WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBER, MARK PELLETIER!
The North Andover Historical Society welcomed new Board Member, Mark Pelletier at the Annual Meeting on June 12, 2024.
Mark is the managing principal of our Portsmouth New Hampshire office, which is dedicated to delivering exceptional designs in the custom residential, urban infill, and commercial markets.
Mark’s expertise has been honed over an impressive 25-year career spanning a broad range of building types and market sectors.
WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBER, LINDA SCHOONMAKER!
The North Andover Historical Society welcomed new Board Member, Linda Schoonmaker Connor at the Annual Meeting on June 12, 2024.
Linda majored in Liberal Arts at Bradford College and the University of Wisconsin. She has performed, directed, and designed for the past 30 years at venues in Chicago, Denver, and Boston. Linda’s background also includes extensive knowledge in costuming, set design, and improvisation! In fact, she has performed alongside some of Chicago’s Second City Alumni. Along with her position at Acting Out!, she is also the current Drama Director at North Andover high school.
WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBER, KYLE SCANDORE!
The North Andover Historical Society welcomed new Board Member, Kyle Scandore at the Annual Meeting on June 12, 2024.
A lifelong resident of North Andover and an avid student of history, Kyle Scandore brings his passion for the past and his legal expertise to the North Andover Historical Society. Kyle is an attorney in the Corporate Department at McLane Middleton, where he provides strategic legal solutions to a variety of business clients. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of Richmond and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. Kyle combines his professional skills with his love for history and deep understanding of the region to support the Society’s mission.
WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBER, THERESE LEONE!
The North Andover Historical Society welcomed new Board Member, Therese M. Leone at the Annual Meeting on June 12, 2024.
Banking professional since 1972, Graduate of St Mary High School 1971, Castle Secretarial School 1972, Hesser Junior College 1990-1992 studied business, also attended and completed the Sandbox Leadership Institute course in 2012-2013. In the years 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, I was a finalist for several awards through Enterprise Bank’s Celebration of Success nominations—in 2018 I was awarded the Excellence in Community Service Award. I received the distinguished YWCA Tribute to Women Award in 2012. Enterprise Bank Presidents Club award the last 15 years—8 of those years were Presidents Club Gold. I currently serve on three boards: Nevins Family of Services, and Debbie’s Treasure Chest. I maintain active with former organizations I served on such as the YMCA, Ambassador and Lazarus House.
JOANNA KERR NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NORTH ANDOVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The North Andover Historical Society (NAHS) has announced Joanna Kerr as the new executive director of the society, following four months as interim executive director. Kerr has already pushed the society to new heights with an increased presence in the community by enhancing and creating partnerships with local groups such as the North Andover Garden Club, North Andover Youth and Recreation Services, North Andover Public Schools, and Acting Out, a local theater group that brings live performances into the theater, in addition to spearheading the new solar exhibit, opening this fall, with its corresponding education programs. “North Andover is the special place it is today because of the prudence and actions of people who lived here before us, and we have a responsibility to pass this along to future generations,” says Kerr, executive director of the North Andover Historical Society. “I am excited and honored to take on this new position at NAHS, and work with many people, groups, organizations and the town itself, to help collect, preserve and share our incredible history.”
First Open House of the Season at the Parson Barnard House
Our First Saturday open house of 2024 at the Parson Barnard House was held on Saturday, June 1st! Don't worry if you missed it! Mark your calendar for our next open house event on July 6th!
Every Saturday of the warmer months through October, the public may visit the Parson Barnard House at 179 Osgood Street. Local tour guides can walk you though the house or you can do self-guided tour of the house and grounds, including the historically accurate medicinal herb and dye garden.
First Saturdays are a great opportunity to visit this iconic North Andover landmark, free of charge; but please consider a donation or purchase in our pop-up bookshop to help support our programs.
The Parson Barnard House will also be open on the following first Saturdays of Summer: JULY 6TH, AUGUST 3RD, SEPTEMBER 7TH AND OCTOBER 5TH.
WELCOME BOARD MEMBER, Michael Lenihan!
Michael is past president and board member of the North Andover Historical Society, past board co-chairperson of the Essex Art Center in Lawrence MA, and is a current volunteer Commissioner on North Andover’s Old Center Historic District Commission. Michael and his wife, Barbara, have been ‘stewards’ of the historic 1835 Daniel Stevens House on Osgood Street for over 25 years. He also ran a specialized management consulting firm helping companies with their revenue and sustainability strategies. In his spare time, he continues to hone his artist skills as a landscape painter having his art studio in his historic barn facing the North Andover Common.
Diane's Cafe on The Common is Now Open!
Gather for homemade baked goods, fresh coffee drinks, breakfast, treats, and North Andover History!
AUTUMN CAFE HOURS: Wednesday - Sunday: 8-2
Registration is Open for Adventures In Time!
Our Summer Enrichment Programming is back and bigger than ever! Take a look at our offerings and register online!
We are proud to announce our integration into The Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Card to Culture
We are proud to participate in Mass Cultural Council's Card to Culture program in collaboration with the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Public Health's WIC Nutrition Program, the Massachusetts Health Connector, and hundreds of organizations by making cultural programming accessible to those for whom cost is a participation barrier.
“All The World’s A Stage” Local Community Theatre Program Brings Monthly Play Readings to the North Andover Historical Society’s Worden Theatre
The vibrant community of the Merrimack Valley is set to come alive with the launch of a new monthly theatre event at the state-of-the-art Worden Theatre at NAHS’s community hub, the Stevens Center. Proudly presented by the North Andover Historical Society, this exciting program promises to captivate audiences with a series of thought-provoking and hilarious stories. Penned and directed by lifelong North Andover resident Robert E Kellan MD, eye surgeon, novelist, and playwright; the play readings will be staged in collaboration with the Acting Out Theatre Company of Lawrence, whose mission is to reward local talent with the opportunity to be part of the theatre experience.
Stevens Center Achieves SECOND Net-Zero Certification!
Once again, the Stevens Center was awarded a Net-Zero certification, thanks to our solar panels and a geothermal well system for heating and cooling our headquarters. In 2023 we produced more energy than we consumed!
Child's Play is OPEN!
The North Andover Historical Society's newest exhibit is all about fun! Child's Play will feature toys, photographs, and other objects from our collections, which help to tell the story of how childhood was experienced in North Andover over a period of 100 years. How did kids play, what did they play with, and how did play help to prepare them for adulthood? Bring the whole family! This exhibit will include many interactive activities for even our youngest visitors.
Historical Society Announces New Trustees
June 14 - The North Andover Historical Society is pleased to welcome two new trustees to its Board of Directors, which now numbers 11. All appointments were voted on during the Society’s Annual Meeting held on Wednesday, June 14, 2023:
Deepak Nagarajan, a North Andover Resident, is a Software Engineer at Cisco Systems and holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno. Deepak is passionate about fitness and volunteers for his children’s basketball, volleyball and cross-country clubs. In his free time, Deepak loves tinkering with DIY electronics.
First Saturdays to Begin for 2024!
Every Saturday of the warmer months through October, the public may visit the Parson Barnard House at 179 Osgood Street. Local tour guides can walk you though the house or you can do self-guided tour of the house and grounds, including the historically accurate medicinal herb and dye garden.
Qualified Charitable Distribution
Do you have an IRA? Are you at least 70 ½ years of age? If so, making a gift through an IRA charitable roll-over may be right for you!
A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) allows individuals who are 70½ years old or older to donate up to $100,000 per year to one or more charities directly from a taxable IRA instead of taking their required minimum distributions. As a result, donors may avoid being pushed into higher income tax brackets and prevent phaseouts of other tax deductions.