Recently while working on a another project I came across a printed program dated 1900 from the North Andover Grange, which was located in the Old Center. On either side of the events listed for the day were local advertisements. One in particular caught my eye—”Walnuthurst Farms”. Located on Andover Street. Where on Andover Street? The detective part of the Archivist’s job got underway. An early suggestion from a local historian indicated it was perhaps around the present day Franklin school, as that is where Melemed’s Turkey Farm used to be. I found D.H. Meserve listed in the 1893 North Andover Town Directory and it said he lived on Andover Street “near the Andover line”. That had me wondering if he was located at the Burke Farm (later Burke Realty). The farmhouse is located on Route 125, and the land behind is now residential in the form of Cotuit Street.
The Meserve family came to the area and settled in Lawrence in the mid 19th century. By the 1870s they were moving out to North Andover and starting up local businesses—John was a butcher on Pleasant Street and Charles sold groceries on Main Street. In time David joined them. David had been born in New Hampshire, moved up North to Maine where he met his wife Elizabeth and they moved out to Iowa. They had a son, and few years later relocated to Lawrence, Massachusetts to live with David’s father William. He took work as a clerk, then started a provisions store called “Coffin & Meserve”. By the early 1890s he had earned enough he was ready to move into North Andover as well and, in his late 50s, David bought 276 Andover Street and started a diary. The business was fairly short-lived, from the early 1890s until 1907, when he retired back to Lawrence to live with his son Mosher who had done very well working his way up through the Treat Hardware Company to the position of Treasurer. They had a house on Hillside Avenue.
The Farm was bought by the Burnsides, and later the Melemeds bought the property. The farmhouse is still there, and the land is now divided up, in part where the Franklin School stands. The Melemeds farmed the land for decades, including keeping turkeys. Talking to a Society member, he recalled being in Miss McGovern’s first First Grade class in 1958, and seeing the turkeys at recess. I’ve heard said it’s where we get the nickname “Turkey Town” !
