Oliver Ames - Easton, MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 04.157 W 071° 06.307
19T E 325844 N 4659612
This unkept memorial to Oliver Ames (Sr.), who brought the Ames Shovel Company from West Bridgewater to North Easton and developed the company into the greatest shovel company in the world, sits at the corner next to an abandoned building.
Waymark Code: WM9QYC
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 09/21/2010
Views: 5
In the North Easton section of Easton, at the corner of Oliver Street and Main Street, stands a small unkept area with a pedestal supporting the bust of Oliver Ames.
The bronze head is mostly green, though the features can still be easily traced. The expression is stern, with a slightly furrowed brow. A cravat-like garment protects his neck, protruding the suggestion of a suit. There are 'flaps' of hair extending over the ears. The bust sits on a square stone pedestal, with a plaque installed on the side, saying, "Oliver Ames - Born April 11, 1779, Died September 11, 1863. North Easton 1803. "Would you behold his monument - Look about you" ____ R.H.RECCHIA.FECIT BOSTON MCMXI" The bust is in an uncut rectangular area bounded by chain links strung between posts.
Oliver Ames Sr. was the owner of the Ames Shovel Company. The operation was started in West Bridgewater, and there is a memorial to that event in a park near the town's center. In 1803, Oliver Ames, Sr. moved the operations to North Easton. From there the company grew tremendously, and the village within the town of Easton prospered as the family, including the generations after Oliver, Sr., gave back much of their wealth by donating buildings such as the library and memorial hall. The Ames family was well regarded in their town.
Unfortunately, as the company has disappeared, so has much of the industry of the village. There is industry and commerce now in other places, but all that remains of the Ames family and the company are the buildings and monuments that bear their names. This monument park, though, appears to be totally neglected, unlike other properties, such as the Rockery at Lincoln, Main and Barrows Streets. The building by the bust also looks abandoned. Could it be that the statue is on abandoned private land?
URL of the statue: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.