With a present population of around 7,750, Ellsworth has been, in recent years, Maine's fastest growing city. Standing primarily on the east side of the Union River, Ellsworth was one of the several areas in dispute between the English and the French throughout the 17th century, even into the 18th century. With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763 Ellsworth became part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Immediately, Ellsworth was settled by a group of English settlers. Shipyards quickly sprang up along the Union River, with the first schooner, the Susan and Abigail being built at Ellsworth in 1773.
Originally known as the
Union River Settlement, then
Plantation No. 7 and at times
Bowdoin and
New Bowdoin, in 1798 the citizens petitioned to incorporate under the name of
Sumner. Unbeknownst to them there was already a
Sumner in Maine and the town was incorporated under the name Ellsworth, after Oliver Ellsworth, the Connecticut delegate to the 1787 National Convention. It is believed that Ellsworth was the first to suggest the name
United States of America for the new country.
The first county seat of Hancock County was Castine, replaced by Ellsworth in 1838. By 1859 the town of 4,000 was the centre of a diversified economy, industries in the town including sawmills, gristmills, brickyards, shipbuilders, pail factories, edge tool factories and box-making establishments, with some smaller trades active, as well.
Ellsworth has suffered two major disasters in the 20th century, the first being
The Great Flood of 1923, which carried away the bridge over the Union River and several major business buildings and wharves. The second was
The Great Fire of 1933, which destroyed at least half of the commercial district, including the city hall, on May 7, 1933. As a result, Ellsworth now has a beautiful 1934 vintage Georgian Revival brick city hall. See the photos below.
The entry from the American Guide Series book
Maine: A Guide 'Down East' follows.
ELLSWORTH (alt. 100, pop. 3557), 61.3 m., the county seat and only
city in Hancock County, was settled in 1763. The community has seen
extensive lumbering operations, a period of shipbuilding, and an industrial era brought about by the development of its water power. A large part of the business district, and many of the old buildings, were destroyed by fire in 1933, but the center has been rebuilt. Today the town is a happy combination of gracious old homes and attractive modern business buildings. An example of this is the juxtaposition of the new City Hall, which shows a Scandinavian influence, and the old white Congregational Church, which dominate the business district from the east side of State Street Hill. The latter, built in 1812, has a portico with delicately fluted columns,
and a slender spire.
The sparkling Union River flows through the center of the city, and from the bridge (R) a 6o-foot falls is visible.
From Maine: A Guide 'Down East', Page 230