The Polson Iron Works was an Ontario based firm which built large steam engines, and ships, barges and dredges.Founded by William Polson (1834-1901) and son Franklin Bates Polson, the firm was incorporated in 1886 and it was one of the original shipyards operating in Toronto.In 1888 favourable land grants prompted the company to move to Owen Sound, which was then an important port for Canadian Pacific's steamships.The firm eventually returned to Toronto in 1897 when Owen Sound's town council did not renew the firm's exemption from property taxes.Some of the vessels constructed by the Polson Iron Works remain in service today.