That castle is familiar to anyone who grew up in the city of Methuen, Massachusetts as "Searles Castle" which can be seen from various points in the city, but only when you're looking for it. It now sits on the grounds of the walled-in Presentation of Mary Academy. Now overgrown and mostly inaccessible from the general public, one can only hope that it can be restored to its former grandeur. My last attempt to get a closer view, several decades ago was stopped when I viewed two doberman pinschers runnig in my direction.
The City of Methuen was a town when I was growing up. It's notable features were numerous neo-gothic buildings and castle walls that abounded in the hilly downtown area. Several buildings in the city now are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Like it's neighboring mill cities of Lawrence, Lowell and Haverhill, the city of Methuen has been looking a bit shabby in the past few decades.
With a glorious architectural legacy that includes the Nevins Home and the Nevins Library, the Searles High School that now serves as City Hall, the Red Tavern building, the Methuen Memorial Music Hall, and numerous private residences, the city will always be an interesting place for people to live and grow.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to live in a town which had history living on its streets and not in a place of endless gated subdivisions separated by Jiffy Lube and Walmarts and Dunkin Donuts franchises, but I'm sure Methuen now has those too.
1 comments:
Maybe I should go on a photo expedition to Methuen. I love those 19th century gothic buildings. There are quite a few of them in Cambridge as well.
It must be something about manufacturing towns. Most people don't realize it now, but Cambridge had a large manufacturing base and was also the "Candy City" and had more manufacturers of candy than any city in the USA.
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