Boston & Maine Railroad

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Construction of a railroad to connect Andover to Wilmington began in 1835 funded by investors Hobart Clarke, Abraham Marland, Amos Abbot, John Smith and Amos Pettingill. The line opened on August 8, 1836 and was called the Andover and Wilmington Railroad. The depot at that time was on Essex Street (Andover Playhouse). This station was used until Lawrence was created and the rail line was extended into Lawrence. In the 19th century independent lines were built that connected one town to another. To go through a series of towns, walk to another station and board another train. In Wilmington travelers boarded the Boston and Lowell Railroad.

In 1834, Haverhill requested and obtained authority to extend the line to Central Village in Haverhill. The line was extended through New Hampshire during the 1840's to the Maine border under the name of the Boston & Maine Railroad. After the line was connected to Boston in 1846, people used the railroad for day trips to and from Boston in the summer.

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--Eleanor 16:31, May 15, 2006 (EDT)
--Leslie 10:14, June 4, 2012 (EDT)

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