City of Methuen Master Plan

Historic and Cultural Resources
Preservation Easements (Restrictions/Covenants)
A preservation easement is the most effective regulatory measure used to preserve historic properties
and structures. Recorded as part of the property deed, a preservation easement restricts present and
future owners from making inappropriate alterations to the historic resource. An easement may be
effective for a limited term or may be in perpetuity, and is enforced by the holder of the restriction –
restrictions are often donated to or purchased by a government body or preservation organization and
can be tax deductible.
Historic preservation/restoration grant recipients of the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund
(MPPF) are required to record a restriction on their properties, the length of which varies in relationship
to the amount received.
At present, the following 5 Methuen properties have 20 year preservation restrictions held by the City:
1. 266 Broadway – Perrault House – 1997
2. 5 Pleasant Street – Red Tavern – 1997
3. 275 Broadway – Masonic Hall – 1997
4. 30 Osgood Street – Methuen Co. Warehouse – 1997
5. 90 Broadway – All Saints/St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church – 2000
According to the State Register of Historic Places, the following properties also have preservation
restrictions recorded on them:
6. First Baptist Church & Parsonage – 1999
7. First Congregational Church – 1998
8. Lawrence St. Cemetery – 2001
9. Music Hall – 1998
10. Central Fire Station – 1997
Archaeological Sites
According to the Methuen Preservation Plan, 11 Methuen sites have been identified as having
archaeological resources, and several artifacts that have been discovered in Methuen are kept as part of
the collection of the Robert S. Peabody Foundation in Andover. As the Plan notes, all these identified
sites are near major bodies of water; in Methuen, most are along the banks of the Merrimack and
Spicket Rivers and Mystic Pond.
Additionally, the Preservation Plan notes: “The fact that a number of sites have already been identified
in Methuen indicates that the area was well populated in prehistoric times and that there are likely to be
a great many more sites that remain undiscovered.” Reports prepared for project sites reveal
information about potential additional sites. Two other documents point to additional resources:
• The Archaeological Reconnaissance Survey for the Northeast Settlement Project (UMass Archaeological
Service); and
• An Intensive Archaeological Survey of the Appleton Estates Project Area, Methuen, MA (Public
Archaeological Lab, Inc., 1986).
Heritage Landscapes
In May 2005 the Essex National Heritage Commission and the Massachusetts Department of
Conservation and Recreation undertook an effort to inventory all heritage landscapes in Essex County.
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