The Ames () company, originally established in 1881 by Frederick A. Ames, was a buggy manufacturer and later an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

manufacturer in

Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

, from 1910 to 1925. A beetle-backed " gentleman's roadster" and a five-passenger

tourer Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. Th ...

were the first models offered for sale by the company. The company also produced replacement bodies for the

Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...

. At its peak, the company produced about 30,000 vehicles. The last model the company made was called the "Kentucky Thoroughbred". In 1922, the company again remade itself, manufacturing furniture under the name F. A. Ames Corporation until 1941, when the company filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

and most of its assets were purchased by the Whitehall Furniture Co. of Owensboro. Frederick A. Ames died in 1925 at the age of 60. At the time of his death, he was reported to have vast real-estate holdings in Owensboro and

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. His widow, the former Mary M. McMannon, died in 1933. Although the Ames had no children of their own, Mary's niece, Marie had been raised in their home as an adopted child, and inherited most of Ames' fortune.

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