{"nrhp_refnum":"84002399","name":"Lawrence Street Cemetery","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Lawrence St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Methuen","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.72750202200007,"lon":-71.18194417599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-01-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1.6-acre municipal burial ground on Lawrence Street in Methuen, Massachusetts, established in 1832 and later enhanced in 1891 with a granite wall, gatehouse and tomb.","why_significant":"The cemetery reflects the shift of Methuen's town center from Meetinghouse Hill to present-day Gaunt Square and retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. It is also associated with Edward F. Searles, who added the granite wall, gatehouse and a tomb for his wife in 1891. It was found to meet criteria A and B.","narrative":"Lawrence Street Cemetery is a 1.6-acre municipal burial ground in Methuen, Massachusetts, laid out on a grassy, relatively flat lot dotted with mature conifers. The town bought the land in 1832, southeast of the Spicket River Falls and the Medford-Andover Turnpike, as the town center moved from Meetinghouse Hill to present-day Gaunt Square. About 200 stones survive, mostly slate or marble with rectangular or arched tops. The earliest are carved with willow motifs, while later ones carry sentimental Victorian inscriptions. In 1891 Edward F. Searles, whose estate stood across the street, built an eight-foot granite wall around the north and west sides, a granite gatehouse and a tomb for his wife, all in rough-faced coursed granite with French Medieval influences. The cemetery was listed for its integrity and for its links to the growth of Methuen Center and to the Searles family. It remains in generally good condition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Edward F. Searles (commissioned the 1891 wall, gatehouse and tomb)","architectural_style":"French Medieval design influences (Tenny tomb, gatehouse and wall, rough-faced coursed granite)","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"Described as generally in good condition, with few broken or overturned stones; owned by the Town of Methuen.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.030042-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/38/7901/63790138/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/84002399.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002399/466f629ee5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84002399/466f629ee5-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"EraserGirl","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lawrence_Street_Cemetery.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">EraserGirl</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lawrence_Street_Cemetery.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790138","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Street_Cemetery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6504614"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/lawrence-street-cemetery-84002399/"}