The Oliver Ames & Sons Shovel Works, constructed primarily between 1852 and 1907, is considered one of New England’s finest examples of a 19th-century stone industrial complex. Ames shovels from this factory played a key role in the California Gold Rush, the construction of the country’s transcontinental railroads and were issued to U.S. Army soldiers for every conflict from the American Civil War to the Korean War. The Ames Shovel Company ceased production in Easton in 1952. Threatened by partial demolition and extensive alteration, the Ames Shovel Works was listed by Preservation Mass and the National Trust for Historic Preservation among their “Most Endangered” properties. Efforts by Friends of the Historic Ames Shovel Works to protect the historic buildings led to a public-private partnership between the Town of Easton and Beacon Communities LLC. Project financing and permitting involved various agencies, triggering state Chapter 254 and federal Section 106 reviews. Beacon Communities acquired the property and rehabilitation began in 2012 using state and federal historic tax credits.