Historic Sites East River Pl- Hampshire Rd

Name: Apartment house

Address: 1 East River Place

Date: built 1986

History: East River Place was laid out in the 1920s and can be seen on the 1927 Sanborn map. Lots on East River Place were sold by developer William Craven, who bought 2 1/2 acres of land on East Broadway from Arthur Walker, trustee for the estate of Edward F. Searles, in 1921. The first house, built in 1923 at 1 East River Place, was demolished by Beverly J. MacLeod to make way for the apartment house built at the same address in 1986.

Name: The Bleakney House

Address: 5 East River Place

Date: built c. 1940

The lot at 5 East River Place (lot 10 on the Craven plan) was bought in 1923 by Charles and Florence Bleakney, from Thomas and Ellen Bleakney who bought from Craven in 1922. The lot was not built on until c. 1940. Carolyn M. Burns purchased the house at 5 East River Place valued at $2500 and garage valued at $100 in 1945 for $6300.

Name: The Bleakney House

Address: 7-9 East River Place

Date: built c. 1922

Thomas and Ellen Bleakney bought 7-9 East River Place (lots 11 and 12 on the Craven Plan) from William Craven in 1922/23. The house was built c. 1922 and the garage before 1928. Other additions date from the 1930s. In the 1930s Charles and Florence Bleakney were part owners of the property. Charles was listed in the 1938 Directory as a mill worker, Thomas as a carpenter.

Name: The Bleakney garage/cottage

Address: East River Place

Date: before 1928

Thomas and Ellen Bleakney bought 7-9 East River Place (lots 11 and 12 on the Craven Plan) from William Craven in 1922/23. The house was built c. 1922 and the garage before 1928. Other additions date from the 1930s. In the 30s Charles and Florence Bleakney were part owners of the property. Charles was listed in the 1938 Directory as a mill worker, Thomas as a carpenter.

Name:

Address: 47 Elm Street

Date: c. 1856

History: This house was built at a time when only a few houses were scattered along Elm Street. Its rambling design may indicate that it was built in several stages. There was a farm house on this site as early as 1856. In 1884 it was the farm of Eli Richardson. By 1900 the property was owned by Thornton Brothers (probably George and Frank) who later operated a florist shop on the opposite corener of Elm and Woodland Streets. This house was occupied by Elizabeth Thornton, widow of George, in 1901. She lived here until about 1910. By 1915 (and until about 1930) Martha Gould, widow of Augustus, lived here. It was owned and occupied by Harriet McLearn from about 1935 unitl about 1945. The house remans occupied as a single-family home.

Name: Frank D. Thornton House

Address: 61 Elm Street

Date: ca. 1915

History: This house was built ca. 1915 at a time when only a few scattered houses lined Elm Street. It appears that it was built for Frank D. Thornton, a florist, and his wife Mary. Thornton lived here at least through the 1930s. Thornton worked as a florist in Lawrence into the 1920s and then opened a shop just south of the house, known as Thornton's Flower Cabin. Between 1938 and 1940 the house was acquired by Gladys E. Woodworth, proprietor of the Pine Acres Tea Room at 50 Woodland Street (along with Sidney Smith). 61 Elm remains a single-family home. This house is an excellent well-preserved example of its style and type. It is one of only a few in the area but very similar to the large collection of Colonial Revival houses in the Fair Oaks section of Methuen.

Name:

Address: 96 Elm Street

Date: 1919

History: This house was built in 1919 at a time when only a few houses were scattered along Elm Street. It was apparently built to accommodate two families. The first occupants were Edward J. Voyer, a banker and Max Steinberg, a mill worker. It seems that Voyer owned the building and lived here into the 1960s. Other occupants of the house included Thomas, Beliveau, an iceman (1920s) and John J. Catania, a salesman (1950s). The house remains occupied as a two-family residence.

Name: Forest Street Union Church

Address: Forest Street

Date: 1913

History: The Forest Street Union Church was built in 1913 on land that had been donated two years prior by Mary Adams Bearse. Bearse donated the land in memory of her mother, Jennie Klein Adams. The church was a member in the Conference of Community Churches. In the late 1950s the denominational affiliation was switched to the United Church of Christ. The congregation first worshipped in Methuen in 1870 when they met in the old Bartlett School. By 1886 they had formally organized a Sunday school. In 1901 Stephen Barker purchased the old school building and moved it to Lowell Street in a lot opposite the present church and donated it to the Sunday school. The first service was held on December 14, 1913 in the lower level vestry as the sanctuary had not been completed. The first minister of the church was Rev. Ernest C. Davis, previously of Riverside Congregational Church in Lawrence. Davis served the church until his death in 1920. He was succeeded by Rev. Oliver B. Loud, who remained at the church for 22 years. A complete renovation of the church was undertaken in 1944. At that time the organ was installed, moved here from the Searles Castle in the center of town. The same congregation continues to worship here.

Name:

Address: 24 Gill Avenue

Date:

History: This building was originally the Merrill School, a one-room schoolhouse located on Prospect Street opposite Timber Lane. It was named for Washington Merrill, a hatter who had a shop nearby. For 42 years, Grace Merrill Buswell was the teacher of this school. At first it accommodated eight grades and later three. In 1952, it was moved to this site and has been used as a meeting hall since that time. As late as 1906 there were three structures on this site belonging to the Arlington Mills Company; these are no longer extant.

Name:

Address: 31 Gill Avenue

Date: c. 1906

History: The earliest known owner of 31 Gill Avenue was Frank Oldroyd, a mill operative, who owned the house at least by 1906 and remained there through the 1940s. In 1950 the house was vacant, and in 1952, Oldroyd was listed in the Methuen directory as residing in Boston, with the notation "closed" beside his old Methuen address.

Name:

Address: Gleason Street

Date: c. 1892

History: Gleason Street was laid out c1890 by Charles F. Swain to provide access to the Gleason lot which he purchased in 1890. Swain subdivided the property, and built five houses on the north side of Gleason Street between 1890 and 1892. All of the houses present today are shown on the 1896 county atlas, while the 1884 atlas shows a vacant lot. Swain became involved in this area when he purchased the nearby house at 248-50 Broadway in 1886, and the adjacent factory building at 4 Gleason Street soon thereafter. 5 Gleason Street was built for his son, Frederick M. Swain. The others, which are shown on a single lot labeled C. F. Swain in 1896, appear to have been erected as rental properties, probably accommodating factory workers. The rather oddly proportioned and detailed house at 15 Gleason Street may represent a remodeling of the shop or barn that Swain was assessed for in the 1890s. Frederick erected a new house at 258-60 Broadway in 1901, directly in front of 5 Gleason Street. The factory was identified as the E. M. Clark & Co. Shoe Factory in 1872, as Clark Kent & Co. in 1884, and as the Knitted Fabrics Co. in 1896. Frederick Swain was listed as the foreman of this company in the 1896 town directory.

Name:

Address: 4 Gleason Street

Date: c. 1919

Razed: March 2002

History: This property began to be used for industrial purposes in the mid 19th-century. The factory which dominated the site for more than 60 years was built about 1860. It was first known as the E. M. Clark & Co. Shoe Factory and later Clark, Kent & Co. In 1884 it was taken over by the Knitted Fabrics Co. which came from Laconia , N.H. and for a short time around the turn of the century it was the Methuen Hat Works. Some time after 1911 and before 1919, it became the International Worsted Mills, at which time the old building was enlarged and the building now called 4 Gleason Street was constructed as a weaving room.

The mill site, including the Gleason Street building and adjacent house at 252 Broadway, was bought in 1935 by J. Arthur Wessell. A small laundry was located behind the house on Broadway. Wessell had previously operated a laundry at 48 Osgood Street. He continued in the laundry business at the Broadway address, and later operated the laundry at 4 Gleason Street. By 1938 the old factory and the house had been torn down and Wessell's filling station at 256 Broadway was under construction. Wessell's Laundry continued at least until 1949. Later tenants included Rex Potato Chips, Semiconductor Industries, and an electronics firm.

Name: Frederick M. Swain House

Address: 5 Gleason Street

Date: c. 1890

History: Gleason Street was laid out c1890 by Charles F. Swain to provide access to the Gleason lot which he purchased in 1890. Swain subdivided the property, and built five houses on the north side of Gleason Street between 1890 and 1892. All of the houses present today are shown on the 1896 county atlas, while the 1884 atlas shows a vacant lot. Swain became involved in this area when he purchased the nearby house at 248-50 Broadway (form # ) in 1886, and the adjacent factory building at 4 Gleason Street (form # ) soon thereafter. 5 Gleason Street was built for his son, Frederick M. Swain. The others, which are shown on a single lot labeled C. F. Swain in 1896, appear to have been erected as rental properties, probably accommodating factory workers. Frederick erected a new house at 258-60 Broadway (see form ) in 1901, directly in front of 5 Gleason Street. The factory was identified as the E. M. Clark & Co. Shoe Factory in 1872, as Clark Kent & Co. in 1884, and as the Knitted Fabrics Co. in 1896. Frederick Swain was listed as the foreman of this company in the 1896 town directory.

Name: C.F. Swain Rental House

Address: 7-9 Gleason Street

Date: c. 1890

History: Gleason Street was laid out c1890 by Charles F. Swain to provide access to the Gleason lot which he purchased in 1890. Swain subdivided the property, and built five houses on the north side of Gleason Street between 1890 and 1892. All of the houses present today are shown on the 1896 county atlas, while the 1884 atlas shows a vacant lot. Swain became involved in this area when he purchased the nearby house at 248-50 Broadway in 1886, and the adjacent factory building at 4 Gleason Street soon thereafter. 5 Gleason Street was built for his son, Frederick M. Swain. The others, which are shown on a single lot labeled C. F. Swain in 1896, appear to have been erected as rental properties in 1892, probably accommodating factory workers. The two at 11 and 13 Gleason Street were identical gable-end cottages. Frederick erected a new house at 258-60 Broadway in 1901, directly in front of 5 Gleason Street. The factory was identified as the E. M. Clark & Co. Shoe Factory in 1872, as Clark Kent & Co. in 1884, and as the Knitted Fabrics Co. in 1896. Frederick Swain was listed as the foreman of this company in the 1896 town directory.

Name: C.F. Swain Rental House

Address: 13 Gleason Street

Date: c. 1890

History: Gleason Street was laid out c1890 by Charles F. Swain to provide access to the Gleason lot which he purchased in 1890. Swain subdivided the property, and built five houses on the north side of Gleason Street between 1890 and 1892. All of the houses present today are shown on the 1896 county atlas, while the 1884 atlas shows a vacant lot. Swain became involved in this area when he purchased the nearby house at 248-50 Broadway in 1886, and the adjacent factory building at 4 Gleason Street soon thereafter. 5 Gleason Street was built for his son, Frederick M. Swain. The others, which are shown on a single lot labeled C. F. Swain in 1896, appear to have been erected as rental properties in 1892, probably accommodating factory workers. The two at 11 and 13 Gleason Street were identical gable-end cottages. Frederick erected a new house at 258-60 Broadway in 1901, directly in front of 5 Gleason Street. The factory was identified as the E. M. Clark & Co. Shoe Factory in 1872, as Clark Kent & Co. in 1884, and as the Knitted Fabrics Co. in 1896. Frederick Swain was listed as the foreman of this company in the 1896 town directory.

Name: Tenney Chapel

Address: Grove and Railroad Streets

Date: 1927

History: Discussions were held at the Baptist Meeting House in 1852 regarding the establishment of a new cemetery and in 1853 an "association of individuals" purchased the so-called Tenney/Wilson land for cemetery purposes. The mid 19th-century section of Walnut Grove Cemetery was laid out with winding pathways and plantings of shade trees in the tradition favored by contemporary designers of garden cemeteries. By-laws were written in 1861 and a receiving tomb was built in 1863.

In 1882, the William B. Green Post of the G.A.R. laid out a memorial lot and it was reported in the Transcript that there had been many improvements made to Walnut Grove in the previous ten years, with the addition of granite edging stones, fine monuments, broad avenues and ornamental trees. In the same year, Henry C. Nevins erected a monument to his grandfather John Nevins. This monument was designed by C. H. Weeks of Haverhill and hewn out of granite from the Nevins quarry in Salem, N.H. The cemetery was enlarged in 1883, 1907 and 1924.

In 1906 Charles H. Tenney built a family mausoleum which has a LaFarge window. He also replaced the old wall on Railroad Street. At that time there was discussion in the Transcript about the need for a chapel at the cemetery. The chapel was erected in 1927 by Daniel G. Tenney in memory of his parents, Fanny and Charles H. Tenney and given as a gift for private or public memorial services or for meetings of the corporation. The chapel and its furnishings were designed by Grosvenor Atterbury and John Tompkins of New York. The contractors were E. A. Peabody and Son of Lawrence. Painting on the chest, reredos panel and seats was by Martha Ruther of New York. Presentation of the chapel took place in 1928. Tenney was also responsible for the gift of a new gate and ornamental entrance at that time. The Chapel is the only element of the cemetery that is included in the STNHD.

Name: Sands' Bridge

Address: Hampshire Road

Date: 1835

History: This mortarless twin-arch sandstone bridge was constructed in 1835 to replace an earlier wooden bridge. It remained in use until 1963, when construction of Interstate 93 necessitated rechanneling of the Spicket River and realignment of Hampshire Road.

The bridge possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and association. It insignificant as the only local example of dry laid stone arch bridge construction and as a reminder of the pre-Rte.93 locations of the Spicket River and Hampshire Road. Thus, the bridge meets the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places.

Name: The Hampshire Road School

Address: 107-109 Hampshire Road

Date: 1911

History: The Hampshire Road School was built in 1911 to serve the growing school-age population in the northwestern part of Methuen. Designed by A.E. Lang, the school is very similar to the former Grosvenor and Tyler Street Schools in its use of wood framing, Colonial Revival detailing, and clapboard sheathing. The Hampshire Roads School is now a multi-family residential building. Most of the early 20th century schools built in Methuen are two story brick structures that are considerably larger. The building has been considerably altered from its original appearance. The entry porches had shallow hip roofs and rested on short paired columns with broad stone bases to match the foundation. Windows contained 6/1 sash and the siding was clapboard.

Name: Kimball House

Address: 255 Hampshire Road

Date: ca. 1850

History: Map research indicates that this farm house was built ca. 1850 for E. Kimball. It remained in the Kimball family through the 19th century and well into the 20th century. By 1885 the farm was occupied by Sylvanus G. Kimball. In 1914 both Thaddeus and Edward Kimball are listed in the town directory at this address. In 1938 Grace Kimball occupied the house, and it is still in the Kimball family.

Last Updated 9/4/07

Site Maintained by Dan Gagnon

Hosted by Valcom