After leaving Haverhill, I looked at the map to see what other town might be in the area, as I still had a little time before I went home on my trip. As I was in the northern part of the state, I looked and found the Methuen would be the most convenient town to go to next. It took me a while to find the real town center, as I was using the new Apple Maps app on my phone, and it was taking me all over the place.
Once I finally got to the center, I parked my car and walked around a bit. Now, I knew that Methuen was a pretty big town, as it has a lot of people, and a pretty big highway (Route 213) going right through it. I had driven by it before, but this was the first time I’d actually stopped. There really wasn’t all that much in the center itself. A few shops in the center, and the site of an old mill, which must have been really impressive when it was there. They also have a really cool music hall was built particularly for the special organ that was donated to the town. Wikipedia states: “Methuen Memorial Music Hall was built specifically to house the Great Organ, built originally by Walcker Orgelbau for the Boston Music Hall, and procured by philanthropist and city benefactor Edward Francis Searles more than a century ago. The organ case, which in approximate terms is as large as a typical house, is ornate, and features a bust of J.S. Bach as a central ornament.” This was mentioned many times when I was looking at things in Methuen, and they are obviously very proud of it.
Another interesting thing is that Methuen is one of the many cities in Massachusetts that actually calls itself a town. City and Town government are very different in Massachusetts, and there are about 15 towns that have switched over to a city government system (i.e. have a mayor), but will want to be know as “The Town of…” Yet another of the quirkinesses of living in this great commonwealth (we’re not a state you know, we’re a commonwealth!).
I still had some time, so I decided to hit one more town (actually a city) for the Mediate Mass 351 Challenge before heading home.
