Houghton College Quick Facts

Houghton History:

• Founded in 1883 as a Wesleyan Methodist Seminary, Houghton was granted a provisional charter as a four-year liberal arts college in 1935.
• The college is a member of the American Council on Education and the Christian College Consortium and Coalition.
• Although Willard J. Houghton never held academic office, his godly life, belief in young people and in Christ-centered education, his tireless efforts as student recruiter, philosophical promoter and fund raiser made Houghton College his logical namesake.
• Today the college is a vital academic community of 1200 students taught by nearly 100 faculty.

Houghton Area History:

• The surrounding hills of Houghton are rich in Native American and colonial history.  On campus, "the Boulder" marks the burial place of Copperhead, last of the Seneca's in the valley. Across the Genesee River stood tribal council houses now relocated in Letchworth State Part, 15 miles north.  During the 1850s the Genesee Valley Canal carried the commerce of western New York through Houghton, brining with it colorful river boatmen, "Jockey Street" horse fanciers and itinerant gamblers.  However, railroad construction twenty years later made the canal obsolete.

Houghton Today

• Today Houghton College is known for meeting rigorous academic standards and excellence in athletics.
• Additions and renovations during the summer of 2000 gave a face-lift to Houghton’s library and gym facilities.
• A generous gift donated to Houghton College has made possible  a Masters in Music program and a state of the arts, Center for the Arts building.
• During the summer of 2006, major renovations and updates were made to Wesley Chapel. 
• In late fall of 2006, the renovations to the Library, including adding a 3rd floor that will house the masters in theology program, additional classrooms, elevator, plus an elevated walkway that connects the Library to the Chamberlain Center, will be completed.