First Universalist / Gleason Memorial Universalist / Bethel Armenian Congregational
Pleasant Street near corner of Broadway/Rte 28
Methuen, MA
Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
Images
Unknown - Church exterior, corner of Pleasant Street and Broadway in Methuen, showing the masonic lodge on the right. (Photograph from an archival source: Methuen history Facebook page, submitted by Andrew Scanlon/Andrew Scanlon)
Unknown - Church exterior (Photograph from an archival source: Methuen historical society, unknown, submitted by Andrew Scanlon/Andrews Scanlon)
Unknown - Interior of church showing the Cole organ, front left. Pulpit reportedly still in existence. In possession of Methuen historical society. (Photograph from an archival source: Methuen history archival source, submitted by Andrew Scanlon/Andrew Scanlon)
Early 20th century - Church exterior (Methuen historical Society/Andrew Scanlon)
Consoles
Main
- 2 manuals
- 9 stops
- 3 divisions
- Key action Type: Mechanical (Details Unknown)
Notes
2004-10-30 - Builder's Nameplate: Probably by James Cole; records say just 'Cole' -Database Manager
2004-10-30 - Moved to Acton, MA and electrified. -Database Manager
2009-06-08 - Updated through on-line information from James R. Stettner. -- The organ was in a case in the front, left corner of the sanctuary. The case was white with two rounded towers at each corner containing an indistinguishable number of string-scale dummy pipes, and having a center flat of 9 pipes, likely at least partially from the Great 8' Open Diapason. Unknown when the congregation was renamed Gleason Memorial Universalist. But it was sold to Bethel Armenian Congregational in 1949. Ca. 1968 they merged with Mt. Ararat Congregational of adjacent Salem, NH at the Salem building. The Methuen property was sold in 1971 for commercial purposes (conversion into apartments). The organ was sold to a private party, removed, electrified, and partly installed in a residence in Acton, MA. -Database Manager
2021-02-09 - The building was located near Methuen Square on Pleasant Street near the corner of Broadway/Route 28.
Church no longer exists, demolished around 1971. The following note from Robert Reich of Andover Organ company:
Church Organized 1824; bldg. c1836, remodelled c1877 and again early in the new century; church disbanded 1934, bldg. sold 1945 to Bethel Armenian Cong; latter church combined in 1965 with Mt. Ararat Armenian Cong. in Salem, N.H. and the bldg. was sold and converted to apartments.
1st organ: Appleton, 1860.
2nd organ: Cole, 2m about 12r: sold and removed 1971, electrified and partially installed in a residence in Acton, Mass. -Andrew Scanlon
Related Pipe Organ Database Entries
Other Links
Regrettably, it is not possible to display the information about the sponsor of this pipeorgandatabase entry or if there is a sponsor. Please see About Sponsors on Pipe Organ Database.