Abbot, Benjamin, House
Why it's listed
Standing on the west side of the Shawsheen River in Andover's Old South Parish, this farmhouse is traditionally dated to 1685 and was certainly built before 1720. It is believed to have been built for Benjamin Abbot when he married Sarah Farnum. Abbot was a farmer and fence surveyor. The house began as a one-room dwelling with an end chimney and grew in four stages, adding a two-room section, a rear lean-to, a small extension for well access, and finally a raised lean-to, an ell and a barn. It remained in the Abbot family until 1933. It is valued as the earliest standing house of the Abbot family, which had more men on Andover tax lists between 1705 and 1767 than any other. Its heavy pine and oak frame, front garret overhang, raised-panel fireplace wall, mud-and-straw walls and great fireplaces survive in remarkably original condition.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be an extremely well preserved First Period dwelling and the earliest surviving home of the locally important Abbot family, the most prolific family of Andover's settlement period. It is also architecturally significant because it retains most of its original fabric, including the garret overhang, early 18th-century panelling, mud and plaster walls and great fireplaces.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 75000242, listed February 24, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 9 Andover St., Andover |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | February 24, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75000242 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1685? |
| Architectural style | New England Colonial (First Period) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition, altered, on its original site, and in use as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.64647, -71.15251 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 75000242.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4888171
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.