HISTORY OF ANDOVER.

CHAP. I.

TOPOGRAPHY.

ANDOVER, in the county of Essex, Mass. situated on the south easterly side of the Merrimack, 20 miles N. of Boston, 16 NW. of Salem, 20 S. westerly from Newburyport, 8 S. of Haverhill, and 467 from Washington, is bounded on the NNW. 10 miles and 307 rods by the Merrimack, which separates it from Dracut and Methuen; on the NE. 146 rods by Bradford, and 7 miles and 241 rods by Boxford; on the SE. 3 miles and 66 rods by Middleton; on the S. 4 miles by Reading, and 2 miles and 285 rods by Wilmington; and on the SW.6 miles and 197 rods by Tewksbury. It was originally bounded by the Merrimack, Rowley, Salem, Woburn, and Cambridge, which formerly included Billerica and Tewksbury.

The town is well watered. It has the Merrimack the whole length of its N. westerly side. Cochichewick brook, issuing from Great Pond, in the NE. part of the town, after a N. westerly course of about one and a half mile, empties into the Merrimack, a little more than a mile below Andover bridge, and furnishes a number of good and safe mill seats, on which there are now three factories for wool and one grist mill; two grist mills have lately been stopped. The Shawshin rises in Lexington, passes through Bedford, the easterly part of Billerica, NW. part of Wilming

ton, and S. easterly corner of Tewksbury, enters Andover at the SW. corner, has a N. easterly course, dividing the South Parish diagonally, and is discharged into the Merrimack, about a mile below Andover bridge about 60 rods above the Cochichewick, and is about three rods wide. There are upon it, three factories for wool, a machine factory, a paper mill, three grist mills and two saw mills; one grist and one saw mill near its mouth, in 1823, were taken down. A short stream empties into Shawshin at Frye's Village, on which is a grist mill, saw mill and a fulling mill. Near to this is a small stream on which is a trip hammer. A small stream from Foster's pond had mills upon it. A stream a little above Andover bridge has had a saw mill upon it; also the stream from Haggett's pond. Rose meadow brook empties into Great Pond and has a saw mill upon it near its mouth. The water of these streams is discharged into the Merrimack.

Musquetoe brook, Boston brook, river meadow brook, and Frye's brook, have mills upon them, and discharge their water into Ipswich river. Besides these, there are brooks and springs, which supply water for every farm and house in the town. Good water, at a small depth below the surface, may almost every where be obtained.

Great Pond, so called, in the NE. part of the town, about a mile from the Merrimack, is a fine clear basin of water containing about 447 acres, and is well stocked with fish.. Before obstructions on the brook, multitudes of alewives passed into the pond, and large quantities were taken from the brook for the use of the inhabitants, and they also furnished a revenue to the town.

Haggett's Pond, in which are two small islands, is in the west parish, more than a mile from the Merrimack, and contains about 220 acres. It is thought that this pond may be turned into the Shawshin for the benefit of the mills and factories.

Foster's pond in the south parish, contains 50 acres. The water runs into the Shawshin, above Ballard's mills; and, it is said, that the pond may be easily drained. Pomp's, formerly Ballard's Pond, near the Shawshin, empties into it, a short distance below Ballard's mills. It contains 37 acres. The channel of the brook has been cleared in some degree, to let off more of its water in a dry season. With a little labour, two or three feet of water may be led from the pond into the river for the benefit of the mills below. These ponds are well supplied with small fish. Beaver dam pond in the SE. part of the town contains 33 acres. lebe's pond, near to it, contains two acres.

As

The Merrimack formerly abounded with salmon and shad, which were also taken plentifully in the Shawshin. Considerable quantities of shad are still taken in the Merrimack, but very few salmon. Alewives were taken in great quantities from the streams emptying into the Merrimack. They were sometimes put into the hills of corn with much effect; but some have thought them injurious to the land.

On each side of the Shawshin and of most of the brooks, the meadows are numerous and good. Near the banks of this river is a sandy rich loam. In the south west part of the town, the plains are of considerable extent. The wood on this land is chiefly pine; but oak often succeeds the pine. In the northwest part of the town, the land is somewhat stony and hilly, and is hard of culture but sufficiently rewards the labour of the husbandman. Oak is the principal growth; but there is some walnut, maple, pine. Wood and timber from the banks of the Merrimack are often rafted down the river to Newburyport. The easterly part of the south parish is undulating, somewhat rocky, moist, hard of culture, but fertile and amply remunerating the industry and skill of the cultivator.

In the north parish, the land is uneven, rising into

large hills, affording fine and delightful prospects and scenery. "Its surface is elegantly undulating, and its soil in an eminent degree fertile. The meadows are numerous, large, and of the first quality. The groves charmingly interspersed, are tall and thrifty. The landscape every where varied, neat and cheerful, is also, every where rich." The natural growth is, the several kinds of oak, walnut, maple, pine, elm, oilnut, ash, cedar in some swamps.

"This parish is a mere collection of plantations, without any thing like a village." The houses are generally good, some are large and elegant. The barns are large

and well built and indicate a fertile and well cultivated soil. "Upon the whole, Andover is one of the best farming towns in eastern Massachusetts."*

The south parish has a considerable village, extending north of the meeting house, also, easterly to some extent round the Institution, and westerly near the factories. The houses are generally well built, handsome and in a good state, and afford a fine appearance. A large portion of them has been erected within twenty or thirty years, The town is adorned with ornamental trees near almost every dwelling house and on the sides of the streets.

The public buildings in the north parish are a meeting house built in 1753-Franklin Academy, a neat one story building. In the south parish, a meeting house erected in 1788-near to it, a vestry-three large elegant brick buildings and a steward's house for the Theological Institution, an elegant brick building for Phillips academy-a Samaritan house-a Masonic hall of brick three stories erected in 1826--an elegant brick building for the Andover Female Academy to be soon completed. In the west parish a stone meeting house built in 1826. There are fifteen school houses for the town and three houses for private schools.

* Dr. Dwight's Travels.