In this collection of lively essays, local historian Dan Gagnon captures the spirit of Methuen, Massachusetts as he traces its colorful history. Founded in 1726 and the only community in the United States called Methuen, its citizens’ stories are as singular as its name. Readers will be engaged by characters as diverse as native sons Robert Rogers, 18th century founder of Rogers’ Rangers; Edward F. Searles, fabulously wealthy recluse with a passion for castle-building; and Clarence Munroe Walton, chronicler of life on a sugar plantation in 19th century Hawaii. Gagnon draws word portraits of Methuenites who shaped the world in ways large and small, from sports writer and war correspondent Edward J. Neil, Jr., whose compelling words reached millions; to inventor Frank Wardwell, whose adjustable hat shade spared hundreds from sun glare. Lifelong residents, recent transplants, and visitors alike will find enjoyment in these entertaining and enlightening vignettes that illustrate the life and times of a New England town

A Struggle for Basic Rights

   On July 14, 1917 a procession of sixteen women holding banners walked in single file to the White House gates in Washington, D.C. They were protesting President Woodrow Wilson’s lack of support for a basic right of democracy—a woman’s right to vote. Each protester knew that she risked ridicule, physical abuse and even imprisonment for what she was about to do. For Methuen native Eleanor Calnan it was worth the risk.

A Woman Marine

   In the late afternoon of December 7, 1941, 19 year old Winifred McComish, Winnie to her friends, was just finishing Sunday dinner with her family in Methuen. A radio announcer reported that the Japanese had just attacked the military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Winnie and her family looked at the radio in stunned silence.  Her father, a World War I veteran, knew this was the beginning of a costly world war. But the petite, nineteen-year-old could never imagine it was the opening act of a life-changing experience as a United States Marine.

A Symbol of Tolerance

   On Easter Sunday, April 18, 1897, the Augustinian Fathers from St. Mary’s Church in Lawrence held a dedication Mass in the newly built church on the corner of Broadway and Park Street in Methuen. The church was named St. Monica, in honor of the mother of St. Augustine. This Mass culminated a nearly fifty year struggle to establish a permanent place of worship for the Irish Catholic community and ushered in an era of religious and cultural tolerance that is enjoyed in our community to this day.

A Trust Betrayed

   On Thursday, February 28, 1878, Charles Whittier told his wife he was going to Boston on some business. He was the Town Treasurer and Collector, so it was not unusual for him to do this, and he had done so often. What was out of the ordinary was that by Saturday he had not returned. Instead, Whittier’s wife received a letter from him stating he had run off with all of the town’s available funds. Thus began one of the most bizarre incidents in Methuen’s history.

Killed in the Line of Duty

   Sometime around 1 AM on the morning of August 1, 1923 the Methuen Police received a call about an attempted burglary in the west end of town. Someone, the caller reported, was trying to break into a camp on the Merrimack River, near the Roseland Ballroom.  Officers Arthur Bower and John McDonald were sent to investigate. Within the hour, this seemingly routine call would leave one officer lying in the street mortally wounded and the other beginning one of the strangest unsolved investigations in Methuen Police history.

Methuen: An Eclectic History Bibliography

128 pp.
$19.99
Over 40 Black and White Photographs