North Andover's inland location and its distinctive landscape features — its rivers and lakes, hills and fertile soils — were instrumental in shaping the agricultural and industrial history of the community from the earliest Native American use of the land to the present day.

North Andover originally was the political and religious center of a larger 17th century settlement that included Andover, North Andover and the eastern part of Lawrence. First called Cochiechewick Plantation for the tall trees and rivers, the area was reserved by the General Court in 1634 for an inland plantation; the first settlement was established in 1643 by residents of the coastal towns of Ipswich and Newbury. Although there were boundary changes throughout the 18th century, it was not until 1855 that Andover split into two separate towns, one being North Andover including the Old Center which was the North Parish.

The early agricultural economy was assisted by the grist and fulling mills along Cochiechewick Brook. As an important textile center of Massachusetts, manufacturing of woolen cloth began as early as 1802 when the first textile mill was established. In 1813 the Stevens Mill, the second textile mill of North Andover, was established and began manufacturing broadcloth and flannel. In the mid-19th century a new industrial center emerged at Machine Shop Village with the establishment of a machine shop in 1851 and the first train depot in 1853. In spite of this important industrial center, the M.T. Stevens Mills dominated the industrial scene throughout the 19th and much of the 20th century. Thus the pattern of North Andover’s development was established by the evolution of the mill village with mill worker’s housing near factories, church, factory owner’s residence and stores. Outlying areas remained predominantly rural with a number of farms and a few large estates.

The population increased substantially throughout the 20th century with the success of the textile mills, attracting many immigrants to the area to work in the mills. The population of less than 5,000 in 1890 nearly doubled to just under 10,000 in 1950. In spite of the closing of many mills when businesses moved south, a substantial increase in population occurred in the second half of the 20th century due to suburbanization and the construction of Routes 93 and 495. By 2000 the population rose threefold to over 26,000 residents.

From North Andover Reconnaisance Report, Essex County Landscape Inventory, Massachusetts Heritage Landscape Inventory Program (pdf document)

See also:

1985 Massachusetts Historical Commission Reconnaissance Survey Town Report