A large section of land now occupied by the recently renamed Merrimack Health Methuen Hospital (formerly Holy Family) on East Street was once a thriving 19th-century, 70-acre farm owned by Nathanial Gorrill and his sons. Their two-story colonial-style farmhouse, constructed of oak, pine and maple, was said to be one of the finest of its type in the area. But it was Nathanial’s eccentric sons and a rumor of a hidden fortune that makes this an interesting story.
Nathanial came to Methuen from Salem, N.H., in 1832 with his wife, Lavina, and adolescent sons, Mark S. and Nathaniel W., after purchasing the then-42-acre farm on East Street. He added another 28 acres to his property in subsequent years. His abutting neighbor along Brook Street was Jeremiah “Daddy” Frye, owner of the popular Frye’s Tavern and namesake of Daddy Frye’s Hill upon which they both lived.
The Gorrill farm produced potatoes, corn, peas, beans, hay, oats, butter and eggs. For livestock, they kept just a few milk cows and working oxen, one or two pigs and several dozen chickens. They also had an apple orchard of about 100 trees. A 20-acre section of woodland was commonly known for many years as Gorrill’s Woods. Nathanial supplemented his income with several investments in properties and mortgages in Lawrence.
Lavina and Nathaniel died in 1866 and 1867, respectively, leaving the farm to their sons. The two men were in their late-40s at the time and never married. They lived rather reclusively in the home, revealing very little of themselves to neighbors and others. Their only open interaction with the public was selling fruit and produce in the area. They were also invested in properties and mortgages, mostly in Lawrence. Nathanial W. was particularly shrewd in mortgage lending, a skill passed down from his father. They were said to be fair and honest in their business dealings but very frugal in their personal lifestyles. While they continued to work the farm profitably, their home fell into a state of disrepair due to a lack of maintenance. It hadn’t been painted in years.
Mark died at home in January 1895, at age 78. Nathanial died there two months later at age 75. The Methuen Transcript claimed that Nathanial’s death had been hastened by despair over the loss of his brother. They were buried with their parents at the Walnut Grove Cemetery. A large and impressive monument marks their graves, indicating that they were not poor.
While it was generally acknowledged that very little was known about the two men, a few likely unfounded rumors circulated about them after their deaths. But the rumor that likely got considerable attention was the claim that they had secretly hidden a fortune around the property.
The extent of the brothers’ frugality was revealed after their deaths. There was some speculation that they had amassed a combined wealth of $250,000 (an inflated equivalent of about $9.6 million in 2025). The total cash payout from their estate isn’t known, but it was substantial. These simple-living farmers were actually some of the wealthiest men in the area. They had no will and no direct surviving family members. Their estate was divided among 11 cousins.
Edward F. Searles bought the Gorrill property in 1900. He also owned the former Frye property and most of the land extending out to Pleasant Street between Pleasant View and Jackson streets, which he turned into his expansive Highfield farm. He was said to have been fascinated with the old Gorrill farmhouse and had it renovated as a home for the farm’s caretaker. As he typically did, he had a tall stone wall built all along his East Street property to shield it from the public.
After Mr. Searles died in 1920, the house was abandoned and once again fell into disrepair. It was destroyed by a fire set by vandals in 1926.
In 1946, trustees of the Searles Estate sold 73 acres of property along East Street to the Bon Secours Hospital Inc. The land and remaining structures were cleared a few years later to make way for the construction of the new Catholic hospital facility. The Bon Secours Hospital opened in 1950. It became the Holy Family Hospital in 1985.
As for the rumored hidden fortune on the property, shortly after Nathanial died, a top-to-bottom search of the house uncovered several valuable papers and documents hidden in such places as old clocks. An item in the Methuen Transcript in 1936 reported that a local man attempted to follow up on a hunch by searching the ruins (the heavily damaged building seemingly remained on the site for several years after the fire). What he found was several worthless old bonds hidden behind a hollow-sounding section of wall. The only fortune known to be left behind by the Gorrill brothers was the unexpected windfall collected by their cousins.
Ken Doherty is a lifelong resident of Methuen. He served on the Methuen Fire Department from 1980 to 2010. He is the Fire Department historian and a former member of the Methuen Historical Commission. He wrote “Á History of Methuen and its Fire Department” in 1996. He is retired and still living in Methuen with his wife, Paula.
Merrimack Health Methuen Hospital (formerly Holy Family Hospital) is located on the former site of the Gorrill family farm. It was rumored that the sons had secretly hidden a fortune around the property.
