Grey Court

Greycourt State Park is a 24-acre public recreation area located in Methuen, Massachusetts, within Essex County. Managed jointly by the City of Methuen and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation as a satellite of Lawrence Heritage State Park, the site sits atop a hill offering scenic landscapes and wooded walking trails open from dawn to dusk. The park serves as a venue for community gatherings, including annual Fall Festivals and various city-sponsored events, providing residents with accessible outdoor space for leisure and exercise.

The property holds significant historical value as the former estate of Charles H. Tenney. The centerpiece was a grand mansion known as Grey Court or Tenney Castle, constructed between 1890 and 1892. Modeled after the French Château d'Yquem, the structure showcased distinctive architectural ambition until it was destroyed by a devastating fire in 1978. While the majority of the ruins were razed in 1985, a small portion of the original foundation remains visible today. The estate also included the Tenney Castle Gatehouse, which survived intact and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, currently housing the Methuen Historical Society.

In 2001, the Massachusetts legislature allocated $1.75 million to rehabilitate the site, funding public safety improvements and courtyard renovations that transformed the damaged estate into the current state park. Although the main castle no longer stands, the partially restored ruins and the preserved gatehouse serve as tangible links to the area's Gilded Age past. Today, Greycourt State Park functions as both a historical landmark and an active green space, blending the memory of a lost architectural marvel with modern recreational utility for the local community.