Greycourt State Park is a 24 acre Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

 located in Methuen

Methuen, Massachusetts

Methuen is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 43,789 at the 2000 census.-History:Methuen was first settled in 1642 and was officially incorporated in 1726; it is named for the British diplomat Sir Paul Methuen. Methuen was originally part of Haverhill,...

, built atop the restored ruins of the Charles H. Tenney

Charles H. Tenney

Charles H. Tenney he was proprietor of C. H. Tenney & Co., established 1868 and would become one of the most successful commissioned merchant and hat dealers in the world; also a director of Bank of the Manhattan Company and life trustee of the Bowery Savings Bank.-Biography:Born Charles Henry,...

 estate. The park is a satellite of Lawrence Heritage State Park

Lawrence Heritage State Park

Lawrence Heritage State Park is a Massachusetts state park located in Lawrence. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.-Description:Lawrence Heritage State Park comprises three separate park areas, as follows:...

. Department of Conservation and Recreation

Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts)

The Department of Conservation and Recreation is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. As of May 24, 2011 the Commissioner of the DCR is Edward M. Lambert, Jr...

 staff works closely with the Methuen Public Works department who look after it on a daily basis.

The Tenney Castle Gatehouse is associated with this property and it is under special permit with the Methuen Historical Society.

Grey Court

Grey Court (aka Tenney Castle) designed by Carrère and Hastings

Carrère and Hastings

Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère and Thomas Hastings , located in New York City, was one of the outstanding Beaux-Arts architecture firms in the United States. The partnership operated from 1885 until 1911, when Carrère was killed in an automobile accident...

, prominent New York architects, was the centerpiece of the Charles Tenney's 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) rolling estate. Begun in 1890 and completed two years later, the mansion was modeled after Château d'Yquem

Château d'Yquem

Château d'Yquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur wine from the Sauternes, Gironde region in the southern part of the Bordeaux vineyards known as Graves. In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Château d'Yquem was the only Sauternes given this rating, indicating its perceived superiority...

, the ancestral seat of Montaigne, and served as the Tenney family's summer home. Ernest W. Bowditch, designed the grounds. He had laid out several estates in Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

, including Marble House

Marble House

Marble House is one of the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, now open to the public as a museum. It was designed by the architect Richard Morris Hunt, and said to be inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles . Grounds were designed by noted landscape architect Ernest W...

, W. K. Vanderbilt

William Kissam Vanderbilt

William Kissam Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family. He managed railroads and was a horse breeder.-Biography:...

's estate; designed Tuxedo Park

Tuxedo, New York

Tuxedo is a town located in Orange County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 3,334. The town is in the southeastern part of the county. NY Route 17 and the New York State Thruway pass through the town...

 in New York; and landscaped Colgate University

Colgate University

Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...

. His designs for Grey Court's surrounds won a prestigious horticultural prize in 1902.

From New England families, genealogical and memorial a record of the achievements of her people in the making of commonwealths and the founding of a nation by William Richard Cutter (1913)

Gatehouse

Now home to the Methuen Historical Society and listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

, the Tenney Gatehouse was originally a rough stone farmhouse built by Richard Whittier in 1830. Tenney purchased it in 1882 and remodeled to become the entry point to Greycourt.

State Park

On January 11, 2001, the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives in General Court approved $1,750,000 for the rehabilitation and repair of the Greycourt State Park, including public safety improvements and courtyard renovations.
The park offers wooded walking trails and scenic landscape and is open dawn to dusk. In recent years the park has hosted many city activities, such as a summer concert series, paranormal investigation fundraisers, and the city's annual Fall Festivals.