Period D. A. Houghton: A Brief Biography

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Kat Poirot 12/14/12 Period D A.C. Houghton's life, with his family by his side, was very productive. However, an accident, and it's after affects, laced the edges with tragedy. The mansion has been out of the family, but some say they never left. Mr. Houghton was vital in the creation of North Adams, however, the public is often unaware of his contributions. Mr. Houghton came from humble beginnings, and always had his family to fall back on. He was born and raised in Stamford, VT and his parents were farmers. He had many siblings, the youngest of which was his brother Andrew Jackson Houghton, who ran a brewery. As an adult, he married a woman named Cordelia. They had five children named Susan, Mary, Janet, Florence, and Cordelia…show more content…
In July of 1914, the family purchased a new Pierce-Arrow touring car. On August 1, Mr. Houghton and his daughter, Mary, invited some family friends, the Huttons, to take a drive with them. Their chauffeur, Mr. Widders, had recently learned to drive the new car. As they reached a road in Pownal called Oak Hill, they came up to a team of horses on the right side. Since the road was only about two cars wide, Mr. Widders pulled the car as far to the left as he could and tried to pass them. The car got past the horses, but when Mr. Widders turned right back onto the road, the tires on one side came off the road and the car rolled down the hill. Everyone except Mary was thrown from the car. At the bottom of the hill, the car came to rest upright. The men for the most part suffered minor injuries, but the women's were more severe. (Marino) Mrs. Hutton was killed immediately when the car rolled over her. Mary Houghton was still in her seat when the car stopped at the bottom. She had back pain and her face had been crushed. (Mrs.) Mr. Widders ran for help and doctors came. Mary was taken to the hospital and A.C. was brought home. Mary died in the hospital at 3pm, from her injuries, on the same day. Later investigations of the crash showed that the road had a soft shoulder, which caused the wheels on the car to slip off the road.

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