Commonly referred to as the Shovel Collection, the Stonehill Industrial History Center (SIHC) is far more than its 755 shovels.  The SIHC holds thousands of artifacts and manuscripts which document the development of American industry and Ames' connections to a diverse array of topics in American History.

The Center features two major collections.  The core collection, The Arnold B. Tofias Industrial Archives , contains 19^th and 20^th century artifacts and records focusing on North Easton’s Ames family’s shovel-making enterprise  and its far-reaching business, political, and social influence.   The second main collection, The Ames Family Collection, documents how success with shovel-making was leveraged into many enterprises throughout the country as well as the community, political, and social activities of a prominent Brahman family.