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The Legacy of William Bleecker Powell


The recent refurbishing of the Powell Park club house and beautification of the Birch Ave green space between Princess and Barton has stimulated interest in a project to record the historical legacy of a key sector of the GALA and Sherman Hub shared neighbourhood. This project will be similar to how the Worker’s Heritage Centre, in a series of self-guided walking tour booklets, has recorded the industrial and labour history of Hamilton. William Bleecker Powell, no known relation to the recently deceased Bill Powell, founder of Creative Arts, was born April 30, 1892 in Guelph and eventually became a successful banker for Imperial Bank (which joined with Bank of Commerce to become CIBC in 1961). In 1923, Powell wanted a change of career. Being familiar with the Hamilton economic scene through the Bank of Hamilton (which had branches throughout Southern Ontario and was absorbed by the Bank of Commerce in 1924) Powell joined Appleford Papers Products on Stirton St, becoming its president in 1943. Appleford Paper Products was started by Leslie and Alfred Appleford from Seaforth, Ontario. They developed one of the first counter sales bookkeeping systems and soon started printing counter cheque books. Alfred branched off on his own to make wax paper products at other Appleford locations, leaving Leslie in charge of the Hamilton business. The Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment company, which had a massive pulp paper mill in Northern Ontario, eventually acquired Appleford Paper Products, opening plants in Montreal and Toronto along with the operation Hamilton. A complete reorganization of the Hamilton Appleford plant occurred when W.B. Powell became general manager in the early 1930’s. A wide variety of paper products were now being made, including plain and printed wax papers, plastic bread wrappers, gummed tape, and pie plates. Appleford Paper Products even published a book by William Deadman called `Canada’s Fundamental Reconstruction.’ During his time at the helm Powell also patented a container for paper cleaning rolls. The well-known Hamilton architect George Evans designed the second Appleford Paper Products factory on Stirton Street, which still stands tucked in behind the massive Hydro transforming station and is now a storage facility. Appleford Paper Products became Reid Packaging and relocated to 425 Parkdale Ave N. Powell was the director of many companies and civic organizations in Hamilton, including the YMCA and Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. He was as member of the Scottish Rite, the Thistle club, and the Tamahaac Club in Ancaster. He died on December 28, 1944 and is buried in Woodlawn cemetery. It was Powell’s family that donated the land in 1969 that would become Powell Park. At one time a variety store and row of houses were located on the east side of Stirton St with the green space known informally as `Peter Pan Park’ situated in front of the raised Hydro right of way. As related in the last issue of the Sherman Hub News, this corridor was where the Hamilton Radial Railway ran until the 1930’s. What became Powell Park was enlarged to its present configuration in 1981, with another renovation taking place in the 1990’s. Last fall, Powell Park was given an `extreme’ makeover through public television station TVO’s `Giver’ program, emphasizing GALA and Sherman Hub’s rich labour history with a plethora of hammer images adorning the exterior of the club house and playground equipment. If anyone has any recollections, photos, or further information on Powell Park, Appleford Paper Products, or William Bleecker Powell please contact joachim_brouwer@yahoo.ca or call me at (905) 308-8043.

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