About Our Collections

The Society collects in order to preserve the story of North Andover for use in research, educational programs, and exhibits from the 17th through 21st centuries. Our collections database has over 12,000 records about artifacts, photos, archives, and books as follows:

  • Artifacts: 4,551

  • Photos: 1,766

  • Archives: 4,994

  • Library: 718

A single record in the database contains many pieces. Thus, in the archives, one record number is given to a whole box of documents.  For artifacts, a record might represent a whole tea set or a group of chairs. 

Original Collection

The Society's collection contains many artifacts from the personal collections of the Society's founder and first president, Samuel Dale Stevens. He was an admirer of Wallace Nutting and shared with him the enthusiasm for things from the past, particularly from "America's Golden Age." He amassed significant collections of furniture, lighting devices, pewter, hand tools, and textile equipment.

Additions to the Collection

Are you looking to donate family or historical items to the North Andover Historical Society? We accept donations of objects, photographs, documents, and memorabilia that help to tell the story of the town of North Andover and its residents. Donations must have a historical tie to the town, but they don’t necessarily need to be “old”. The newly renovated Stevens Center has climate-controlled storage and offers archival housing for all collections.

The North Andover Historical Society is very grateful to the following people whose gifts have expanded and enhanced our collections. Notable donations have come from the estates of Miss Fields estate; Anna Howes estate; Harold Dushame; Tom Rockwell; Bob Stevens and many other donors over the years:

  • Jim Batchelder

  • Sandra Gleed

  • Barbara Dillon

  • Martha Larson

  • Josephine DiMauro

  • Ken Rea

  • Robert Foster

  • Robert Stevens

  • Estate of Helen Whitlock