A GUIDE TO PROTECTING AND PRESERVING OUR PAST

May 2

North Andover, Mass., May 2, 2025 – The history of North Andover is well documented and preserved thanks to dedication of the citizens of North Andover, and the North Andover Historical Society (NAHS). This month, NAHS focuses on sharing their skills and knowledge with the community so more history can be preserved and protected.

Programs will take place in the Worden Theater, located at 800 Massachusetts Avenue in North Andover. Registration is required for these events and can be found on our website: www.NorthAndoverHistoricalSociety.org. Free for all NAHS members; guests are $10. Donations are always welcome.

Tuesday, May 6, 6:30 pm
Protecting and Preserving your Family Treasures

NAHS Archivist, Robin Siegel, will guide guests through the intricate art of preserving photographs, documents and books. Siegel has 15 years of experience in museum collections and archives. She has worked at many museums and historical societies over the years, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She also has a strong background in local history, having run the Boxford Historic Document Center since 2019.

Tuesday, May 20, 6:30 pm
Exuberant and Exotic

Christie Jackson and Susan Hill Dolan, Curators for The Trustees of Reservations, will guide us through the preservation of the scenic wall murals at the Stevens-Coolidge House.

June 3: *Sustainable Stewardship of the Loring Bailey House (*Academy Road) with NAHS Board member and MIT grad, James Worden.

Tuesday, June 3, 6:30 pm
Sustainable Stewardship of the Loring Bailey House

NAHS Board member and MIT grad, James Worden, has led the field in designing solar panel systems and vehicles. Over the past 15 years, his passion has been restoring the historic 1819 Loring Bailey House on Academy Road. By doing so, James outlined a model of Sustainable Stewardship that we can all utilize in the restoration and preservation of our own historic homes. Jois us as we all learn from Worden about his experience and challenges!

Friday June 13, 6:00 pm Reception, 7:00 pm Documentary

North Andover's Farm Legacy (documentary) The North Andover Farm Legacy Project, co-chaired by Anne Stork and Michael Smolak, has created a new documentary series to preserve and celebrate the farming history of North Andover. The series includes oral histories, interviews, old photographs, documents, and much more that reflect on aspects of that history, as well as document the challenges local farmers face today in sustaining our farms and preserving our bucolic landscapes. This is the premiere of the first documentary in the series. The event includes a light reception starting at 6:00 pm, followed by the Farm Legacy documentary and a panel discussion. This is a free event for everyone. This program is a collaboration between the North Andover Historical Society and North Andover CAM.

Beyond the focus on preservation, two additional programs will be offered:

Tuesday, May 27, 8:00 pm
Star Party and Lecture with the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club

* Following the half-hour lecture, we will walk up Academy Road to a telescope viewing area near the Parson Barnard House.

Brewster LaMacchia of the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, will lead a lecture on astronomical history, followed by a viewing through high powered telescopes, handled by volunteers from the NSAAC. We suggest being ready for a short walk around dusk; bring water, bug spray, and comfortable shoes. Donations to the Astronomy Club will be appreciated during the program.

Saturday, May 31, 2:00 pm
All the World’s a Stage: Tenement Echoes

The last play reading of the “All the World’s a Stage” season features the work of North Andover resident Dr. Robert Kellan and the actors of Acting Out! Theater Company. Tenement Echoes is set in Lawrence, a 1920 textile mill town in the Merrimack Valley. The area attracted immigrant families’ grateful for the minimal wages that provided for a difficult but improved quality of life. WWII imposed additional hardships, which, along with the community concert of laughter, tears, pain, sorrow, love, joy and disappointments, created a cacophony of Tenement Echoes.

About the North Andover Historical Society
Founded in 1913, the North Andover Historical Society is a 501(c)3 charitable non-profit organization. It has long held the Johnson Cottage as its historic base, fanning out across town with historic sites under its wing including the Parson Barnard House and Barn, the 1825 Hay Scales Exchange, the 1829 Brick Store, and the 1833 Hay Scales Building. Within the past two years, the renovated Stevens Center museum on the North Andover Common, has become the new hub of NAHS, housing: archives and collectables, rotating historic exhibits on the museum floor, a theater with seating for up to 70 people in what were once Omni Theater seats, a permanent display of green tech explaining the Net-Zero building, Diane’s Café, and meeting and social rooms (many of these spaces are available for rent). For more information, please visit www.NorthAndoverhistoricalSociety.org.