SHARON — Historian Ed Kirby gave a history of the Amesville section of Salisbury (and the Ames brothers) at a talk Jan. 19 sponsored by the Sharon Historical Society and held at the Congregational Church. More than 50 people attended the presentation.Kirby’s talk primarily focused on the 19th century in the Salisbury iron district. That area is part of the multi-town region that is now the federally recognized Upper Housatonic National Heritage Area.The Northwest Corner was famous for the high quality of the iron ore that could be found here. Many iron furnaces sprung up over the years, including some that provided firepower to soldiers in the American Revolution. The Ames brothers went into business nearly a century later. Along with more mundane items, they also made cannons used in the Civil War.Oliver Ames (1779-1863) was the son of John Ames of Taunton, Mass., an area where iron making began in the colonies very early in the 1600s. Oliver Ames married Susan Angier (1783-1847).“For our purposes,” Kirby said, “Oliver and Susan’s most interesting children were Oakes Ames (1804-1873), Horatio Ames (1805-1871), Oliver Ames Jr. (1807-1877) and William Leonard Ames (1812-1873).“Leonard’s was probably the most famous ironmaking company in the Massachusetts colony. Many people involved with the iron business or living in the area named their children Leonard” in his honor.Iron was found in Lakeville as early as 1730; but the high quality of the ore wasn’t the only reason why the factories sprang up in this area. The other essential component in the process was water, which the Northwest Corner has in abundance.The Ames brothers started out poor, but became millionaires. “A lot of their money came from making and selling shovels,” Kirby said. “There was a big demand for shovels for the gold rush, the Union Army and the transcontinental railroads and expansions of other railroads.”The first iron furnace in Lime Rock can be traced back to 1735. Kirby said that in 1839, heaters were added to furnaces so they could use less charcoal.Kirby said at one point, there were 43 or 44 ironmaking furnaces in the upper Housatonic area.Many furnace designs came from England in 1775. Horatio Ames used those designs as a base, but modified them for improved performance.The Ames ironworks was famous for a design it came up with for a safer cannon, one that was less likely to explode when not loaded properly. The designed was presented to President Abraham Lincoln, who sent Horatio Ames a letter confirming an order for cannons at 85 cents per pound. The war ended before the order could be filled, however. Interestingly, the cannons were made from solid iron. The cannon bore was drilled after the basic form was manufactured. Kirby said, “Cannons were test fired from Salisbury into Falls Village.”Kirby relayed a story his research uncovered. When Lincoln traveled from Springfield, Ill., to Washington, D.C., for his presidential inauguration by train, he actually drove the train part of the way.The Amesville company went on to be a successful manufacturer of railroad train wheels. By 1856, though, the iron business had slowed down and many area furnaces closed down.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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