to rent to workers at the mills of the Smith & Dove Manufacturing Co. and the Tyer Rubber Co. nearby.

When O’Brien died his estate was auctioned off and the properties purchased by John J. Sweeney on May 26, 1900 for $2670. Sweeney held until his death in 1929. The Sweeny heirs sold to Patrick Daly in January 1929 and the Daly family held the property for 28 years. It sold to Westport Realty Trust in Jan. 1957. Westport Realty Trustees were; Guy B Howe and Amita M. & Charles P. Howe of Andover. The property was surveyed in August 1959 and a map Plan #4034 divided up the lot and houses into four separate lots including #75 School St.

The properties changed hands several times in the years that followed and were finally sold off separately in the 1970’s. Rosalie V. E. Dodd purchased this property on July 29, 1977 rec. Sept. 7, 1977. Roselie, known as Lee Dodd, owned her Real estate firm in Andover and was a successful and well respected business woman. This house was income for her. Lee placed the deed into the Dodd Realty Trust on Mar. 23, 1993. She owned for 25 years then selling to Chad M Pimentel & Jeana L. Flahive on July 9, 2002.

55-32 B 0.111 acres