What is This Collection?

This collection supplements the SIHC’s Arnold B. Tofias Industrial Archives, providing additional information on the operation of the Ames shovel company. Because the Tofias Collection came from the Ames offices in Easton, that collection’s ability to document the entire company becomes somewhat limited for the period following the shift of corporate headquarters to Parkersburg in 1932. Furthermore, the ability of the Tofias collection to provide information on Ames operations after the closing of Easton operations ca. 1953 is restricted to a small number of items added to the collection after its donation to Stonehill in 1973, these items typically sent to Stonehill by various employees of Ames. Therefore, the Ames True Temper Collection enhances the documentation of historic periods covered in the Tofias Archives and expands the chronological and geographic coverage of our collections into the late 20th century.

The items in the collection relate to numerous Ames facilities and offices including:

• Alton , IL
• Anderson , IN
• Boston , MA
• Chattanooga , TN
• Leechburg , PA
• Montpelier , IN
• New Albany , IN
• North Easton , MA
• North Manchester , IN
• Paris , TX
• Parkersburg , WV
• Princeton , IN
• Wauseon , OH
• Wyoming , PA

Topics addressed include:

• Production
• Sales and distribution
• Military work including World War II production of depth charges, armor plate, and navy flares
• Employee issues
• Orders and other financial issues
• Factory appraisals and inventories
• Possible acquisitions of other companies
• Worker accident reports
• Advertising and promotional appearances

The collection includes many Ames company catalogs from the 1930s through the 1970s as well as promotional material and advertisements. It also contains many original shovel patent and trademark records going back to the 1850s and over 2,000 engineering and design drawings (most 20th century).

Requests for information can be submitted via email to the Director of Archives and Historical Collections, Nicole Casper at ncasper@stonehill.edu or 508.565.1121.