Henry H. Houston

Henry Howard Houston (October 1820 – June 21, 1895) was a leading Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist. He led the Pennsylvania Railroad's freight division after the Civil War, and he was in charge of the Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad (now SEPTA's Chestnut Hill West Line) which was built in the 1880s to link downtown Philadelphia with the wealthy and growing suburbs to the northwest.

Houston attended St. Peter's Church in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and was a property developer in that section of the city. He was the developer of "Wissahickon Heights," an exclusive community in western Chestnut Hill, and built the original structures used by Chestnut Hill Academy and the Philadelphia Cricket Club. He also served as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and was part of the founding class of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity (Pennsylvania Iota Chapter) along with Edgar Fahs Smith and Otis H. Kendall.

Houston is the namesake of the Henry H. Houston Elementary School in Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Houston's Chestnut Hill mansion, Druim Moir (1886), still exists, having been converted to condominium use. Springside School occupies part of the former estate's grounds.

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