Since March is Women’s History Month, we thought we’d highlight a very special and notable woman of the past to tell you about.

Mary Shreve (Ames) Frothingham, was born in Easton in 1867, the daughter of Frederick Lothrop Ames and Rebecca Caroline Blair Ames.

Modest and self-effacing, Mary spent her life giving generously to others in her beloved Easton and beyond.

Many of the organizations that make Easton unique benefited from Mary Ames Frothingham’s dedication and philanthropy. The Ames Free Library, Unity Church, the American Legion and the Red Cross were all worthy recipients of her life-long generosity.  She was passionate about gardens and public parks and was a donor to the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, earning her the honor of being allowed to drive through the arboretum in her car.

Children were special to her. Mary married later in life and did not have any children of her own.  For years, she hosted a Christmas party for the grammar school students in North Easton and provided a gift for each child. During the depression there were some times that her present was the only gift a child got that Christmas.

After her husband, Congressman Louis A. Frothingham, died in 1928, Mary created a living memorial to him in the Frothingham Memorial Park. Generations of Easton children and families have enjoyed the leafy environs of the park’s nine acres and its fine recreation and sports. She paid for a park ranger who organized games and sporting events for the children. Her donation of land for the Town’s first fire station, which is now home to the Children’s Museum in Easton, continues her legacy of giving to children.

A wonderful anecdote, told by family members, highlights the graciousness and gentility of this special lady. Mary’s cousin-in-law, Blanche Ames Ames, who lived at Borderland, was a noted women’s rights advocate and suffragette, and the President of the Easton Woman Suffrage League. This was in direct contrast to Mary’s position as President of the Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage. Blanche commented to friends that cousin Mary’s executive abilities were proof of women’s right to suffrage.

Despite this, the two women maintained a friendly and cordial relationship, agreeing to disagree. For example, when the 19th Amendment passed, guaranteeing women the vote, Blanche telephoned Mary to ask whom she should vote for in the coming elections. What a wonderful display of bi-partisanship!

Today, her former home, “Wayside”, a Georgian Revival mansion on Elm Street which was donated by the family, is used as the Easton Town Offices.

The rose gardens at Wayside, (pictured in an old photo) were so well-known and celebrated that they were once honored by a visit from the American Rose Society during their annual meeting.  

Mary Shreve (Ames) Frothingham’s legacy continues to this day.

Credits: Fred Ames, Ross A. Muscato, Hazel Varella, Wikipedia