Easton, Massachusetts was first settled in 1694 and was officially incorporated in 1725.

In 1694, the first settler, Clement Briggs established his home near the Easton Green. In 1711, the Taunton North Purchase area became Norton, and in 1713, the twenty-six families settled in Easton and hired Elder William Pratt as their first minister. There was no legal parish in Easton until 1722 when the East Precinct of Norton was recognized. In 1725, the area was incorporated as the Town of Easton; it was so named because it was formerly called the "East End" of the Taunton North Purchase and was shortened by pronunciation to Easton.

In 1803, the Ames Shovel Company was established and became nationally known as having provided the shovels which laid the Union Pacific Railroad and opened the west. In 1875, the shovel production of the Ames plant was worth 1.5 million. The most notable of the Ames family were Oakes Ames, a key figure in the Credit Mobilier of America scandal, and Oliver Ames(R), governor of Massachusetts from 1887 – 1890.

The Ames family shaped the town's economy, and was responsible for the presence of a number of landmark buildings in the town designed by H.H. Richardson, originator of the Richardson Romanesque style and designer of Trinity Church in Boston.

Richardson buildings in Easton include:

The Richardson buildings are all located within a compact area designated as the H. H. Richardson Historic District. The area also includes "the Rockery," designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also landscaped grounds of Oakes Ames Memorial Hall and the Ames Free Library.  Olmstead also designed Boston’s Emerald Necklace and New York’s Central Park.

Easton is a pretty, pleasant suburban community now, but the town began its history as the rough frontier of the Taunton North Purchase and acted as the hunting, fishing and lumbering preserve of early Taunton settlers. Permanent settlement by colonists about 1695 and formal establishment of the town in 1725 led to an impassioned controversy over the location of the town meeting house, which split the early community. The town's industrial history essentially begins with the discovery of bog iron which made Easton part of an important late 17th and 18th century iron producing region in southwestern Massachusetts. The first commercial steel made in the colonies was said to have been made in Easton and was evidently used for muskets. In 1803 the Ames Shovel Company was established, and became nationally known as having provided the shovels which laid the Union Pacific Railroad and opened the west. In 1875 the shovel production of the Ames plant was worth $1.5 million. The Ames family not only shaped the town's economy but also its geography and architecture. In the late 19th century, the family created a remarkable legacy by donating several landmark buildings to the town. This was remarkable not only for its benevolence, but for its architectural significance, since the nationally known architect H. H. Richardson designed Oakes Ames Memorial Hall, the library and the Old Colony Railroad building which now houses the Easton Historical Society, in the impressive Romanesque style. The community has carefully preserved these buildings, as part of the proud heritage of the town. The Ames family also built shops and company housing. Through most of its history the town has retained a small but healthy industrial base that featured the production of the Morse automobile between 1902 and 1914, cotton and thread mills, machine shops making piano casings and piano machinery, and the location of the spring supplying the oldest carbonated beverage company in the country. Despite this industrial activity, the town remained largely rural in feeling. Suburban development since World War II has brought in a significant number of new residents. 

Narrative based on information provided by the Massachusetts Historical Commission