Although dances had been held in Andover at "The Grove" on Pole Hill and other places, Shawsheen Village became the center of entertainment in the 20th century. In addition to housing and an aesthetically pleasing work environment, William Wood, its founder, provided his upper and middle management with planned recreation. While the Balmoral tennis courts and playing fields found many revelers, the dance floors at the cafeteria and the Balmoral Spa were the sparkling jewels of Shawsheen Village. Thanks to these venues, dancing in Andover captivated young people for many years, long outliving Wood's initial influence.
Wood began the dancing trend in Shawsheen Village in the summer of 1920. According to Edward G. Roddy in Mills, Mansions, and Mergers, Wood held grand parties for American Woolen officials at his estate, Arden, in June and July. Thousands attended, enjoying a luncheon, boxing and wrestling matches, and in a separate tent, a jazz orchestra for dancing. Accordingly, Shawsheen in the 1920s came to more closely resemble the gaiety of Gatsby's West Egg than a somber New England mill town.
The Balmoral Spa only added to the suburban opulence of Shawsheen. Located on the corner of Balmoral and North Main Street, it housed within its marble columns a pharmacy, barbershop, hairdresser, ice cream parlor, and a large hall used for movies, theater and dancing. But in fact, the majority of dancing took place outside at "the Gardens" during the summer months. The dances there began in 1921, flourished during the 1930s and the era of Big Band, and ended with the start of World War II.
Bernice Haggerty describes the scene in the early 1930s at the Gardens in Andover: A Century of Change: "The Balmoral Spa was open every Wednesday and Saturday. It was decorated with shrubbery and beautiful lights, and a shell for the band. Roland Russell's orchestra played big band music. The floor was red slate, and there was a ticket-taker at its edge—three dances for twenty-five cents."
When it was too cold to dance under the stars at the Gardens, the cafeteria opened its doors. Intended to serve a dual purpose of eatery during the day and theater entertainment at night, dances began in 1923. It became so popular that eventually a large ballroom with a specially treated dance floor was built—The Crystal Ballroom.
As Haggerty explains in her 2001 article for the AHS newsletter, the ballroom got its name from the crystal ball that hung above the dance floor. She wrote, "When the dancers glided across the floor to a romantic ballad, the light would be dimmed and the rotating ball reflected facets of light around the room." Open on Friday and Saturday nights, it, too, featured the musical styling of Roland Russell's band. Even the great Louis Armstrong played there in February 1932. Unlike the Gardens, it remained "the place to be" for young people throughout the war and into the 1950s.
Shawsheen's Balmoral Gardens and the Crystal Ballroom supplied lingering moments of the "Roaring" and carefree 1920s, during the hardships of the Great Depression and World War II. But even today among a wider variety of leisure activities, a passion for dancing lives on in Andover. Although these classic venues no longer welcome those who wish to Jitterbug or do the Shag, the Town House on Main Street has held dances in recent years, thanks to the popularity of DCS's Ballroom Dancing classes. An interest in having these dances return on a regular basis might even intro
"Andover Stories" is a weekly column about interesting local people and events, told in anticipation of the Andover Historical Society's 100 anniversary in 2011.
Crystal Ballroom revisited
The Crystal Ballroom will come alive again this September at the Andover Town House. Sponsored by The Andover's Village at Home and the Andover Senior Center, there will be a monthly ball, including dance instruction and ballroom dance exhibitions, the second Sunday of every month during the evening. Watch for a story next week in the Townsman.
