txt: henry
From the highest point atop a hill, the water appears to be quiet and still.
So Henry fixed his sights on a hill nearby. The tallest one with the steepest of sides.
Now. There are several ways to climb a hill and build a tower. But only one was fit to suit Sir Henry Howard.
It must be swift, and it should be straight. To carry freight and bear the weight.
Never daunted, and never late.
So came barreling the train, to the town of Philadelphia. Puffing blackest smoke into the sky it continued on to climb.
When I learned that the land for the Schuylkill Center had been donated in 1965 by two sisters I became interested in the history of this family. That's how I was introduced to Henry, my protagonist, whose life has provided the richest aspect of the narrative.
Henry Howard Houston was born in 1820 in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, and his rise to wealth was said to be "swift and impressive," much like the railroad cars that carried him there. By age forty-five he was the Pennsylvania Railroad's leading transportation expert.
Houston invested in both industry and real estate, and his interest in suburban development resulted in the establishment of the community of Chestnut Hill. His holdings on the other side of the Wissahickon creek, however, would not be developed as a result of their less desirable location. These grounds were inherited by Houston's granddaughter, Eleanor Houston Smith, who donated the land for the Schuylkill Valley Nature Preserve.
I cannot say much for Houston's character. His family's biographer, David Contosta, states in the opening paragraph that "Houston apparently felt little need to explain his actions or to leave a fuller account for future generations." The most personal detail included in the biography was the fact that great industrialist was "terrified of the water." I have exploited this phobia to provide a common thread for the various strains of the narrative, finding it particularly interesting in terms of the Center's proximity to the Schuylkill River.
Contosta, David R. A Philadelphia Family. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988.http://www.archives.upenn.edu/faids/upt/upt50/houston_hh_est.html