257:
for a pleasure drive. Mrs. Houghton decided to stay home. They were accompanied by Dr. and Mrs. Robert Hutton of New York. Mrs. Hutton (nee. Sybil Cady) was a childhood friend of Mary's and a daughter of the North Adams shoe manufacturer WG Cady. With
Widders at the wheel, the car left the Houghton mansion at 9:00 am; at 9:30 it was in Pownal, Vermont heading up what is now Oak Hill Rd. The road was under repair, and a team of horses was parked on the right hand side. Widders went around them on the left, at about 12 mph. On the left shoulder, the car tilted and went down a steep embankment, rolling over three times before coming to rest in an upright position in a farmer's field. Everyone except Mary Houghton was thrown out of the car. The men all escaped with minor injuries such as cuts, scrapes, bruises and minor fractures. The women weren't so lucky. Mrs. Hutton was killed almost instantly when the car rolled over her. Mary Houghton was hurt just as badly and died of her injuries at 3:00 pm at the North Adams Hospital. Expecting to survive, Mr. Houghton was taken home, he died ten days later on August 11, 1914. It was said he died of a broken heart. The investigator for the State of Vermont exonerated Widders of all wrongdoing, blaming the accident instead on the soft shoulder of the road. But Widders still blamed himself and, at 5:00 am on August 12, 1914, he shot himself in the cellar of the Houghton Barn with a horse pistol.
74:
99:
57:
266:
sister, Susan
Houghton McKeon, sold it to the Masons in 1926. The Masons did away with the formal garden and constructed their lodge building in its place. In more recent years, for the sake of economy, the Spanish tile roof was removed and replaced with asphalt, and siding has been put on over the clapboards. Otherwise, the exterior looks just as it did when it was built.
243:
and their youngest surviving daughter Mary, then 23 years old. Another daughter, Laura died as an infant, while three others lived to grow up, marry, and produce their own children. In 1905, when Mr. Houghton was 61 years old, his health started to fail. At that point, Mary resolved that she would never wed, but devoted her life to taking care of her father. A manic
106:
81:
256:
In spring 1914, the
Houghtons invested in their first car, a seven-passenger Pierce-Arrow touring car, and sent their long-time chauffeur, John Widders also known as John Winters, to learn to drive it. On August 1 of the year, Mr. Houghton, and his daughter, Mary decided to go to Bennington, Vermont
265:
Following the crash, one of two surviving
Houghton daughters, Florence, moved into the house with her husband, William A. Gallup, and made the mansion their home, looking after Mrs. Houghton until her death in 1916. They resided in the house until Mr. Gallup retired in 1926. Florence Gallup and her
242:
were thinner near the bottom to make the house appear taller than it actually was. There was a formal garden in the rear, which was often used for parties to raise money for the North Adams
Hospital. The Houghtons moved in circa 1900, the family then consisting of Mr. Houghton, his wife Cordelia,
441:
229:
and first Mayor of North Adams, Massachusetts, built what is now the
Masonic Temple in the 1890s, shortly before his term as Mayor expired. It was his third home in North Adams, and the most extravagant, reflecting his wealth and status. Built in a
247:
with a passion for business, Mr. Houghton did not in fact retire, but only cut back, dividing his time between the APW sales officers in New York City and North Adams, leaving the major decisions to be decided by his son-in-law, William A. Gallup.
274:
Unable to afford keeping the building up to code, the
Lafayette-Greylock Freemasons in 2017 sold the house to hotel developer Benjamin Svenon at a reported price of $ 160,000. The building has since been closed to the public.
436:
426:
431:
174:
73:
139:
39:
98:
297:
238:
features along with an eclectic array of influences from many diverse sources. The mansion's roof was made with
Spanish tile, and the
186:
398:
343:
210:
127:
231:
239:
302:
43:
235:
226:
214:
178:
442:
Houses on the
National Register of Historic Places in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
420:
56:
373:
317:
244:
154:
141:
347:
292:
209:
is the former home of Albert
Charles Houghton and his family in
437:
Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts
399:"History of the Haunted Houghton Mansion in North Adams"
195:
185:
170:
133:
122:
16:Historic house in Massachusetts, United States
8:
225:Albert Charles Houghton, President of the
175:Church Street-Caddy Hill Historic District
55:
367:
365:
105:
80:
284:
378:The Houghton Mansion: Building History
322:The Houghton Mansion: Building History
293:"National Register Information System"
23:
374:"The History of the Houghton Mansion"
344:"The History of the Houghton Mansion"
318:"The History of the Houghton Mansion"
7:
427:Houses in North Adams, Massachusetts
298:National Register of Historic Places
432:Masonic buildings in Massachusetts
14:
104:
97:
79:
72:
1:
113:Show map of the United States
21:United States historic place
458:
211:North Adams, Massachusetts
128:North Adams, Massachusetts
213:. It was later used as a
88:Show map of Massachusetts
66:
54:
50:
37:
30:
26:
372:Marino, Paul W. (2013).
316:Marino, Paul W. (2013).
40:U.S. Historic district
303:National Park Service
234:style, it has strong
155:42.69611°N 73.10611°W
44:Contributing property
401:. The Haunted Places
350:on February 20, 2012
232:Neoclassical Revival
217:, but is now empty.
191:North Adams MRA (AD)
160:42.69611; -73.10611
151: /
126:172 Church Street,
227:Arnold Print Works
305:. April 15, 2008.
203:
202:
449:
411:
410:
408:
406:
395:
389:
388:
386:
384:
369:
360:
359:
357:
355:
346:. Archived from
342:Marino, Paul W.
339:
333:
332:
330:
328:
313:
307:
306:
289:
207:Houghton Mansion
199:October 25, 1985
166:
165:
163:
162:
161:
156:
152:
149:
148:
147:
144:
114:
108:
107:
101:
89:
83:
82:
76:
61:Houghton Mansion
59:
32:Houghton Mansion
24:
457:
456:
452:
451:
450:
448:
447:
446:
417:
416:
415:
414:
404:
402:
397:
396:
392:
382:
380:
371:
370:
363:
353:
351:
341:
340:
336:
326:
324:
315:
314:
310:
291:
290:
286:
281:
272:
263:
254:
223:
159:
157:
153:
150:
145:
142:
140:
138:
137:
118:
117:
116:
115:
112:
111:
110:
109:
92:
91:
90:
87:
86:
85:
84:
62:
46:
42:
33:
22:
17:
12:
11:
5:
455:
453:
445:
444:
439:
434:
429:
419:
418:
413:
412:
390:
361:
334:
308:
283:
282:
280:
277:
271:
270:Current status
268:
262:
259:
253:
252:1914 car crash
250:
222:
219:
215:Masonic temple
201:
200:
197:
193:
192:
189:
183:
182:
172:
168:
167:
135:
131:
130:
124:
120:
119:
103:
102:
96:
95:
94:
93:
78:
77:
71:
70:
69:
68:
67:
64:
63:
60:
52:
51:
48:
47:
38:
35:
34:
31:
28:
27:
20:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
454:
443:
440:
438:
435:
433:
430:
428:
425:
424:
422:
400:
394:
391:
379:
375:
368:
366:
362:
349:
345:
338:
335:
323:
319:
312:
309:
304:
300:
299:
294:
288:
285:
278:
276:
269:
267:
260:
258:
251:
249:
246:
241:
237:
233:
228:
220:
218:
216:
212:
208:
198:
196:Added to NRHP
194:
190:
188:
184:
180:
176:
173:
169:
164:
136:
132:
129:
125:
121:
100:
75:
65:
58:
53:
49:
45:
41:
36:
29:
25:
19:
403:. Retrieved
393:
381:. Retrieved
377:
352:. Retrieved
348:the original
337:
325:. Retrieved
321:
311:
296:
287:
273:
264:
255:
224:
206:
204:
18:
405:December 3,
383:January 10,
354:January 10,
327:January 10,
181:, 85003376)
158: /
134:Coordinates
421:Categories
279:References
261:The Masons
245:workaholic
240:clapboards
179:ID83000567
143:42°41′46″N
146:73°6′22″W
123:Location
221:History
171:Part of
236:Greek
407:2021
385:2020
356:2020
329:2020
205:The
187:MPS
423::
376:.
364:^
320:.
301:.
295:.
409:.
387:.
358:.
331:.
177:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
