Stonehill Industrial History Collections

Arnold B. Tofias Industrial Archives (Ames Shovels)
Donated to Stonehill College by real estate developer, Arnold Tofias, in 1973, The Arnold B. Tofias Industrial Archives are the records, artifacts and papers of 19th and 20th century Ames enterprises, in particular the O. Ames Company, manufacturers of shovels. In addition to 755 shovels, the collection includes over 1,500 linear ft. of manuscript material.

Ames Tru Temper Collection
The Ames True Temper Collection was acquired by Stonehill College from 2002 to 2006 from the current Ames Company's facility in Parkersburg, West Virginia, since closed. The collection includes some materials from the 19th century but is dominated by 20th century items. Everything for inventories and catalogs to anti-submarine depth charges ("hedgehogs") made during WWII. The collection also contains promotional films and videos. See the finding aid for a more detailed itemization of items in the collection.

Ames Family Collection
This Collection documents the diverse reach of an enterprising and successful industrial family from the mid-19th through mid 20th centuries. Success with shovels provided the means to investment and financial success in other industries. The Collection also contains records of these endeavors in addition to extensive records of the day to day personal finances and estates of the many members of the Ames Family in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Ingram Papers

Brockton Shoe Museum
Dedicated in 1981, the mission of the Brockton Shoe Museum is to preserve and promote the history of the United States Shoe Industry with an emphasis on Brockton and Southeastern Massachusetts. Its collections include over five hundred different shoes and records and publications relating to the shoe industry. In 2003, concerned about two recent acquisitions, the Shoe Trades Publications Collection and the William A. Rossi Collections, the Museum entered into a partnership with Stonehill College, located a few miles south of the museum and placed these collections on loan with the department.

Requests for information can be submitted via email to Nicole Tourangeau, Director of Archives and Historical Collections at ncasper@stonehill.edu.