Creators of the Classic City: William ‘Boss’ Easson

Easson built a mill on the north bank of the Avon River in 1857, just west of the present Waterloo Street bridge. The sawmill, with its tall stack belching smoke, soon became a centrepoint in Stratford.

William “Boss” Easson was one of the best-liked people in town. His steam-powered sawmill with its tall stack west of the Waterloo Street bridge on the north bank of the Avon River was a landmark.

Easson was born in Strathmore, Perthshire, Scotland in 1824. In 1844, at age 20, he sailed with his parents for the new world. When the family landed in Montreal, William and his brother Andrew secured employment but their parents continued to Perth County where they cleared land in Ellice Township.

The Easson boys soon longed to join their family, and travelled as far as Hamilton by boat. There, they hired a driver who took them to the Sharman Hotel in Stratford, a settlement created about a dozen years earlier. When they learned that horses could take them only so far into Ellice Township, they took to the trail on foot to reunite with their parents.

Easson first worked with Henry Drum as a carpenter and later became a contractor. In 1857 he built a mill on the north bank of the Avon River, just west of the present Waterloo Street bridge. The sawmill, with its tall stack belching smoke, soon became a centrepoint in Stratford.

An early Stratford newspaper contains the first advertisement for Easson's Mill and reads as follows: “Easson's Steam Saw Mill. The subscriber has now completed his steam-mill and is prepared to execute any orders with which he may be favoured. Parties sending in logs to be sawn may rely upon having a quick return, as the mill is warranted to cut 1,000 feet per hour. Lathing and lumbering of all kinds are kept on hand. All orders will be executed promptly and satisfactorily. Contracts for buildings taken on reasonable terms, as the undersigned has now the necessary machinery and materials to enable him to execute all work of the kind which has hitherto been the case."

The mill comprised several buildings and was powered by a large steam engine. The buildings occupied considerable space along the river, behind the houses on William Street, most of which were built by Mr. Easson on Easson property. Originally, these were workers’ homes, built for employees of the mill. There were also stables, and a blacksmith’s shop, and in the rush season of winter the mill employed upwards of 150 men, including those cutting and harvesting trees in the swamp and bush which still covered a large part of Perth County.

Easson’s business career was a success from the start, and with the coming of the Grand Trunk Railway he received large timber contracts for a number of years. He became one of the leading businessmen in town. He was well-liked by his employees, who called him Boss Easson.

According to Mary Jane Lennon in her book A Stratford Album, Boss Easson was a man who worked hard and played hard, and slept through many Sunday sermons at Knox Presbyterian Church because he’d been up partying most of the previous night.

William Easson built the large mansard-roofed house which still stands at 113 William St. It was known as Avon Castle and was erected soon after the mill was operational. It had especially magnificent plaster work within and equally impressive detailing outside.

Easson is considered to be one of the founding fathers of Stratford. Easson Street is named in honour him. This article is taken from Creators of the Classic City  www.streetsofstratford.ca.

For an excellent video documentary on Boss Easson, go to the Stratford District Historical Society site.

“Creators of the Classic City” is an ongoing Times series written by Paul Wilker, co-author of the e-book of the same name by him and Gord Conroy. Interested readers can find the free book online at https://online.fliphtml5.com/ypken/pqiv/.