Some Community History

Andover is in Essex County and is part of the Boston-Quincy-Cambridge, Massachusetts-New Hampshire metropolitan area. It was named after the town of Andover in Hampshire, England, which was close to the original home of a number of the first residents.

Fascinating facts are that the General Court of Massachusetts in 1642 designated a portion of the land in what became Essex County for a plantation in what is now Andover. To encourage settlement by colonists, they were offered immunity for three years from levies, taxes, and services except for military service. They purchased a piece of land from the local Pennacook tribal chief for “six pounds of currency plus a coat” but with a condition that a local Pennacook man would be allowed to use a local source of water and plant his corn.

Interesting places to eat in Andover MA

The Andover Inn

If you want a historic atmosphere, this inn is on the campus of Phillips Academy. First built in 1930 on the site of a stone building where Harriet Beecher Stowe once lived, it is three-stories in the Georgian style featuring a recessed porch having white columns flanked by two wings and the back of the building now overlooking a pond but which had previously featured the view of a large perennial garden that had been tended by the wife of the original innkeeper.

Town Market

For modern delicious dining for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with indoor and outdoor seating, head for the family-owned Town Market with its cozy cafe, in-house bakery, and fresh food market with community specialty products. All the food is prepared fresh right there using local ingredients, and you will be served with neighborhood hospitality.

You will find the finest quality gourmet coffee, refreshing tea, freshly baked loaves of bread, muffins, freshly baked cookies and other bakery treats, made-to-order sandwiches, creative freshly made meals to eat there or take out, their famous pizza, craft beer and wine, decadent ice cream and yogurt that are beloved homemade family traditions, other desserts, and all the right dishes at the right prices. They were named as the Best Gourmet Market and received an Editor’s Choice award from “The Best of Boston.”