Institution

Built circa 1900, this site held a canoe livery that people could rent and explore the Spicket River north of the Methuen Falls Dam. - Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian. 

Canoe Livery/Harris Boat House

Welcome to the Magical History Tour! This tour, supported by the Nevins Memorial Library and Methuen historian Dan Gagnon, is available year-round through Clio. Join us annually in October for more material, food, and a community town walk starting at the Nevins Memorial Library! Admission is free. Check our website, www.nevinslibrary.org, for information on our events and for sign-ups.

The land and most of the buildings along the south side of Hampshire
Street between Broadway and Lowell Street were owned by the Methuen Company during
the latter half of the 19th century. This house is said to have been built in
1859 and according to William Barnes, it was a tanner and currier shop, with a
hat shop owned by Bowen and Grosvenor in the basement. It may not have belonged
to the Methuen Company at that time. However, D. Nevins, who purchased the
Methuen Company in 1864, is shown as the owner&nbsp;on
the 1872 map; on later maps the Methuen Company is shown as the owner. It was
rented for a mix of commercial and residential uses.<p>This
house is similar in detail to the old Waldo/Currier Block (300 Broadway),
rebuilt after the 1849 fire which destroyed many buildings in the area . A
photograph of the Edwin J. Castle Drug Store in the Currier Block can be found
in the Christmas Supplement of the Methuen Transcript (1898) at the Methuen
Historical Society.<br></p>

<p>&nbsp;A Chinese laundry was located in the building from about 1900 until the
Methuen Company sold the building in 1922 to the Methuen Club, a group of local
business and professional men. From the 1920s to 1975, the building was used as
a clubhouse with bowling alleys, billiard tables and card tables. Since the
mid-70s, the building has housed one of Methuen's more popular restaurants.</p>

Originally a tannery and currier shop, this structure later housed a popular restaurant.

1859 House

The land and most of the buildings along the south side of Hampshire Street between Broadway and Lowell Street were owned by the Methuen Company during the latter half of the 19th century. According to the Methuen Transcript, the small store at 4-6 Hampshire Street was built by the Methuen Company in 1885. It was described as being one story with a basement, 30' x 35', and the "handsomest store in Methuen." It was constructed by W. J. Nichols and painted by D. C. Rollins. Its first occupant was Silas Holman who sold dry and fancy goods. Holman, who occupied both sides of the store, was still in business at that site in 1901/2. In 1932, it housed a First National Store, and a Tailor Shop.&nbsp;<span>- Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.</span>

The Methuen Company once owned this area of Hampshire street, providing goods and services to the thriving mill town.

Methuen Company Store

Construction of the Odd Fellows Building designed by Lawrence architect
George G. Adams and dedicated in September of 1899, was the culmination of a 20
year effort by the Hope Lodge of Methuen to build a permanent home. It was
built on the site of a prominent early landmark, the so-called "Old Shoe
Shop." The contract for construction went to Albert E. Lang of Lawrence
who began work in October of 1898 and completed the building in less than a&nbsp;year.
The Post Office and two stores occupied the first floor. The second floor was
divided into seven offices and a small lodge room. A large lodge room occupied
the third floor, while a banquet hall, kitchen, and smoking room were located
on the fourth floor. According to the Methuen Transcript, the ceiling of the
lodge room was steel, and the finish of the interior was "elaborate."

<p>Hope
Lodge 34, I.O.O.F. was instituted in Methuen in 1844 by a group of prominent
citizens including John Low and George A. Waldo. Although, initially an active
chapter, the group surrendered their charter in 1855. Interest was revived in
1868 and the charter returned the following year with Daniel T. Morrison (who
lived at 11 Park Street) elected as first noble grand. In 1879, meeting rooms
for the Lodge were located in the James Dodge Store (271 Broadway). At the time
of construction of the new Odd Fellows Building on Hampshire Street, the
organization was in a strong financial position and had a membership of more
than 200 individuals.</p>

The home of the Methuen-based Hope Lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows was originally an elaborate four-story clubhouse, featuring a post office, stores, and a banquet hall.

The Odd Fellows Building

<p>The
first Exchange Hotel, at one time also known as Low's Hotel, was built on this
site in 1807 to serve travelers on the 1806 Essex Turnpike (Broadway). The
major Broadway/Hampshire intersection was originally called Exchange Square,
demonstrating the importance of this building. Fire destroyed the original
building in 1857 along with the hotel stables, two other livery stables, five
houses and most of the Currier building across the street (300 Broadway) which
was burned to the first floor. The 1860 Directory lists Alvah Kimball as the
landlord of the Methuen Hotel. This hotel was acquired by Silas Q. Hersey in
1873, who operated it until his death in 1891. The building, which had for many
years been the home of the Methuen Club, was acquired by Edward F. Searles in
1897, and remodeled in 1906 for use by the Y.M.C.A and again in 1915 as the
Masonic Temple. A plaque on the building describes the dedication to Edward's
father Jesse G. Searles.&nbsp;According
to Barbin, remodeling of the Exchange Hotel was done according to plans by
Searles' architect Henry Vaughan. Vaughan altered the roof line making it flat,
(probably changing the old gable to the present hip). He added the tower at the
north end and made a gymnasium on the second floor. The exterior was stuccoed
and embellished with classical details. Changes in 1915 were mostly internal.</p>

<p>Significant
repairs were made to the front wall of the building in 1882, and in 1883
fifteen gas chandeliers were installed, greatly improving the lighting in the
hall. Significant alterations were made in 1930 when the meeting hall was cutup
into office space and Colonial Revival exterior detail was added. The architect
for these alterations was John H. Feugill; Louis C. Cyr was the contractor.&nbsp;- Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.</p>

This historic hotel was converted to office space in 1930.

Exchange Hotel

<p>Centralization of economic activity around the Methuen Cotton Mills (47 Osgood Street) and the rise in smaller local businesses that manufactured hats and shoes caused the town center to shift to the area around Osgood Street, Hampshire Street, and Broadway. Town meetings were held in the First Church, Congregational, which moved its meeting house to 30 Pleasant Street in 1832, and by the 1850s the town had grown sufficiently to require construction of a Town Hall. Prominently situated at the corner of Broadway and Osgood Street, the Town Hall was built in 1853, on the site of Rufus Howe's Blacksmith shop. The Methuen National Bank had its offices in the first floor of the town hall from 1853 until 1911 when the bank relocated to space across the street in the former Dodge Store (271 Broadway). Before construction of the new Central Fire Station in 1899 (24 Lowell Street), the hook and ladder and hose wagon were stored in the basement of the town hall. The building functioned as the town hall until 1959 when the present municipal building was constructed on the site of the Nevins Estate on Hampshire Street.&nbsp;&nbsp;- Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.</p>

Built in 1853, this building housed Methuen's town hall before its move to the Searles Building.

Old Town Hall

<p>271 Broadway was built in 1879 for James S. Dodge by local builder M. G. Copp. Earlier buildings on this site, including the so-called Hoyte House, were torn down and parts removed at this time. James S. Dodge and Son, Grocers, were located at 271 Broadway until 1901, when the building was purchased by Edward F. Searles. In 1904, Searles moved the J. G. Frederick house from the south side of Park Street and added it to the Dodge building, known for a time as the Turnpike Hotel. Subsequent occupants included the Methuen National Bank and the Methuen Hotel and Tavern. The building originally housed an Odd Fellows Hall, which, according to the newspaper, was frescoed by the firm of Austin and Blake of Haverhill and decorated in a very fine manner. This room was in use until the Odd Fellows built their own building at 5-7 Hampshire Street in 1899.</p>

<p>James S. Dodge was born in 1826 in New Boston, N. H. He and his family lived for a time&nbsp;<span>in Andover and came to Methuen in the 1860s. In 1866 he purchased Samuel Webster's grocery business, then lodged in the Methuen Company Store building at 42-46 Hampshire Street. Dodge's business prospered and in 1879 he erected the store at 271 Broadway, where he and his son, Selwin, catered to a large trade. In 1891 they installed electric lighting and in 1893 they employed 7 clerks and kept 4 teams. An advertisement in the 1896 directory declared them to be dealers in fine groceries, teas, coffees, spices, hardware, cutlery, farming and garden tools, seeds, lawn mowers, King Arthur flour, a variety of choice dairy products, and Moxie Nerve Food. James was a prominent member of the community, as was his son Selwin, who served as a member of the Board of Selectmen and a member and officer of the Republican Town Committee. James died August 3, 1906.</span></p><p></p>

This historic store, built and owned by James S. Dodge, sold flour, groceries, and other sundries in the late 1800s.

James S. Dodge Store/Turnpike Building

Most of the early wooden bridges over the Spicket were replaced in the 1830s by stone arch bridges. On Osgood Street, the single arch bridge below the falls, built in 1831, was rebuilt in 1869 and 1876. - Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.

Stone Arch Bridge

This bridge, a relatively recent construction, commemorates the life and accomplishments of Walter “Red” Winn. Red was a pillar of the Methuen community and a longtime building manager at the Nevins Memorial Library. This footbridge abuts a park that contains a three-sided statue representing the legacies of the Searles, Tenney, and Nevins millionaire families of Methuen.

This bridge, a relatively recent construction, commemorates the life and accomplishments of Walter “Red” Winn. 

Red Winn Bridge

<div>According to an account published in the Transcript in October 1905 the first known reference to use of the falls was found in a deed belonging to David Nevins. The deed, from the widow of John Morrill, dated December 1709, conveyed to Robert Swan, for the sum of thirty pounds, one-forth of a saw mill and land "on Spicket river falls, the mill that was built by and belonged to and amongst Robert Swan, John Morrill and Elisha Davis." Afterwards, a grist mill was built on each side of the river, and as there was not enough business to keep them both busy, they agreed to run on alternate weeks. This arrangement kept up until the first cotton mill was built by Stephen Minot in 1814. It burned in 1818, and in 1821 the land and water privilege were purchased by the Methuen Company, which built a new mill in 1826-1827 (47 Osgood St). The Methuen Company was acquired by David Nevins in 1864. The company quadrupled in size between 1870 and 1881 and it was during this time that the new dam was built. A lithograph "View of the Falls and Mills on the Spigot River, Methuen, Mass." shows the Methuen Company buildings c1836-37.</div><div><br></div><div>The Methuen Company was acquired by Boston investor David Nevins in 1864. Under Nevins, who also owned the Pemberton Mill in Lawrence and mills in Salem and Webster, the Methuen Company quadrupled in size between 1870 and 1881, producing cotton duck, cotton flannel, ticking, awnings, and jute bags. Increases in production required additional water power and in 1880, the old wooden dam was replaced by a new dam built of granite from Nevins' Salem, N.H. quarry (Lowell St). The Methuen Company remained in business into the twentieth century and was for a time part of the Arlington Mills (NR). By the 1930s, the buildings were rented for other industrial uses. The Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites states that the Methuen Mills complex is one of the best preserved textile mill sites in the lower Merrimack Valley.</div><div><br>An account of construction of the dam in the Transcript in October 1898 stated that the center portion of the present dam was built in 1880 by David Crockett. It took the place of the old dam, constructed principally of wood, which was about 12 feet up stream. (The front of the old dam was wood, with stone in the rear to prevent the wood from being forced out.) The stone for the new dam came from a Salem, N.H. quarry owned by David Nevins. Holes half the size of a cannonball were carved from the tops and bottoms of each stone so that a cannonball could be fitted in between each layer for reinforcement. The dam is said to be about 140 feet long with the highest fall of water being about 23 feet. On the right end, the fall is not as high. This section was constructed about 10 years before by Mr. Simmons, a Lawrence contractor. A contemporary photograph shows the dam with a wooden walk way across it, which was completed in November 1880.&nbsp;&nbsp;<span>- Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.</span><br></div>

Once a prominent feature of Methuen, this old mill site has since been converted into apartment buildings.

Methuen Co. Mills 1, 2, 3 and Methuen Falls

<div>Discussion regarding the need for the town to purchase fire apparatus took place as early as 1836, but it was not until 1847 that the first hand tub was bought and the Spiggott Engine Company created. A steam engine, purchased in 1870, lead to organization of the E. A. Straw Company in 1871 and the Mystic Hose Company was organized to man a hose carriage purchased in 1878. In 1887, the town voted to purchase a hook and ladder truck, which was manned by the C. H. Tenney H. &amp; L. Company. A system of alarm boxes came into service in 1888. Edward F. Searles donated a new hose wagon to the town in 1891 and the Mystic Hose Company was renamed the Paul Methuen Hose Company.</div><div><br></div><div>Fire apparatus was first kept in an engine house built around 1847 to house the hand tub "Spigot," which was located on the island on the south side of Lowell Street. That building was unable to accommodate the newer equipment purchased after 1870, so the hose wagon and hook and ladder were kept in the basement of the town house (290 Broadway). Construction of the long-needed Central Fire Station did not happen until 1899. The new station housed the steamer, hook and ladder, and hose wagon. The new building contained sewer-connected stalls for eight horses, sleeping quarters, and three brass polls. Although the building was lit by gas, the lights were operated electrically. The sounding of the alarm activated the lights and opened the stall doors so that the horses could take their places under harnesses which were suspended from the ceiling. The station was designed by Lawrence architect John Ashton.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div>

This building represented a major upgrade for Methuen's fire services when it was constructed in 1899.


Central Fire Station

The town of Methuen began planning the widening of Lowell Street in 1909. The old stone bridge was reconstructed and the old fire house of 1846/47, located on the island on the east side of Lowell Street, was demolished. Work on the road and the new bridge was completed in October of 1910. The electric car tracks were re-laid and improvements included new iron fences along the bridge and safe sidewalks. An 1836 lithograph shows a wooden bridge. Most of the early wooden bridges over the Spicket were replaced in the 1830s by stone arch bridges. On Lowell Street, the bridge at the island, built in 1832, was first widened and rebuilt in 1869. - Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.

This bridge spans the top of the Methuen Falls, a dam that was important to the mill that existed in the area during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Patriots Bridge/Lowell Street Bridge

Now the Quinn Public Safety Building, the original house was built in the 1680s for the Swan family. Eventually, Methuen Industrialist and Boston investor David Nevins purchased the old farm house and expanded it for his needs. The final Nevins owner was Harriet Nevins, who donated it to the MSPCA who created a rest home for horses. The farm house was used by the director to stay when visiting the farm. - Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.&nbsp;

Once the home of one of Methuen's most distinguished industrialists, this site is now occupied by the Methuen Police Department.

Nevins and Swan House Site

<p>The Nevins Memorial Library is a functioning public library serving the Methuen area. The family of David Nevins Sr. is associated with the development of the Methuen Cotton Mills, the infamous Pemberton mill of Lawrence, and numerous ventures, including Nevins Park, a residential section near the Library grounds. The Library is located on a landscaped tract with many imported trees and botanical specimens. The Nevins family graves are at the rear of the library, marked by a boulder and plaque. An 1896 statue by C. Moretti, titled "Angel of Life," is situated near the grave site. - Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.</p>

<p>The Nevins Library is significant as a well preserved institutional building, the only public/private library in Methuen. It was built as a result of the philanthropy of the family of mill owner David Nevins and was designed by recognized architect Samuel J.F. Thayer. This building was donated to Methuen by the Nevins family in the late 1880s. - Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.</p>

Nevins Memorial Library

<p>In 1897, Edward F.
Searles acquired the property of S. Q. Hersey including the Exchange Hotel on
Broadway, the adjoining hotel livery stable, and a house facing on Pleasant
Street. In 1900 he created a private guest house called the Red Tavern, which
is said to have been made up out of several earlier houses. This reworking and
moving of existing buildings was a common practice of Searles and his
architect, Henry Vaughan who was responsible for the renovations. In 1909 the
Methuen Transcript reported that the Red Tavern had recently been opened to the
public, providing English style accommodations. It was run for Searles by
Carrie Barnes, his house keeper for many years. According to Smith B. Williams,
Searles left the Red Tavern to Mrs. Barnes in his will.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Red Tavern was purchased by Howard Freedman
in 1946, who made several additions. According to advertising material from
that period, the Red Tavern had 21 rooms, many of which were paneled in oak or
walnut. Several rooms had large fire places and the decor continued to reflect
an English theme.<b></b></p>

This tavern functioned as a guest house for Edward Searles, prominent Methuen millionaire, during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Red Tavern

<p>The Civil War Monument, in its time called a "model of taste", was given to the town of Methuen by Charles H. Tenney, local benefactor and highly respected member of the community. Tenney came to Methuen in 1868 and started building his fortune with the C. H. Tenney Hat Factory. He later opened a commission house in New York. Returning to Methuen in the summers, he built a magnificent stone residence in the 1890s called "Grey Court" (37 Pleasant St) on the hill overlooking the monument site.</p>

<p>The site was deeded to the town in 1887 and by November of that year the stone work for the monument had been completed. Thomas Ball is said to be the sculptor. The Dedication took place on July 24, 1888 and was reported in complete detail in the Methuen Transcript.&nbsp;&nbsp;- Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.</p>

This site features prominent memorials to several wars.

Civil War Memorial and Park

<p>In 1880, the Methuen Transcript reported that architect C. W. Damon of Haverhill completed plans for the Congregational Vestry (Phillips Chapel), which was to be built of stone, 30 x 73 feet. While the new building was under construction, the old one was to remain in use. It was moved to a vacant site in front and later to a site on Railroad Street owned by David Nevins. The old vestry was used for a few years as a Mission School.</p><p>C. Willis Damon, was born in Pawtucket, R.I. and died in Haverhill in 1916. He was a graduate of M.I. T. and taught drawing in the Boston Public Schools before joining his brother Charles Page Damon to form the firm of Damon Brothers. C. Wills Damon seems to be the better known of the two and is credited with design of the Haverhill City Hall, Portsmouth Court House and Tilton Seminary in New Hampshire. Locally he was responsible for the Phillips Vestry of the First Congregational Church, a house for Daniel W. Tenney at the corner of Broadway and Pleasant Street, the Tenney Stock Stable and renovations to the Tenney Gate House. Local carpenter Jesse A. Towne did the carpentry work and a new Sanborn furnace, made locally was installed to heat the building.<br></p>

<p>&nbsp;- Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.</p>

Made of stone, the First Congregational Church is one of the architectural highlights of Metheun. The cornerstone was laid in September 1881 without ceremony. On May 13, 1882, the Rev. J. H. Selden was ordained in the church. The Transcript story of the ordination was accompanied by a cut of the church which showed the old vestry. 

The First Congregational Church

<p>According to Ernest Mack of the Methuen Historical Commission, the house at 37 Pleasant Street was built by Richard Whittier (brother of Ebenezer Whittier) between August and November of 1830. Originally a rough stone farm house, the building was purchased in April 1882 by Charles H. Tenney, who converted it to the elegant gate house which is presently being restored by the Tenney Gate House Assoc.</p>

<p>The Methuen Transcript reported on September 1, 1883 that the veneer of cut stone, a tower, and other Queen Anne style features were being added. Architect C. Willis Damon, who also designed the Stock Stable for Charles Tenney, was born in Pawtucket, R.I. and died in Haverhill in 1916. He was a graduate of M.I. T. and taught drawing in the Boston Public Schools before joining his brother Charles Page Damon to form the firm of Damon Brothers. C. Wills Damon seems to be the better known of the two. Locally he was also responsible for the Phillips Vestry of the First Congregational Church and a house for Daniel W. Tenney at the corner of Broadway and Pleasant Street.</p>

<p>Tenney had begun developing his estate, building walls and opening roads in 1882. In the next several years, the roads were macadamized, ponds built, ornamental trees planted. Additional property was acquired for the estate, which eventually totaled 75 acres. The name Fair View Park and Grey Court, begun in 1890 was completed three years later. The gate house is the only structure of the extensive estate to survive intact and can be seen in many of the historic photographs of Grey Court.</p>

<p>This building possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, and workmanship, and meets the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places.&nbsp;&nbsp;<span>- Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.</span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

This gatehouse is all that is left of the sprawling Tenney estate.

Tenney Gatehouse

<p>The
Searles High School was built in 1904 for the Town of Methuen by local
millionaire and community benefactor Edward F. Searles. It was designed by
Henry Vaughan who also responsible for other Searles commissions such as the
Serlo Organ Hall (1899-1909), the Central School (1904), All Saints Episcopal
Church (1904), and the Railroad Station (1908). The building remained a High School
until it was replaced by the new Tenney High School in 1952. It became an
elementary school until 1975 and school department offices until 1983. The
building was then sold to the Bergmeyer Development Company. They developed the
building for office space, opening in 1986. In 1992, the building was
repurchased by the town for use as a town hall.</p>

<p>&nbsp;This
building possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, and
workmanship, and meets the criteria of the National Register of Historic
Places.&nbsp;&nbsp;- Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.</p>

This enormous structure was a school until 1975 and housed school department offices until 1983. Now it is the site of Methuen's City Hall.

Searles Building

<p>In 1846, there were four houses on Charles Street, none of which remain. Of the existing houses on the south side of the street, all but two date from the 1860s and 1870s. On the north side, the four story Tenney &amp; Company shoe factory was built in 1868 during a period of post-Civil War expansion by brothers George W. and Daniel W. Tenney, who formed Tenney and Co.in 1865. They worked in a small shop on Hampshire Street until 1868 when their new, four-story factory building with "French roof" at 2 Charles Street was completed. According to the 1885 Sanborn Insurance map, the first floor was used for sole cutting, the second for upper cutting, the third for stitching and dressing and the fourth for buttoning. The Tenney brothers continued together in business until their retirement in 1888, after which the building was sold to other manufacturing interests.</p>

<p>Daniel W. Tenney and George W. Tenney, born 1832 and 1835 respectively in Salem, New Hampshire, were sons of John Tenney and Hannah Woodbury. Daniel lived at the corner of Broadway and Pleasant Street and George directly across the street. George's house was built in 1892; Daniel's, which was designed by Haverhill architect C. W. Damon, in 1879. Brothers J. Milton Tenney and Charles H. Tenney were in the hat business, C. H. Tenney and Company, beginning in 1869.&nbsp;- Description courtesy of Dan Gagnon, historian.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

This factory was part of the Tenney family's wealth.

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