The Lawsons attended the Columbia Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and visited an exhibit sponsored by the Electric Launch Company of Bayonne, New Jersey (also called ELCO). This was a relatively new boat company, but it was already establishing a reputation for making only the finest, high-quality boats.

When the Lawsons ordered their boat from ELCO, sometime between 1904 and 1907, it was one of only three of that style and size built. The other two were built for Thomas Edison and the Czar of Russia. The Lawsons’ 56-foot launch was built of cypress, mahogany, and white oak. It had a kitchen, portable toilet, and was powered by 140 batteries driving two electric motors. Electric power was important to Mrs. Lawson as she had asthma and reacted to engine fumes.

The boat was housed in a magnificent Swiss-styled boathouse replicated from one that the Lawsons had seen during a trip to Europe.  They sent an architect to Switzerland to take pictures, measure it, and study the design to see how it was all put together. When construction began, coffer dams were used to hold back the water so the extensive foundation could be poured.  The boathouse was finished in 1910.

Mrs. Lawson decided that the boathouse should be parallel to the lake so the beauty of the building could be seen from the water. Special lumber was used and the roof tiles were imported from Italy. Interior hoists were installed and power was run from the powerhouse to charge the batteries on her electric launch, the “No Hurry.”

Mrs. Lawson liked to entertain her guests on the covered terrace on the north end of the boathouse. Furnishings were in place and large Italian Frescos were placed on the walls.

Information collected from “Just Do It Jessie’s Way” by Kathleen Kleinpaste

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