Dr. George Reginald Deacon was the official physician of the Grand Trunk Railway in Stratford

Deacon Street was named for Dr. George Reginald Deacon, who practiced medicine from 1896 to 1925. He was a leading Stratford physician and surgeon, and official doctor for the Grand Trunk Railway. Dr. Deacon had a fluoroscope in his office at 101 Brunswick St. to examine his patents by X-ray before there was any X-ray equipment in the hospital. Some of Dr. Deacon’s early medical records are in the Stratford-Perth Archives.

His father, Rev. Daniel Deacon, was the first rector of St. Paul’s Anglican Church and his mother was the first woman member of the Stratford board of education.

Dr. Deacon’s wife, Jeanette, owned the first electric car in Stratford. She was the envy of many as she drove around town in her Baker Electric, though some were unhappy because the quiet car would frighten horses.

In an interview in 1959, Mrs. Deacon said the car was quiet and dependable and never ran out of power. She even ventured as far as the Embro Road and back safely in the 1930s, travelling along at 32 kilometres per hour. Ultimately the batteries were worn out and it would have cost $300 to replace them. Sadly, she turned her Baker Electric over to a new owner who converted the car to gasoline. The car became a collector’s item and found its way to the Minnie Thompson Museum.

Baker Electrics were produced in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1899 to 1916. The company was the most popular manufacturer of electric vehicles at the time. Thomas Edison was one of the first to buy a Baker Electric. He designed the nickel-iron batteries used in some Baker electrics, which had extremely long lives. Jay Leno, formerly a late night TV host, owns a working Baker Electric that can be seen on YouTube.

The Baker Electric 1910 owned by Jeanette is shown in the picture taken in 1929 in front of Dr. Deacon’s home on 101 Brunswick St. The Deacons lived for a time at 157 Church St. The carpentry work done in the interior of the house was by John L. Youngs, whose construction company had erected the new city hall beginning in 1897. Youngs Street is named after him.

The home is now the Performing Arts Lodge that provides affordable housing and social assistance to Canada’s performing arts community. The home is a Designated Historical Property.

For more of the story, click www.streetsofstratford.ca and select Deacon Street.

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Streets of Stratford: Deacon Street   

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12.01.2024

Dr. George Reginald Deacon was the official physician of the Grand Trunk Railway in Stratford

Deacon Street was named for Dr. George Reginald Deacon, who practiced medicine from 1896 to 1925. He was a leading Stratford physician and surgeon, and official doctor for the Grand Trunk Railway. Dr. Deacon had a fluoroscope in his office at 101 Brunswick St. to examine his patents by X-ray before there was any X-ray equipment in the hospital. Some of Dr. Deacon’s early medical records are in the Stratford-Perth Archives.

His father, Rev. Daniel Deacon, was the first rector of St. Paul’s Anglican Church and his mother was the first woman member of the Stratford board of education.

Dr. Deacon’s wife, Jeanette, owned the first electric car in Stratford. She was the envy of many as she drove around town in her Baker Electric, though some were unhappy because the quiet........

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