Explore our history via bus tours & hands-on fun

The Methuen 300 celebration has more events for residents of all ages to get into the celebration.

Methuen is putting on the ritz with the 300th Anniversary Gala, on Saturday, May 9 from 6-10pm at the Methuen Memorial Music Hall. Dinner, music and a word from the current Lord Methuen await. Please get your reservation in by May 4 at methuen300.org/events.

On Saturday, May 30, the grounds of the Tenney Gatehouse come alive with the Day of History, located at Greycourt State Park. The event runs from 10am-3pm and will include Civil War and World War II re-enactments, family-friendly hands-on activities and a deep dive into Methuen’s 300 years of history.

Want to learn to read and write in colonial script? Ever wonder what and why Victory gardens were so important? These are just a few of the hands-on activities offered for ages.

Take a Methuen Museum of History tours and view new photo exhibits starring our own Methuen residents. Learn about Methuen’s founding families, Revolutionary War period homes, how children were educated in Methuen schools, the history of transportation, and growth of Methuen in the 20th century.

Several of Methuen’s most historic family businesses will be on hand including Thwaites Market with their traditional pies. Grab a bite before or after your guided bus tour of downtown Methuen. Day of History events are available at other locations. Be sure to stop at the Nevins Memorial Library for tours and at Five Corners where the Methuen Rail Trail folks will be waiting to show you a piece of Methuen you may have never seen!

The event is rain or shine. Please contact 300methuenhistory@gmail.com or (978) 914-5469 with questions about this event.
The Celebrating Methuen 300 Festival, set for June 19, promises a family-friendly atmosphere with popular live music on the stage in Nicholson Stadium from 3-9pm. Singer/guitarist Tom Duda will perform classic rock and older cover music, and a mix of bands playing jazz, soul, blues and rock will keep the celebration going. Behind the visitors’ bleachers in the grass field, kids can enjoy bouncy houses, yard games, face painting and balloon art, all starting at 3 pm.

Applications are open for local meal and dessert food trucks and community groups to set up booths. Go to methuen300.org/events. Click on the Festival and choose the option that applies. Please describe what you are offering.

Both of these events are free, and volunteers are also welcome to help out. For more information, check out methuen300.org.

Past events

Storytellers took the stage at Nevins Library to take Methuen residents on a journey through important periods of history that shaped the town and the country.

On April 8, Christopher Gwinn, director of interpretation from the Gettysburg National Military Park, shared stories of soldiers from Methuen and other Essex County communities who were at the Battle of Gettysburg from July 1-3, 1863. From the commanders to the private soldiers, he shared the hardships endured by men of this area. One highlight was learning about Methuen resident George Merrill, who did not make it home from another Civil War battle.

Rita Parisi of Waterfall Productions invited guests to meet “Women of ‘76” – from both sides of the Revolution on April 16. Patriots Prudence Wright, Nancy Hart and Mary Katherine Goddard, Loyalist Mary Gould Almy and Hessian Baroness Frederika von Riedesel spoke about their lives during this uncertain time. As a trained actress, Ms. Parisi brought them all to life, enthralling those in attendance.
The Storyteller Series, which concluded April 30 with a presentation on “Women’s Suffrage,” was funded by a grant from the Commission on Trust Funds, bequest of Edwin J Castle.