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Auction Sale North Easton was truly a company town. Many homes were built by the Ames family to house workers in the shovel shops. By 1930 this concept was becoming obsolete. To live in one place and work in another had become a more common practice and worker housing was no longer of the same importance. More people were eager to own their own homes. It was expedient that the company offload some of its properties. So, on Thursday June 19, 1930, at 11:00 am in North Easton, an auction was held on order of The Ames Shovel and Tool Company. For auction were 34 dwellings one- and two-family dwellings, and according to the pamphlet, all set in “one of the most attractive villages in Eastern Massachusetts”. In total 18 cottages, 16 double dwellings, 3 four-family dwellings, 2 store properties and 2 building lots were for auction. Terms were the property went to the highest bidder.  The homes were all in North Easton Village, on Lincoln Street, Day Street, Pond Street, Mechanic Street, Canton Street, Picker Lane, Andrews Street, Barrows Street, and North Main.  Above, a map of homes for auction on Mechanic Street.  These two duplexes, still standing on Day Street today, were included in the auction.  Looking into the area known as Ramcat from Main Street, to the right of Shovel Shop buildings. No one seems to know where the name Ramcat came from. Ramcat was an area across the street from the Old Colony Railroad Station, the current home of the Easton Historical Society & Museum. Today it is a grassy area great for dog walking but at one time it was home to Ames employee boarding houses. The last of these were torn down on the order of Mary Ames Frothingham in 1930. Left at that time were four wooden structures (some built to house 2 or more families) and two small stone buildings. I believe these were listed in the auction circular, but perhaps didn't sell? I’m not sure.  This early photo of the Ramcat area showing a number of the employee boarding houses, was taken sometime prior to the Railroad Station being built in 1882.
The Ames family holdings were extensive, and the family certainly put its stamp on North Easton, not just in terms of the beautiful Richardson buildings and mansions but also in terms of family homes. Busy families still inhabit these homes today. Anne Wooster Drury [email protected] Comments are closed.
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