Frye Village Stories: Poor Wagon Shop founder William Poor (part 1)

A Shawsheen Village 100 Story

Before Shawsheen Village Frye Village Stories: The Poor Wagon Shop, part 1

William Poor was a wheelwright and carriage maker who built his Wagon Works on the raceway draining out of Poor’s Pond at the then corner of Poor and North Main Streets. (Now the pond on the Arden estate.)

Poor was born in the North Parish of Andover on October 12, 1805. For 65 years of his 90 years, he lived in Frye Village across the street from his business.

1872 map detail of Frye Village

At age 21 William apprenticed to his grandfather George Bradley. It was under Bradley’s skillful direction that William soon became an expert wagon maker.

William first went to work in Methuen and was living there when he married Hannah Gleason White of Andover in 1829. Together they had four children: Martha, Julia, Joseph, and Charles.

In 1833 William and Hannah settled in Frye Village, Andover, where William opened his blacksmith shop on North Main Street. (The wagon shops were approximately where the First Christian Church Scientist is located today.) Other family members soon joined the business. In 1838 William’s younger brother Jonathan Poor joined in the work as wheelwright. In 1846 son Joseph joined his father’s business at age 16. His youngest son Charles also worked in the wagon shop for many years.

By 1850 the business was well established and included a Wheelwright shop, Blacksmith shop, Lumber house, and Carriage house.

ACHC #1989.89.41

ACHC #1976.013.35

As the business grew, Poor acquired more land and buildings. Andover Advertiser, May 1867:William Poor purchased land... and is about to erect a building 32’ x 42’, two and a half stories, for the painting and blacksmithing branches of this carriage manufactory.

The building now known as the “Arden Casino” is all that remains of this important Andover industry.

ACHC #1938.15.8

ACHC #1992.1538.2, Ice cream delivery wagon built by Poor Wagon Works for Allen Hinton

The business continued to grow. In December 1884, the Andover Advertiser reported that William Poor has built a new flume and put a turbine wheel into his wagon manufacturing at Frye Village. The wheel is 12 inches in diameter and takes the place of a wooden one just sixteen times as large.

William retired from the business in 1895, at age 90, and handed the business over to his son Joseph. William died three years later in December 1898.

A family of abolitionists

William Poor was an abolitionist, as were other members of his family, and their homes and business have been linked to the Underground Railroad as safe stations for people escaping from enslavement as they headed north to Canada.

Next story: The next generation of the Poor family