Easton, MA
Easton was incorporated in 1725, but its identity was shaped most strongly by the shovel industry that developed there in the nineteenth century. In 1803, Oliver Ames established a shovel-making business that grew into one of the country’s leading manufacturers. Ames shovels supplied workers building railroads, digging canals, and developing infrastructure across the expanding nation, connecting this Massachusetts town to projects far beyond its borders.
The success of the shovel industry shaped more than Easton’s economy. It influenced the growth of neighborhoods, created livelihoods for generations of workers, and supported improvements to the town’s public spaces. The relationship between manufacturing, community life, and civic generosity became a defining part of Easton’s character. Today, its historic village and former industrial sites preserve the story of a town whose local enterprise played a role in the nation’s growth.
Recent Posts
Ames Free Library
The Ames Free Library began with a gift intended to make books and learning available to the people of Easton. In his will, manufacturer and railroad investor Oliver Ames II left $50,000 for the construction and support of a library. Part of that bequest was reserved as a permanent fund to purchase books and maintain […]
Old Colony Railroad Station
With its broad slate roof, deep overhanging eaves, and substantial stone walls, North Easton’s former railroad station gives a practical building a distinctive architectural presence. The dark timber brackets and rounded arches visible in our photographs reveal the care given to a place built for everyday arrivals and departures. Frederick Lothrop Ames commissioned the station […]
Oliver Ames Memorial
At the corner of Main and Oliver Streets in North Easton, a bronze bust rises above a granite pedestal framed by a curved stone bench. The memorial honors Oliver Ames Sr., the manufacturer whose shovel business helped transform Easton into an industrial town. Its inscription invites visitors to consider his legacy beyond the monument itself: […]
Oakes Ames House
The house at 25 Main Street began as the homestead of Oliver Ames, founder of the Ames shovel business. In 1813, he purchased the land and began building a substantial Federal-style residence near his manufacturing operations. Its size reflected the family’s growing prosperity and established a home that would accommodate several generations of the Ames […]
Ames Shovel Works
A shovel is a simple tool, but making thousands of strong, dependable shovels required skilled workers, specialized machinery, and a carefully organized factory. At the Ames Shovel Works in North Easton, the surviving stone buildings preserve the story of an industry that helped shape the town and supplied tools for projects far beyond Massachusetts. Oliver […]
The Former North Easton Savings Bank and Post Office
The stone building at 66 Main Street preserves a chapter of North Easton’s everyday commercial history. Its substantial masonry, red-tiled roof, and broad entrance arch give it a commanding presence along the street. Behind that carefully designed exterior were services that connected residents with both their local economy and the wider world. The Easton Historical […]
The Morse Runabout
With its tall wheels, upholstered seat, and overhead canopy, the Morse Runabout recalls a time when automobiles still resembled the horse-drawn vehicles they were beginning to replace. Preserved in the Easton Historical Society Museum, the car introduces a less familiar chapter of the town’s industrial history: its connection to early automobile manufacturing. The museum identifies […]
