Built in 1897 the A.C. Houghton Mansion was destined for big things from the very beginning.
Built in 1897 the A.C. Houghton Mansion was destined for big things from the very beginning. The beautiful home was created as the 3rd home of the very man that would help to create the city of North Adams, Massachusetts.
Albert C. Houghton was a real estate entrepreneur from Vermont that began the city of North Adams as a small village known as Houghtonville. The small group of homes soon grew and the city charter was eventually written with the assistance of Houghton. Named North Adams, Houghton would become the new city’s first mayor, serving not one, but two, single-year terms.
The property at the time included a large horse barn on what is now an adjoining home’s property. The horses were looked after by family friend John Widders. Eventually, the horses were joined by a brand new Pierce Arrow auto car. Widders, having been sent to learn how to operate it, soon became the family’s chauffer as well.
On August 1st, 1914 Widders was driving A.C. Houghton, his daughter Mary and a family friend, Sybil Hutton to Vermont. They came upon a road crew on a mountain road, so Widders swerved to the edge of the road to avoid them. The vehicle hit a soft shoulder and rolled down a steep embankment, flipping over 3 times.
Sybil died at the scene and Mary Houghton died enroute to the hospital. Both John Widders and A.C. Houghton suffered minor injuries. The next day, in the early morning hours, John Widders was found dead in the barn behind the mansion. He had committed suicide by shooting himself with a horse pistol, unable to forgive himself for the accident that he felt was his fault. Albert Houghton died just 9 days later, some say of a broken heart.
The tragic accident and subsequent suicide have had a deep and lasting effect on the property at 172 Church Street in North Adams. It is said to this day that the home is still occupied by the spirits of A.C. Houghton and his daughter Mary. Mary is usually seen on the upper-floors of the mansion, while Albert still enjoys the run of the beautiful, historic home. The tragic John Widders is also said to be seen, in the form of shadows throughout the property.
The property was eventually sold to the Masons in 1920. They soon erected a huge Masonic Temple at the rear of the house. The mansion is still in use as a Masonic Temple today and is maintained by the Lafayette Graylock Masonic Lodge A.F. & A.M. and the Naomi Chapter of the Eastern Star -- non-profit associations that support many charitable organizations.
The home retains many of its original light fixtures, having been wired for both electricity and gas. The original coal furnace can be seen in the basement along with 6 marble-clad fireplaces throughout the mansion.
There is a definite change in the feel of the building when you travel between the upper floors of the original mansion and the newer 1928 addition of the Masonic Temple and ballroom. While the freemasonry lodge has that usual feeling of mystery with its many floor murals, slabs of marble and inherent hidden symbolism, the house-proper has a decidedly ‘lived-in’ feel even though no one currently occupies the building.
The mansion is currently being used for Masonic lodge meetings, fund-raising breakfasts, paranormal ghost investigations and it was even featured on an episode of the Travel Channel’s ‘Ghost Adventures’ television show. Tours of the home can also be arranged and the kitchen and ballroom can be rented for various functions.
Touring the mansion did not reveal anything particularly unexplainable, save for one photo that was taken on the third floor, in what used to be the servants quarters. Whether it is one of the actual people that were in the room, myself included, in tandem with some ceiling stains and random furniture shadows there does appear to be a ‘person-shaped, hat-wearing’ shadow inside the storage area under the eaves of the home. I would love to hear your thoughts on the photo. If you should happen to spot anything strange in any of the other photos, please leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to investigate it.
The haunted, historic Houghton Mansion is definitely worth a trip out to the far northern corner of the Commonwealth, and if you can arrange it, a haunted investigation would also be worth your time.