We have finished the revisions to the Historic Preservation Ordinance, and have discussed these revisions with the City Manager, and other city officials.  The Ordinance has been presented to the City Council for approval.  This project has taken a number of years to complete.  The restoration of the marquee and front of the Grand, another long term project, is nearing completion.

The Grand, now on the National Register of Historic Structures, was built in the aftermath of a devastating fire.  It’s restoration has come in the midst of a renaissance, as the Main Street business district has once again become a vibrant center of community life.  Congratulations are in order to all who have worked so hard to bring this project to its successful conclusion.

The Grand is not only a building, but a visual part of Ellsworth’s history with many stories to tell.  Gathering these stories together, and others, is an ongoing process.  Another local landmark, the home of Mary E. and Margaret B. Franklin on State Street, has been purchased by the city, and will be demolished in the coming months.  Though the sequence of events is out of character for this report, we have felt that it was important  to share some of the history related to this structure, while it is still standing.

The main house may have been built for Ivory Joy, a son of Benjamin Joy, one of the founders of Ellsworth,  The date of construction, circa 1935, is also uncertain at this date.  This Federal style cape, with twin chimneys, a center hallway and staircase, and “lights” surrounding the front entryway, are all hallmarks of this style of architecture.  The original floor plan laid out four rooms on the first floor, and four on the second.  Ivory Joy married Betsy Brimmer, a family name still associated with the bridge and dam at the foot of Graham Lake.

The Franklins were descendants of another early Ellsworth family.  The family descends from Josiah Garland, an early settler of Reed’s Brook.  Benjamin Garland had his name legally changed to Benjamin Franklin, in order to avoid confusion amongst a number of other family members with the same name.  The family owned and operated a large sawmill and dam at the foot of Green Lake.  The Franklins moved to Ellsworth Falls, and in 1934, Armenia B. Franklin purchased the former Joy homestead.

Margaret B. & Mary E. Franklin, daughters of Loring & Armenia Franklin, graduated from the Farmington Normal School, and taught school in Ellsworth for many years.  On Sunday, August 12, 1934, Margaret Franklin was one of 200 women who had the privilege of taking a brief “joy hop” with Amelia Earhart out of Godfrey Field in Bangor.  The crowd was estimated to be in excess of 10,000.  Margaret also ran a small store, selling gasoline, cigarettes, and ice cream, which fronted State Street.  This business was one of a number of businesses on State Street which once catered to the tourist trade.

There are a number of you who were taught by one of the Franklin sisters, and only a handful of you will remember stories of the Bancroft Cabins, Lake’s Store, the dance hall, and the State Street Garage, all institutions from the early days of tourism.  This short report simply cannot do justice to the stories which could be told, not only about the Joy & Franklin families, but also about Ellsworth’s business community during the “roaring 20’s” and the Great Depression.