USA > Maine > Hancock County > Ellsworth > History of Ellsworth, Maine > Part 6
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of Post Office), and Samuel Dutton (Thomas Lee's store). The Old Jones' store, standing in the street and almost in front of the present City Market was unoccupied (about where the watering trough is). The law office was occupied by John G. Deane (Deane's office was on the northern corner of his lot), and Nathan G. Howard had also a law office over Whiting's store.
"Mrs. Eppes and her mother, Mrs. Green, lived in the base- ment of Deane's office. To the southeast from three-quarters to one mile distant, and far from any road, were the dwellings of Edward Beal (on site of A. H. Bellatty house, Beals Ave.) and the Cards, Joseph and Samuel. Below the village on the road to Trenton (now Water Street) lived one Mansfield, and below where I. M. Grant's shipyard is, lived John Martin, a tailor. On the west side of the river, and connected by a low, narrow bridge, stood the Peter Gove tavern, kept by Asa A. Pond (on site of C. L. Morang shop on north side of street) and James C. Fiske had a dwelling about a rod and a half beyond (on southeast corner of Hancock House lot). David Chapman, a hatter, built the house now the S. Mitchell house (Henry Gould house now on site), and Major Langdon built the store opposite that year (northwest corner of Odd Fellows Block).
"On the hill to the northwest was an old dwelling occupied by Benjamin Joy, and his son, Ivory H. Joy. (This house was between the Mabel Joy House in Pleasant Street and the Catholic Church. Later, the Joys built on the right-hand side of Pleasant Street, going in, and on what is commonly called the Drinkwater cellar.)
"There was another house where J. W. Davis' house now stands (Mr. Elbridge Milliken), and Mrs. Charlotte Herbert occupied a house in the field south of the Court House. (The Herbert house was where Judge J. A. Peters' house now is; it was moved back to Cottage Street and is now occupied by Mr. Ruel Bartlett.)
"There were two meeting-houses, both new; the Baptist where I. H. Thomas' house stands (on cor. of Pleasant and Court Streets across from the old High School buildings), and the Congregational on the site of the present church. (This church was on the site of the vestry recently torn down.)
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"This is a faithful description of the village at that period, and all of its surroundings.
"Between the meeting-house and the Falls there were ten dwellings, occupied by Melatiah Jordan (who moved his house from the site of the A. P. Royal house, when Andrew Peters built there, over to where the Donald Stuart estate is), John Hopkins (where Mrs. Robert Campbell now lives), Eli Colby, Hutchinson Ingalls (probably on the site of the High School), Sylvanus Jordan (the cellar is now to be seen about half way between the standpipe and the railroad track), John Chamber- lain (the George Davis residence), John Jellison (this was also known as the Tinker house-Richard Tinker married Mr. Jellison's daughter-the ruins of this house are to be seen across the street from Mr. Albert Foster's residence), Nathan- iel Jellison (two houses north of the above named ruins and where the parsonage now is), Temple Lord (where Mr, Eugene Carlisle now lives), and Ivory H. Lord (on the landing road). Thomas J. Whiting lived in the house with Melatiah Jordan. Porter Sawyer kept the mill boarding house, and James Grant occupied a small house near by.
"Above the Falls was an old tumbled-down house occupied by John Pierce; a house consisting of one room, occupied by Betsey Milliken. The house erected by the late Daniel Adams in early life was occupied by Wyatt Moore, the shoe-maker: (There is some misunderstanding here. I am convinced that Daniel Adams built but one house and that was on the Surry Road. At that time-1820-Wyatt Moore and his son, Wyatt Moore, Jr., lived on the Surry Road.) The dwellings of Joseph Moore and John Wentworth, and farther up, Allen Milliken (now known as the Hill place) ; and on the opposite side of the river was the residence of George Brimmer. On the road to Branch Pond Mills were the dwellings of Col. Jesse Dutton (formerly occupied by Mr. Henry Colpitts), the Urquhart house, Benjamin Garland (site of Henry Wood house), Caleb Mad- docks, Jonathan Maddocks, Oliver Moore, William Kind, and perhaps one or two more.
"At the Craig Farm (now occupied by Mr. Lowly Moore) lived William and James Davis, dairymen. Of all the men
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before named, in this vast territory, and I think I have named them all, Deacon Samuel Dutton is the only person now living.
"The largest part of the settlement at that time was on the road to Surry. The Town line, at the separation in 1820 from Massachusetts, was where it is now, but the first Legisla- ture of Maine in Jan .. 1821, restored to Surry all that part of Township No. 6 embraced within the limits of Ellsworth. The Legislature of 1829, re-established the town line to where it was before and now is.
"On the road to the wharves (Surry Road and the road opposite the 'Head of the Lane School-House' leading to Bonsey's Wharf) were then twenty-five dwellings occupied by Major Alfred Langdon (below Cushman's spring on land now owned by Wilbur Smith), Elisha Austin, Matthew Means (Wm. Kemp house now on site), Parson Nourse (about where Wilbur Smith lives), Daniel Adams (now occupied by Mr. Daniels), John Hopkins, Joseph W. Tinker, the Townsend house, Samuel Joy, Dr. Calvin Peck, Ezra Davis (lot owned by Mr. Linscott), James Davis (on site of Kane house), Loring Jordan, Robert Mason, S. G. Woodward, Wyatt Moore, Solomon Jordan (on north corner of Road and Lane), Walter Jordan, James Mc- Farland, Joseph Murch, William Murch, Elias Lord, Samuel Bonsey, at Bonsey's Wharf, Charles Jarvis in the Dr. Adams house, Wyatt Moore, Jr., James Stevens, Jasper Pond, Mark Shepard, at Shepard's Wharf (most of the cellar to be seen now), and old Col. Black in the Ross house near the village, where he had a wharf and store, and in those days a large winter trade. Of these dwellings only six remain. (The Ross house stood in the field southeast of the Chas. Brown house in Laurel Street. Col. John Black's store and wharves were on the west side of Black's Cove or shore.)
"Near the river on the east side were the dwellings of Capt. John Tinker (Tinker's Hill), Capt. John Whittaker, Benjamin Milliken, Benjamin Milliken, Jr., and the Fullertons.
"In the Beachland district lived Joseph Jordan (next north of Morrison School-House), and his father, Joseph Morrison (S. S. Estey house, Water Street), Eben Smith, and his father (now occupied by Capt. Smith), John G. Jordan, Benjamin
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Jordan, Nathaniel Jordan, Stephen T. Jordan, Isaac Jordan, John Tinker, Jr., and James Mosley.
"At Dollardtown were then the families of William Smith, James Treworgy, Abraham Meader, Alfred Joy, Love Joy, Will- iam Dollard, James Carter, Joseph Bunker, Ephraim Chapman,
-Kennedy, Amaziah Treworgy and Judah Chase.
"In 1820, the Western mail was transported from Bucks- town, via Bluehill to Ellsworth, semi-weekly by Abner Lee, the veteran mail carrier. Mount Desert, Eden, Trenton and all the Islands, and the inhabitants along Union River came to Ells- worth for their letters and papers."
From Mr. Deane's history of Lygonia Lodge, it is evident that in 1822 the village boasted sixty-seven log cabins and framed houses on the east side of the river, and fifty-one on the west side. This shows, in all, one hundred and eighteen houses, in addition to which there were five stores, one law office, one meeting-house and one hundred and five voters on the east side; and in the Surry part of Ellsworth one tavern, one office, two small meeting-houses and seventy-one voters. Of all these one hundred and seventy-six voters in 1822, only sixteen were alive in 1872.
The changing of the town lines by the Legislature in 1820, made the limits of Ellsworth much smaller. All of the land on the west side of the river became a part of Surry, and the Union River, from its mouth to the gore line, became the western boundary. The line then crossed the river at the eddy above where the Grant Mills were located, thence following the gore and township lines to Branch Pond, thence crossing the pond to the Orland line. Thus, what remained as Ellsworth was divided into two parts with the gore of eighty acres or more in between. As a result, the population of the town was very small. The original boundary was set back in Jan., 1829.
As the town continued to grow so did it become necessary to have better means of communication with the outside world. The only routes available in 1820, with the exception of the roads to Trenton, Sullivan and Bluehill, were by way of vessel or spotted trails in the woods. The water way presented many obstacles. The coast was surely indented enough, but all the places whither one must go for the purpose of business could
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not be reached by water. And then there were so many things in those days to detain a vessel. The trails through the woods could only accommodate a traveler on foot or horseback, and not much freight could be carried this way. Therefore, something needs must be done, and the most logical thing seemed to be to construct roads. And then the towns-folk started a project which will never be finished. In 1820 they built the road to Orland. The road to Reed's Brook leading from State Street. and Brimmer's bridge, was constructed in 1822. The Bangor road on the western side of the river was built in 1831. The
Main Street. 1925
completion of this road brought a new era in travelling and the daily mail with a six-passenger stage cosch. drawn by four horses. became a sublime asset. Col. Thomas was the con- tractor for the line. and Abner Lee, the agent in the first years. A few years later the management of the line was given to John M. Hale, who retained it for thirty-five years. The Bangor bridge was built in 1844. and the Shore Road to Col. Black's Mill. in 1845 (Mill Street).
Castine, by virtue of its convenient location and its age. had been the shire town of Hancock County before Waldo and Penobscot counties had been created. but when in 1827. Waldo County was set apart and Hancock County became a much
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smaller territory, Castine was not such a desirable place for 1
holding the county court. In 1836 numerous petitions reached the State legislature, asking that the shire town be Ellsworth or Bluehill. A ballot of the various towns of the county was called for in order to answer by popular vote the question of the final location of the shire town of the new Hancock County. The area which the county occupied from time to time, and the struggle which Ellsworth made to have the county seat located here, is splendidly treated in the address of Chief Justice John A. Peters, at the dedication of the Hancock County Court House, April 13, 1886. Accordingly, I have taken the preroga- tive of inserting here as much of the address as seems pertinent.
"Hancock County is venerable for her years. Three counties only in the State are older-York, Cumberland and Lincoln. All of the inland counties came into existence at later dates. The first settlements of the county were upon the coast. Where we now stand was in the County of York, or Yorkshire, for years preceding 1760, and was in Lincoln County from that date till 1789. I have several commissions in my possession, issued to an ancestor (Melatiah Jordan), living in this place as a civil and military officer of the County of Lincoln.
"Hancock County was incorporated in 1789. Since then she has been subjected to great territorial change. In the begin- ning, her limits extended from the sea to the Canada line. Penobscot and Waldo counties and portions of Piscataquis and Aroostook counties have been carved out of what was her ter- ritory. Penobscot became an independent county in 1816, and Waldo in 1827. As the old county is probably at this time past the child-bearing period, she will have no other children to fight against her for separation and independence.
"Quite a history could be written of the changes and attempts at change, of the county seat of this county. The historical results are known, but the agitations preceding them are mostly forgotten.
"The first shire was the town of Penobscot; but when Castine, where the county buildings were located, became incor- porated out of the territory of that town, Castine became the county capital. But she had hard work to hold it. The first
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attack to take the prize from her was from the region of Bangor, both Bangor and Hampden contending for it. In 1814, Bangor was constituted a half shire of the county, and remained such till 1816, when Penobscot County was incorporated.
"Getting rid of Penobscot in 1816, and Waldo in 1827, did not secure a peaceable or a permanent possession of the courts to Castine. After a time Ellsworth started on the war-path and never ceased to prosecute the contest for the possession of the shire until it was obtained. In 1825, John G. Deane, Esq., then representing Ellsworth in the legislature, at Portland,
Main Street, 1870. View from High Street- wood fences, no sidewalks.
wrote, 'We cannot calculate on success immediately, but we must worry the legislature into a compliance with our views.' The petitions at that time were for a full or a partial shire. When Waldo went off in 1827, Ellsworth failed of its object by only a few votes, and also came near success in 1829. Castine constantly made a vigorous resistance against removal until her strength could avail no more. The end would have come sooner than it did, had it not been for the influence of the town of Bucksport, while that town was represented in the legislature by Samuel M. Pond, Esq., who at all times opposed removal.
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"" "In 1836 a legislative resolve was passed, submitting to the electors of the county this question, to be voted upon at the September election of that year: 'Is it expedient that the Judicial Courts of Hancock County be established at Castine, Bluehill, or Ellsworth?' The vote was as follows: whole num- ber of votes, 2491; of these, 1298 were for Castine, 1170 for Ellsworth, and 23 for Bluehill. It seemed that Castine had 128 more votes than Ellsworth, and Castine supposed she had won the battle. But the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the brave.
"Ellsworth adroitly obtained, upon petitions, the names of 143 persons who could not vote upon the question for the reason that they were residents upon plantations which had no organi- zation for election purposes, and who claimed that their names should be counted as votes. (Plantations Nos. 1, 8 and 15.) Adding the petitioners for Ellsworth to the votes for Ellsworth, gave 35 votes more for Ellsworth than for Castine, and upon that ground the bill to remove the courts to Ellsworth prevailed in the legislature, the committee on the question making a unanimous recommendation. In 1837 the bill was passed, the removal to take effect on October 1, 1838, upon the condition that Ellsworth should, before that time, convey to the county its town house, then roughly finished, and an acre of land, more or less, belonging thereto, which was done. At the same session a resolve was passed allowing the county to hire from four to eight thousand dollars with which to finish that building into a court room, and to erect a jail and other buildings and furnish them.
"There was an exciting contention among the citizens of Ellsworth for the location of the old court buildings, Union River being the line dividing the contending forces. Property holders on either side made favorable offers to the town. But the voters on the westerly side of the river, including the Branch Pond and Reed's Brook settlements, the question being a local one, were too numerous for the competitors on the easterly side, and that settled the question of locality, establish- ing the buildings on the hill on the westerly side of the town."
The land upon which it was erected was given to the town Oct. 12, 1833, by Mrs. Charlotte Herbert, widow, and Charlotte
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Herbert, Jr., spinster, for consideration of "$5 and divers other good and lawful considerations." The deed stipulated that the town should have the westernmost part of the triangular piece of land upon which to build their Town House, but that the rest of the acre, more or less, should revert to the Herbert estate unless the county wanted it to erect court buildings upon.
Construction on the main building, facing West Main Street, began in 1834. It was to be the new Town House, and was used as such until 1837. At that time, April 3, 1837, a special election was called to see whether or not the Town should give the Town House to the County, and it was voted to do so. Accordingly, Richard Tinker, John D. Richards and Stephen Woodard as selectmen of Ellsworth, conveyed to Hancock County the Town House and all the Town's right, if any, in the acre or more of land contained in the triangle for consideration of "$5 and divers other good and lawful considerations."
The brick annex was built and the records moved there from Castine, October 1, 1838. The first court in Ellsworth met in that house, on the bridge hill, in October, 1838-and a mem- orable term it was.
A jail was erected about fifty rods north in Pleasant Street. It has since been renovated into a double-tenement house and is now occupied by Mr. Milton Rogers and Charles Foss.
The first company that left Ellsworth for the Civil War trained on the Court House green, where twenty-seven years later their comrades-in-arms erected the soldiers' monument. In the old court room, a distinguished United States Senator, three Chief Justices of the State, a Supreme Court Justice, an Attorney General of the State and a Supreme Justice of Massachusetts, argued their first cases and were for years familiar figures, as well as a long list of able lawyers not alone from Hancock County, but from all parts of Maine, whose names are written large into the history of the "Old Court House."
For forty-eight years the buildings answered well the needs of the County, but as a growing child outgrows its clothes so did the demands of the County outgrow them. The county commissioners got busy, and in 1886 completed a court house
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and jail on the Andrew Peters Estate, second to none in the State.
On December 24, 1885, the County of Hancock conveyed to "The Inhabitants of the City of Ellsworth," for a consideration of $1,750.00 the Court House and the acre, more or less, of land under the provision that the Meridian Line should remain the property of the County, and that nothing should be erected to affect said Meridian Line.
From 1887 until 1924, a period of thirty-seven years, the structure served nobly the requirements of a high school, from which many noted people have graduated.
For four years, from 1920 to 1923, inclusive, the Boston University College of Business Administration conducted a successful summer school in the buildings.
From 1836 to 1840, to accommodate the steady growth of the Town, many buildings were erected, some of which are prided landmarks of to-day.
Benjamin Jordan commenced work on the American House in 1836. When it was nearly completed he sold to Joshua Hathaway, who finished it and conveyed to Benjamin Tinker. Dr. George Parcher built the Ellsworth House the same year. Shortly after its completion he sold to William Bennett, who put on a third story, a large ell with a hall in the second story, and used it as a hotel for many years. In 1849 he built a large piazza on the front. Andrew Peters built the brick block on the corner of Main and State Streets in 1837. The next brick building running north on State Street was built by John Hub- bard in the same year, and Thomas Robinson built the next building. John Jarvis built the next building, and James Whiting the next north in 1837. The last, or Tisdale building, was built much later. The Samuel Greely house, occupied by Orion Clement, and the Joseph Wood house, occupied by Leon Rowe, were built in 1836. Seth Tisdale built the H. B. Phillips house in Main Street in 1837. In 1839 John Hopkins built the house occupied by Supt. of Hardwood Company. The John True house, occupied by Mrs. E. E. Springer; the Burnham house in Third Street; the Capt. Chase house; Josiah Adams house; Elias Lord house; Matthew Means house; Warren Myrick house, were built in 1840.
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The first bridge that was built across the river in 1793, shortly after Talleyrand's visit, had become greatly dilapidated and in 1838 the selectmen erected a new wooden bridge which, with repairs from time to time, served as the general means of communication between the east and west sides of the river until 1870. The bridge of 1870 was replaced by the steel bridge in 1897. This bridge went out in the freshet of 1923, and was replaced with the handsome concrete bridge which now serves us.
Slowly, yet steadily, Ellsworth grew. Each decade wit- nessed many material changes. We shall now glimpse at the last decade that saw Ellsworth a town.
It is interesting to know the merchants of that period, and to inspect their wares from the following advertisements which appeared in issues of the "Ellsworth Herald" in 1851.
Zebulon Smith-Jewelry, spectacles, combs, dry and fancy goods, children's toys, New Granite Block, Main Street.
Arno Wiswell-Attorney. Office corner of Main and Water Streets.
G. W. C. Means & Company-Groceries, provisions, dry goods, corn and flour. Main Street.
Benjamin Nourse-Bookseller and stationer.
Marshall Humphrey-Tailor, Main Street. He employed five assistants.
Albert Robinson-Dress goods, carpets, shawls, groceries, flour and corn. Opposite the Ellsworth House, Main Street.
Moses Hale-Daguerrean artist.
J. W. Wood & Company-Dress goods, corn, flour, etc. 3 Main Street.
Charles Lowell-Attorney.
Samuel Waterhouse-Attorney, north side of Main Street, over Padelford's store.
George Parcher-Drug Store, New Granite Block.
C. G. Peck & Company-Apothecary shop, corner Main and Water Streets.
L. P. Littlefield-Apothecary-corner Main and Water Streets, under Custom House.
S. H. Sawyer-Harness shop, east end of bridge.
H. J. Illsley-Harness shop.
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J. T. Osgood-Dentist-Main Street.
Bither, Joy & Company-Horse shoeing, opposite Ellsworth House.
George Herbert-Attorney.
Thomas Robinson-Attorney, State Street.
Seth Padelford & Company-Clothing, Main Street.
George Crehore-Cabinet Maker, corner Main and Hancock Streets.
Most of the mills were at the Falls, and for convenience, many of the millmen, with their families, settled there. It
THE HANCOCK BANK
Three-Dollar Bill Issued by Hancock Bank
became a little town in itself. Stores and blacksmith shops had been erected in the village square, so that it became unnec- essary for the inhabitants to come to the town proper, about two miles south, except for their mail, or to enjoy an occa- sional road show that was wont to stop off there, and in most cases the same show would visit the Falls a day or two later. Thirty-two years after a post office had been located at the Town proper, one was instituted at the Falls, February 6, 1852, with Ivory L. Brown as postmaster. This office was discon- tinued Oct. 11, 1867, for some little time, as a postmaster could not be found. The office only paid $50 per year and the mail arrivals were very inconvenient, both the East and West mails arriving late at night. The first sidewalk between Ellsworth and the Falls was built of plank in July, 1857.
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May 29, 1852, a meeting was held in Tisdale's Hall to incor- porate "The Ellsworth Bank." The stock all sold and the new money issued, the first bank to operate in the Town, commenced business in State Street, Aug. 2, 1852, with a capital of $64,000. The first board of officers were: Seth Tisdale, president; James H. Chamberlain, cashier; Seth Tisdale, John M. Hale, George Washington Brown, N. J. Miller, Jr. and Aaron P. Emerson, directors.
At that time one bank could have easily attended to all the banking business in Town, because it was a new institution to most of the people and they felt more at ease to know that their savings were in a bureau drawer or under a loose board in the floor at home, where they could see it when they wished. But it seems human nature for us to borrow our neighbor's ideas and compete with him when we see him prosper. So the follow- ing year another bank was organized, called the "Hancock Bank." It was incorporated June 25, and commenced operat- ing July 1, 1853, with George W. Brown, president; A. F. Drinkwater, cashier; George W. Brown, Henry Partridge, N. A. Joy, S. B. Swazey, Amasa Sargent, R. H. Carlton, Daniel Kimball, Henry Whiting and B. F. Ingalls, directors. Oct. 11, of the same year, G. B. Hopkins was elected cashier. Notwith- standing the competition the two banks worked well together, as will be seen from the accompanying incident.
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