Ellsworth Maine ME Warrant Search

Ellsworth, Maine Ellsworth is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Maine, United States. The 2000 Census determined it had a population of 6,456. With many historic buildings and points of interest, Ellsworth is busy from May until September with visitors from all over the United States and Canada. In addition, the city is the gateway for tourists visiting nearby Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island and the Bar Harbor region. History According to the history of thePassamaquoddyIndians, the Ellsworth area was originally inhabited by members of the Passamaquoddy andPenobscottribes: 'Both groups speak closely relatedAlgonquian languages, althoughanthropologistsgenerally group the Passamaquoddieslinguisticallywith theMaliseetsand the Penobscots with theAbenakis.' Modernhistoriansnow believe thatNorseand othersailorsexplored the Maine coast before the voyages ofColumbus, and may have settled there. However, the earliest recordedEuropeansettlers in the general area were theFrench, perhaps as early as the 16th century. George J. Varney, in the 'Hancock County, Maine' section of hisGazetteer of the State of Maine, published inBostonin 1886, wrote: It is likely that the French who founded a colony atSomes SoundonMount Desert Islandin 1613, under the patronage of Madame deGuercheville, and explored the Ellsworth area and what is now thewatershedof theUnion River. Varney believes that there were French settlements of some kind or another as close to Ellsworth asTrenton, Oak Point, Newbury Neck andSurry. The Ellsworth area was disputed between the English and the French throughout the 17th century and well into the 18th century, intermittent warfare which known as theFrench and Indian Wars. Native American inhabitants may have converted toRoman Catholicismand fought with the French against the British until the fall of Quebec City to the British in 1759. After the 1763 signing of theTreaty of Parisby the governments ofthe United Kingdom,France,SpainandPortugal, Ellsworth became part of theCommonwealth of Massachusetts. The modern history of Ellsworth begins with the settlement of the Union River area around 1763 by a party of English led by entrepreneurs Benjamin Milliken and Benjamin Joy, from southern Maine andNew Hampshire, who intended to builddamsandsawmillsto exploit the area'stimberandwater power. They applied for grants offered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to encourage settlement of the Hancock County area. Historian Albert H. Davis in hisHistory of Ellsworth, Maine, published inLewiston, Maine, in 1927, relates what is known of this early expedition and points to the northern end of the present Water Street, just to the south of the present bridge across the Union River, as the site of the earlier crude buildings erected by the pioneers. George J. Varney describes the process of land grants by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: In 1773 the firstschoonerwas built at Ellsworth. This was the Susan and Abigail, named after daughters of the two most prominent citizens, Benjamin Milliken and Benjamin Joy. The vessel carried pineshinglesand oakstavesin annual voyages to theWest Indies. In the years up to the beginning of the 20th century, many schooners of various sizes were built in Ellsworthshipyardsalong the Union River. Albert Davis records that in the latter part of the 18th century, Ellsworth was known as the Union River Settlement and was adjacent to the settlements of Surry (to the east) and Trenton (to the south). Later it was organized as Plantation No. 7 and at times called Bowdoin and New Bowdoin. In 1798 the inhabitants petitioned to be incorporated under the name Sumner. That name having been already taken by a settlement inOxford County, Maine, the town was incorporated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1800 as Ellsworth, named forOliver Ellsworth, theConnecticutdelegate to the 1787 National Convention that was then working on aConstitutionfor the newUnited States of America, and later the 3rdChief Justice of the Supreme Court. Oliver Ellsworth is thought to be first to suggest the name 'United States of America'. Davis reports that in the late 1770s there were British raids on the Union River Settlement, with attempts to appropriate localcattle. However, there were no formal battles in the Ellsworth area during theRevolutionary War. In 1838 Ellsworth became the county seat of Hancock County, replacingCastine. The 1838 county buildings still stand, west of the Union River, on Bridge Hill. In 1859, when the town's population was 4,009, industries included nine sawmills, twogristmills, onetannery, onecardingmachine, onepotterymaker, eightbrickyards, thirteenshipbuilders, fivepailfactories, two edge tool factories, onecarriagemanufacturer and eight box making establishments. Between 1860 and 1865 Ellsworth sent 653 soldiers to fight in theCivil War, according to historian Albert Davis. This was at a time when there were only 847 (male) voters in the area. Military training was held in front of the county buildings on Bridge Hill, west of the Union River, at the site of the present Civil War Monument. In 1869 Ellsworth was incorporated as a city by theMaine Legislature. The first City Hall was Hancock Hall, which stood at the corner of Main Street and School Street. It was destroyed by the Great Ellsworth Fire of 1933. In 1888 electricity was introduced into the Ellsworth area. The disputed city elections in 1896 resulted in the appointment of two separate Ellsworth police forces, each of which threatened to arrest the other. Work on the Ellsworthhydro-electric dambegan in 1907, at the site of one of the original Benjamin Milliken Union River dams. This led to the creation of the present Leonard's Lake just north of the city. Ellsworth's first disaster of the 20th century was the Great Flood of 1923. A springfreshetrushed over the dam and carried off the metal Union River Bridge, along with many buildings along the river, such as the Dirigo Theater, theFoundryand manywharvesandwarehouses. This event marked the end of Ellsworth's prominence as ashippingcenter. The present concrete bridge was finished in 1924. The Great Fire of 1933 destroyed most of Ellsworth's downtowncommercial district, on the east side of the Union River. New buildings were built in brick, mainly inArt Decostyle. The unique Ellsworth City Hall dates from this period. Many old houses outside the business district survived theconflagration. The 1960s and 70s saw the development of an Ellsworthbusiness districton High Street, which is the direct route to and fromBar HarborandAcadia National Park. This area is now the largest shopping district in Hancock County, with severalshopping centersand many large stores, stretching nearly to the Ellsworth-Trenton boundary. Congested traffic during the summer has led to attempts to change the road network, especially at the busy intersection ofU. S. Route 1andMaine State Route 3, known as The Triangle. Geography Ellsworth is located at 44°34'20' North, 68°28'34' West (44.572223, -68.476039).According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 93.8 square miles (243.0 km²), of which, 79.2 square miles (205.3 km²) of it is land and 14.6 square miles (37.7 km²) of it is water. The total area is 15.53% water. Located at the head of navigation, Ellsworth is drained by the Union River. Ellsworth Falls is the location of the Agassiz Outcrop , a National Historic Landmark, notable for its early recognition as evidence of glaciation.The city is served by U. S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 1A, in addition to state routes 3, 172, 179, 180, 184 and 230. Demographics In the 2000 census, there were 6,456 people, 2,755 households, and 1,782 families in the city. The population density was 81.5 people per square mile (31.5/km²). There were 3,442 housing units at an average density of 43.4/sq mi (16.8/km²). The racial makeup was 97.79% White, 0.19% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 2,755 households, of which 27.7% had children under 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size 2.75.In the city the population was 21.9% under 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.The median income for a household was $35,938, and the median for a family $41,884. Males had a median of $31,455 versus $22,188 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,049. 9.2% of the population and 5.7% of families were below the poverty line. 9.4% of those under 18 and 8.3% of those 65 and older were below the poverty line. Sites of interest Birdsacre -- Stanwood Homestead Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary Ellsworth Historical Society Building The Grand -- Performing Arts Theatre The Telephone Museum Woodlawn Museum -- The Black House Notable people Johannes Bapst, missionary and educator Curt Fullerton, baseball player Eugene Hale, senator Bryant Moore, major general Frank A. Moore, politician and judge John A. Peters(1822–1904), congressman John A. Peters(1864–1953), congressman (nephew of John A. Peters of 1822) Darryl Pollard, football player Dick Scott, baseball player Tim Sylvia, martial artist Mary Agnes Tincker, novelist John Hay Whitney, publisher and ambassador