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Methuen Millionaires: Searles LbNA #24320 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Beswick
Plant date:Aug 8, 2006
Location:
City:Methuen
County:Essex
State:Massachusetts
Boxes:1
Found by: heathdorka
Last found:Aug 15, 2007
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Aug 8, 2006
******Letterbox temporarily pulled due to possible flooding****

In the 1800's Methuen was home to three mega millionaires; Edward Searles, David Nevins and Charles Tenney. This would be the modern equivalent to Bill Gates, Sam Walton and Warren Buffet living in the same town. With three large egos and large pocketbooks in close proximity, one upmanship was the order of the day. As a result Methuen was bestowed with some remarkable landmarks. This series honors these three that gave Methuen its unique charm.

Edward F. Searles 1841-1920

Mr. Searles became a millionaire thru interior decorating and the railroads. Born on a farm in Methuen, Edward was only three years old when his father passed away, leaving his mother to raise him and his brother on a meager income. To help support his family, at the age of twelve, he went to work at a local textile mill while also working as a stockboy at a dry goods company. At an early age he developed a talent for music and art. Before long he was taking piano classes. Having excelled at his lessons, he began teaching others for a living. This led to learning how to play the organ in Boston while also studying architectural drawing at art school.

For seven years Edward worked for an interior decorating firm. During that time he was able to advance in that company to become a man of worth. This experience led him to work for the famous firm of Herter Brothers in New York. His clientele there included the Vanderbilt family. His commissions from that firm afforded him considerable financial freedom.

Now at a point in life where he only had to work sporadically, he took on a new client, Mary Hopkins, the widow of Mark Hopkins, one of the four founders of the Central Pacific Railroad.

Before long a May-December relationship emerged (she being 22 years his senior). A few years later, In 1887, Mary proposed and they were married in Trinity Chapel, New York.

The happy couple decided to make Methuen their primary home. They lived at what became known as Searles castle.The estate occupied fifty of the hundreds of acres that Searles owned in town. They surrounded the estate with beautiful stone walls, turrets and adorned it with many architectural features, including a 50 foot stone chime tower, marble sculptures, swan ponds, and a gate that once was owned by Napoleon. The castle itself was a 70 room mansion filled to the brim with a collection of fine art pieces, so much so that they built the Red Tavern building in Methuen square to house their guests.

They shared a love for interior decorating and architecture until Mary's death five years later. Her entire estate, estimated at more than thirty million dollars was left to her new husband.

For the remainder of his life Edward lived as a recluse, but continued to indulge in his love of art, architecture and music. On his estate, which stretch from Methuen through Salem, NH where he built a manor house, into Windham, NH where he built a second "summer" castle.

In 1892, Searles started the Methuen Organ Company to improve construction practices and refine organ standards; but most of all to build the best organs in the US. Edward purchased, at auction, the first concert organ in America from the old Boston Music Hall for $1,500. For the next ten years he had a hall designed and built next to his organ company to house this fine musical instrument. The design for this concert hall was focused around visually and acoustically showcasing the organ in a manner Searles felt it deserved. The Serlo Organ Hall was solely for his private enjoyment until his death. The organ company burnt in 1943 but the organ hall survived and is now operated by a non-profit organization called the Methuen Music Hall which performs concerts for the public.

Mr. Searles other contributions to Methuen include miles of stone walls, a High school (now Town hall), Central Grammar School, St. Andrews Episcopal Church, A Methodist church, B& M railroad station and freight house, land for the stadium, and two playgrounds. He also commissioned a public works project to built a bridge, complete with turrets, towers and walls adjacent to the music hall.

Clue:

Standing under the carriage entrance of the hall, go 84 steps at 250 degrees. Look under the "V" shaped stone outcrop. Make sure your prize is well covered up, this is a popular fishing area.