Oakes Angier Ames
Encyclopedia
Oakes Angier Ames was a wealthy industrialist and philanthropist in the Ames family of North Easton, Massachusetts. His brother Oliver Ames
was Governor of Massachusetts
.
Ames was the oldest son of Oakes Ames, a major force behind the Union Pacific Railroad
, and Eveline O. Gelman. He became a partner in the family's shovel factory in 1856, and in 1877 became its president.
Ames' legacy to North Eason can still be seen in Queset House
, his home beside the Queset Brook. Noted architect Andrew Jackson Downing
designed the house's front portion in 1854 and John Ames Mitchell
designed the rear in 1872. The famous landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmsted
planned its grounds and also, in consultation with Ames, created The Rockery
nearby.
Together with his family, Ames commissioned Olmsted and architect H. H. Richardson
to create a remarkable set of buildings and landscapes in North Easton, including:
Oliver Ames
Oliver Ames was a U.S. political figure and financier. He was the 35th Governor of Massachusetts . He was the son of Oakes Ames , a United States Congressman who was censured in the Credit Mobilier scandal, and the nephew of Oliver Ames, Jr..-Biography:Ames was born in North Easton, Massachusetts...
was Governor of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Ames was the oldest son of Oakes Ames, a major force behind the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
, and Eveline O. Gelman. He became a partner in the family's shovel factory in 1856, and in 1877 became its president.
Ames' legacy to North Eason can still be seen in Queset House
Queset House
Queset House is a house located at 51 Main Street, North Easton, Massachusetts next to the Ames Free Library. The house was designed by noted architect Andrew Jackson Downing in 1854 under commission from industrialist Oakes Angier Ames. In 1872 John Ames Mitchell designed its rear extension...
, his home beside the Queset Brook. Noted architect Andrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing
Andrew Jackson Downing was an American landscape designer, horticulturalist, and writer, a prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival style in the United States, and editor of The Horticulturist magazine...
designed the house's front portion in 1854 and John Ames Mitchell
John Ames Mitchell
John Ames Mitchell was a publisher, architect, artist and novelist. He was regarded as a Renaissance man who kept to himself but influenced many. A Harvard University educated architect who studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, in 1883 he co-founded Life magazine with Andrew Miller...
designed the rear in 1872. The famous landscape architect
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
planned its grounds and also, in consultation with Ames, created The Rockery
The Rockery
The Rockery, also known as the Memorial Cairn, is an unusual war memorial designed by the noted American landscaper Frederick Law Olmsted. It is located at the center of North Easton Center In Easton, MA, where it forms the focal point for two adjacent H. H...
nearby.
Together with his family, Ames commissioned Olmsted and architect H. H. Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
to create a remarkable set of buildings and landscapes in North Easton, including:
- Ames Free LibraryAmes Free LibraryThe Ames Free Library is a public library designed by noted American architect H. H. Richardson. It is located at 53 Main Street, Easton, Massachusetts, immediately adjacent to another Richardson building, Oakes Ames Memorial Hall....
- Ames Gate LodgeAmes Gate LodgeThe Ames Gate Lodge is a celebrated work by American architect H. H. Richardson. It is privately owned on an estate landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, but its north facade can be seen from the road at 135 Elm Street, North Easton, Massachusetts....
- Oakes Ames Memorial HallOakes Ames Memorial HallOakes Ames Memorial Hall is a historic hall designed by noted American architect H. H. Richardson, with landscaping by Frederick Law Olmsted. It is located at Main Street, Easton, Massachusetts, immediately adjacent to another Richardson building, Ames Free Library.The hall was built 1879-1881 as a...
- Old Colony Railroad Station
- The RockeryThe RockeryThe Rockery, also known as the Memorial Cairn, is an unusual war memorial designed by the noted American landscaper Frederick Law Olmsted. It is located at the center of North Easton Center In Easton, MA, where it forms the focal point for two adjacent H. H...