Celebrate the 300th anniversary of the City of Methuen!
Throughout the year, a number events will be held to mark this momentous occasion.
Three hundred years ago, the town of Methuen was incorporated. This year we celebrate the 300th anniversary of the town that has grown to become the City of Methuen. From Native American land to the establishment of a small colonial town, continuing through its industrial age expansion and on to the present day, Methuen has continually evolved over its three centuries of growth. We hope you'll enjoy attending these events to learn more about the history of community we call home--Methuen, Massachusetts.
Series presented by the Methuen 300 Committee
All lectures are free but space is limited. Please register to attend. Thank you
Thursday, March 12 at 7pm | Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, 90 Broadway, Methuen
“Heads of Families and Men of Substance”
The Rise of the Merrimack Valley Minute Men
Presented by Alexander Cain, historian and author
In October 1774, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress instructed towns throughout the colony to prepare for imminent conflict with England. In response, the Merrimack Valley, in particular, shifted into a wartime stance, forming minute companies, stockpiling weapons, ammunition, and supplies, and setting up a defense network ready to mobilize if British forces advanced from Boston. Join Alexander Cain as he explores the Merrimack Valley’s reaction, focusing on Andover, to the British threat and delves into the formation of the Massachusetts militia and the minute-man system just before the battles of Lexington and Concord.
Alexander Cain is a well-respected and highly sought-after speaker who frequently lectures on the military and social influences of 1775 Massachusetts. He has published multiple research articles that have shed new light on the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, the Siege of Boston, and the loyalist refugee experience during the American Revolution. Alex has also published two books, We Stood Our Ground: Lexington in the First Year of the American Revolution and I See Nothing but the Horrors of a Civil War and is the author of the blog and podcast “Historical Nerdery.” Alex directs a Merrimack Valley-based vocational program that introduces high school students to advanced manufacturing and skilled trades careers. He resides in Massachusetts with his wife, Paula. They have two adult children, John and Abigail.
Wednesday, April 8 at 7pm | Nevins Memorial Library, 305 Broadway, Methuen
Essex County at the Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863) was a pivotal Union victory during the American Civil War, ending Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s invasion of the North. Fought in Pennsylvania, this three-day conflict resulted in over 50,000 casualties, making it the bloodiest battle in North American history. The defeat shattered Lee’s reputation for invincibility and, alongside the fall of Vicksburg, marked the turning point against the Confederacy. Learn about the role the soldiers of Essex County played in this decisive battle and their sacrifice that helped preserve our Union.
Christopher Gwinn is an 18-year veteran of the National Park Service. Born in Amesbury, Massachusetts, he graduated from Gettysburg College in 2006 and earned his Master’s Degree in Public History in 2008. He has served as an Interpretive Park Ranger at Antietam National Battlefield, Boston National Historical Park, and the National Mall and Memorial Parks, where he helped develop some of the first public programming at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. He currently serves as Chief of Interpretation and Education at Gettysburg National Military Park, overseeing all aspects of the visitor experience. He has written numerous articles and journal entries on the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War era. He lives just south of the battlefield with his wife, Allyson; daughter, Evelyn; and two rescue dogs.
Presented by Christopher Gwinn, historian and Supervisory Park Ranger, National Park Service
Thursday, April 16 | 7pm at the Nevins Memorial Library, 305 Broadway, Methuen
Women of '76 | A Theatrical Tribute
to the Women of the American Revolution
Step into the untold side of the American Revolution.
Come experience Rita Parisi's powerful solo theatrical performance of Women of ’76— a journey into the lives of the real women who witnessed, chronicled, and in some cases changed the course of the American Revolution. Audiences will meet the voices rarely heard in the history books:
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Baroness Frederika von Riedesel, the German noblewoman whose vivid journals capture the chaos of war
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Prudence Wright, the Massachusetts patriot who led a militia of women to capture Tory spies
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Nancy Hart, the fearless Georgia frontierswoman who faced down a band of British soldiers — and won
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Mary Katharine Goddard, the courageous printer and publisher who issued the first printed Declaration of Independence to include the names of the signers
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Mary Gould Almy, a loyalist diarist whose moving firsthand accounts documented the siege of Newport
Their stories — patriot and loyalist, American and foreign — reveal a deeper, more complex portrait of the American Revolution. Don’t miss this riveting and richly costumed performance that gives voice to the women of the Revolution.
Rita Parisi, an accomplished actress and playwright, has been touring original solo works for over 20 years. Since founding Waterfall Productions in 2005, she has brought history to life for audiences throughout New England and beyond. A proud member of SAG-AFTRA, her work has been seen on film and stage, including features at the Boston International Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival.
Presented by Rita Parisi, accomplished actress and playwight, founder of Waterfall Productions
Thursday, April 30 | 7pm at Nevins Memorial Library, 305 Broadway, Methuen
Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement
Presented by Barbara Berenson, historian, author, lecturer at Harvard Law School, and retired Senior Attorney at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
In her book, Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement: Revolutionary Reformers, author Barbara F. Berenson highlights Massachusetts' central role in the fight for women's right to vote, focusing on key figures like Lucy Stone and the organizations they founded, such as the American Woman Suffrage Association and the Woman's Journal. The book details how early abolitionist activism in the state laid the groundwork for the organized suffrage movement, challenging the traditional narrative that often overlooks Massachusetts' contributions. Berenson will discuss the "revolutionary reformers" from Massachusetts who were crucial to the national suffrage movement. Learn about visionary women like Lucy Stone, who launched the organized movement at the first National Woman's Rights Convention in Worcester, and Maud Wood Park, who founded the Boston Equal Suffrage Association for Good Government. Discover the central role that Massachusetts played at the heart of the struggle, and how our state's activists were instrumental in achieving the 19th Amendment.
Barbara F. Berenson is the author of Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement: Revolutionary Reformers (The History Press 2018), Boston in the Civil War: Hub of the Second Revolution (The History Press 2014), and Walking Tours of Civil War Boston: Hub of Abolitionism (The Freedom Trail Foundation 2011, 2nd ed. 2014). She is co-editor of Breaking Barriers: The Unfinished Story of Women Lawyers and Judges in Massachusetts (MCLE 2012). A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, she retired from her position as Senior Attorney at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in 2019. She is currently a lecturer at Harvard Law School, and she has taught at Tufts University. She serves on the Boards of Boston by Foot and the Royall House and Slave Quarters.
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