Elm Square - Past and Present

The building in this image was mostly likely built as the private home of Captain Joseph Sibson sometime in the 1700s, but it is best remembered as the home of Abbot Furniture. Opening around 1840, Abbot Furniture was a fixture in Elm Square for many years. (Note the elm tree in the foreground of the picture.) Owned by Herman and Joseph Abbot, this shop produced and sold wooden furniture for thirty years. The building burned to the foundation in May of 1870, and the property was sold to the town. Within a year, the site would become the home of Memorial Hall Library. Photo: AHS collection, # 1938.35

E.A. Edwards - Hairdresser, Elm Square, Circa 1860

This tiny shop was actually typical of many small businesses in the early to mid 19th century. Cobblers, blacksmiths, roadside eateries, and other businesses were often small shacks near a main thoroughfare or in the back yard of a home. This small shop, complete with a stove for heat (note the chimney), was located in the center of Elm Square, right beneath the tree that gave Elm Square its name. You will see the same tree in other photographs in this exhibit. Sometimes referred to as the Centennial Elm, it was deemed a traffic hazard and removed in 1919. Photo: AHS collection, # 1987.598

Elm House, Elm Square

Built by Captain Benjamin Ames in the late 1790s, this large building was known as Ames Tavern until around 1813, when Ames died, and the property was bought by William “Master Billy” Foster, who renamed it. The Elm House was a fixture of Elm Square for almost a century. Occupying roughly the same plot of land where the Musgrove Building now stands (though further back), Elm House served as a way station for travelers heading north to New Hampshire or south to Boston, providing food, bed and a hub for transportation.

In its last years, Elm House was owned and operated by Mr. Bean.  Bean also kept a very large barn and stable to the rear of the house which sheltered horses and carriages, which were made available to guests of the inn, local Andoverites, and students from the local academies for transport around town. Over time, the Elm House became more of a boarding house than temporary lodging. It was rumored that by the end of the 19th century, the proprietors made more money selling illegal alcohol from the back door of the kitchen than by letting rooms or serving meals. The building was purchased by John Flint in 1894 and demolished to make way for the Musgrove Building, although the stables survived for several years after, becoming storefronts in the 20th century. Photo: AHS collection, #1989.616

The Musgrove Building

John Flint demolished the old Elm House when he purchased it in 1894. In its place, he built a triangular red brick office block.  Completed in 1895, the Musgrove Building was considered an architectural marvel. The building was named for the late Sir John Musgrove, a former Lord Mayor of London, who had left a large bequest to Flint’s in-laws.  The building was visited by architectural students from across the country and frequently mentioned in architectural journals for its fine detail and innovative design. It featured all the modern amenities, including electricity and an elevator.

Among the first tenants in the Musgrove Building was the U.S. Postal Service. While the main entrance and the postal clerks were situated in the front of the building, mail was delivered in bulk, sorted out, and carriers dispatched from the rear of the building, which is how Post Office Avenue got its name. Other early tenants included the Allen Brothers Pharmacy, HF Chase’s Bicycle Shop and Photographic Supply Company, Barnett Rogers Real Estate, and the American Express company, which at the time was still an express freight shipment company. The third floor space was rented out to the Andover Men’s Club, which it was said could be found alternately performing charitable activities around town or frustrating their neighbors with late night carousing, card games, and drinking.

Note the Elm House stable still standing to the back of the Musgrove Building in this image. This structure would eventually be replaced with retail shops. The space between the Musgrove building and 2 Main Street would be significantly reduced with the construction of the Simeone block in 1933, creating the narrow Post Office Avenue that exists today. Photo: AHS collection #1987.598.14

Where are the cowboys?

This image dates to about 1895 and was taken from the second floor window of the Musgrove building. The dirt road, horse and buggy hitched up outside the flat roofed building with a veranda, and wooden frame houses seem more like an image out of the Old West than Andover at the turn of the 20th century.  Many of the buildings on the west side of the street still exist today.

Photo: AHS Collection #1989.638

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