The Rowland family, direct descendants of the man who inherited Methuen’s own Pine Lodge estate from the late Edward F. Searles, gathered on a warm July morning to tour the grounds and buildings of the expansive property. Former Mayor Sharon Pollard was on hand to serve as tour guide.
“It was a great privilege to spend time with Mr. Searles’ family and hear about their time at Pine Lodge,” Pollard said, adding, “I was also happy to share info they weren’t aware of.”
Current Mayor DJ Beauregard also helped lead the tour and welcome the Rowland family back to the lodge, which is located behind tall medieval-style granite walls on Lawrence Street.
Led by now-patriarch Dan Rowland, a clan of a dozen or so siblings, cousins and grandchildren gathered in the shade of the property’s tall pines to hear stories of the great adventures of living at this massive residence.
“Mr. Searles was our grandmother’s cousin, or our father’s second cousin,” he informed the crowd. Dan is the son of the late Benjamin Allen Rowland Sr., who inherited Pine Lodge upon Mr. Searles’ death.
“I think maintaining the house and paying for numerous staff was a burden for my dad,” Dan theorized, adding “But, living in Pine Lodge was a magical existence for me, truly like a fairy tale.”
Having spent a good part of his childhood living at the lodge, Dan’s memory and knack for storytelling brought back what life must have been like living for a time in such grandeur.
Once inside, the rooms in the lodge seem to create a labyrinth, and with every turn Dan would evoke a memory or an interesting bit of history. Whether explaining the significance of the details of the emblems in the hand-carved woodwork or pointing out where the family would put their Christmas tree every year, one could almost feel the life of the family being breathed back into its many rooms.
Last year, the city purchased the 19-acre property and its historic buildings and artwork (valued at $10 million) from the Sisters of Presentation of Mary for $3.25 million, with goal of preservation and future re-use.
The Searles family’s visit came about after Rowland reached out to Methuen Community Development Director Jack Wilson, requesting a tour of the estate. Rowland family members came from as far as Alaska and California to be here for this reunion.
Follow future issues of MethuenLife and our Facebook page for information on upcoming public tours of Pine Lodge, where you yourself can experience stepping back in time inside this jewel in the middle of Methuen!
Dan Rowland, who spent a good deal of his childhood at Pine Lodge, provided personal memories with the group.
The estate’s unique artwork is now owned by the city.
