The History of the Festival of Trees

In 1994, volunteers raising funds for the restoration of the Tenney Gate House, conceived of the idea of holding a Christmas fundraiser featuring fully decorated Christmas trees, to help pay for the expensive restoration and preservation costs associated with this project.

The Gate House was an 1830’s farmhouse that was purchased by industrialist Charles H. Tenney in 1883 who built his palatial summer home on the 75 acres behind the Gate House. During the construction of his grand chateau, Greycourt, the Tenneys lived in the Gate House and substantially remodeled and redecorated this charming home. It became the gate house for the Tenney estate after the family moved to their elegant new home in 1891.

The volunteers, who were part of the Tenney Gate House Restoration Committee were successful in saving the Gate House from destruction. The tree festival they started raised $2,100.00 its first year and featured 17 trees. In 2009, the Festival featured over 200 trees and raised $285,000. Its success raised the necessary funding for the Gate House restoration and today provides the much needed funds for historic preservation throughout the City of Methuen and the Merrimack Valley.

Now in its 17th year, the Festival of Trees is the largest Festival of Trees in New England and one of the largest such festivals in the country. Twenty five thousand people from over 170 cities, towns and numerous states visit the annual Festival of Trees.

Trees from the Festival of Trees have graced the cover of the Boston Globe Magazine, have been featured in Northshore Magazine, The Boston Globe and many additional newspapers and other media outlets throughout the state. In addition, the Festival has been featured on the Boston Channel 5 television show, Chronicle, as well as Boston television stations 4 and 7, New England Cable News (NECN) and New Hampshire Channel 9.