Industrial Heritage of Ellsworth

The History of 401–409 State Street, Ellsworth, Maine

Volume III

Ellsworth Hardwood Company, c. 1907–1957

The Second Industrial Life of the State Street Factory

Introduction

The factory at 401–409 State Street had already experienced two distinct industrial identities before the beginning of the twentieth century. Constructed in 1888 as a shoe-manufacturing facility, it first housed Burrell, Houghton & Company and later became most closely associated with B.E. Cole & Company. By the early twentieth century, the building entered a new phase as the home of the Ellsworth Hardwood Company.¹

This transition illustrates one of the most important characteristics of historic industrial buildings: their ability to adapt.

The State Street Factory had originally been designed for footwear production, but its basic features—heavy construction, large workspaces, mechanical power, and a central location—allowed it to support a different industry. The building that had once produced shoes became a woodworking facility, continuing its role as a place of employment and economic activity.

The Ellsworth Hardwood Company period represents the second major industrial chapter in the history of the site. The building was no longer part of the shoe industry that had defined its first decades, but it remained an important manufacturing property within the community.

The factory’s history after 1907 demonstrates that industrial heritage is not only about individual companies. It is also about buildings, workers, and communities that repeatedly adapt to economic change.

A New Industrial Era

At the beginning of the twentieth century, manufacturing in New England was changing.

Many nineteenth-century industries faced new competition, changing markets, and shifts in production methods. Communities that had depended on one industry often adapted by finding new uses for existing industrial resources.

Ellsworth’s location within a heavily forested region made woodworking a natural economic activity. The forests of Hancock County had long supported lumber-related industries, and hardwood manufacturing reflected the continuing importance of local natural resources.

The conversion of the State Street Factory from shoe production to hardwood manufacturing followed a broader regional pattern. Older industrial buildings were frequently reused because they already contained valuable infrastructure.

The building did not need to be abandoned simply because the original industry changed.

The Ellsworth Hardwood Company

By 1907, the State Street property was identified as the Ellsworth Hardwood Company on Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.² This documentation establishes that the former shoe factory had entered a new industrial phase.

The change from footwear production to hardwood manufacturing required adjustments in the building’s operation.

Shoe manufacturing involved the movement of leather, fabric, and small components through a series of specialized processes. Hardwood manufacturing required the handling of heavier materials, machinery, and finished wood products.

The building’s original industrial design allowed this transition.

Large floor areas provided room for equipment and workspaces. The heavy timber structure supported continued industrial use. Existing power arrangements provided the mechanical foundation necessary for manufacturing.

Although the exact machinery and production methods of the Ellsworth Hardwood Company require additional company documentation, the continued use of the building demonstrates that it remained suitable for industrial purposes.

The Adaptability of the State Street Factory

The survival of the State Street Factory into the twentieth century was due largely to its adaptability.

Industrial buildings often outlasted the businesses that first occupied them. Their value came from their physical qualities:

• strong construction;

• established location;

• existing power facilities;

• access for materials and shipping;

• large interior spaces.

The State Street Factory possessed all of these characteristics.

The building’s original steam-power system, installed during the shoe-manufacturing era, represented a significant investment. Even after the industry changed, the factory continued benefiting from the infrastructure created in 1888.

This continuity connects the three major chapters of the site’s history:

• Burrell, Houghton & Company created the original manufacturing purpose.

• B.E. Cole & Company expanded the building’s importance.

• Ellsworth Hardwood Company extended its industrial life.

The building itself became the connecting element between different eras of Ellsworth’s economy.

Workers and the Hardwood Industry

The transition from shoe manufacturing to hardwood production changed the nature of work inside the State Street Factory, but it did not change the building’s importance as a place of employment.

The workers of the Ellsworth Hardwood Company operated in a different industrial environment from the shoe workers who had occupied the building during the nineteenth century. Instead of cutting leather, stitching uppers, and assembling footwear, employees worked with timber and wood products.

Hardwood manufacturing required a different set of skills and tasks. Workers likely included machine operators, wood finishers, assemblers, laborers, maintenance employees, and shipping workers. The exact occupational structure of the Ellsworth Hardwood Company workforce requires additional company records, but the nature of the industry indicates a production system centered on machinery, material handling, and skilled manual labor.

The factory continued the employment tradition established by the earlier shoe companies. For generations of Ellsworth residents, the State Street building represented a place where industrial work could be found close to home.

This continuity is an important part of the building’s history. Although the product changed from shoes to wood products, the relationship between factory and community remained much the same.

Hardwood Manufacturing and Regional Resources

The Ellsworth Hardwood Company period also reflected the importance of the surrounding landscape.

Unlike footwear manufacturing, which depended primarily on labor and industrial organization, woodworking industries were closely connected to regional forests. Maine’s timber resources supported a wide range of businesses involved in lumber, furniture components, millwork, and related products.

The State Street Factory’s conversion to hardwood manufacturing therefore aligned the building with an industry naturally connected to the region.

The change also demonstrates the flexibility of Ellsworth’s industrial economy. The community was not dependent upon one product or one company. When one manufacturing activity declined, existing infrastructure could support another.

The factory’s continued use helped preserve the economic value of the original 1888 investment.

The Building Through the Twentieth Century

During the first half of the twentieth century, industrial buildings throughout New England underwent constant change.

Machinery improved. Production methods evolved. Companies modified buildings to meet new requirements.

The State Street Factory was no exception.

The building’s long life depended upon adaptation. Spaces that once contained shoe machinery could be reorganized for woodworking equipment. Storage areas, production floors, and utility spaces could be changed as needed.

Sanborn maps provide evidence of the property’s continued industrial character and document changes in the arrangement of the site over time.¹

These records are particularly important because the physical building no longer survives. The maps preserve information about a structure that played a major role in Ellsworth’s industrial history.

The 1957 Fire and the End of the Factory

After nearly seventy years of industrial use, the State Street Factory reached the end of its physical existence in 1957.

The destruction of the building marked the end of one of Ellsworth’s longest-running industrial landmarks. A structure that had begun as a nineteenth-century shoe factory and later served a hardwood manufacturer was gone.

The loss was significant because the building represented several generations of local history:

• the community effort to attract industry in the 1880s;

• the growth of shoe manufacturing;

• the transition to woodworking;

• decades of employment for Ellsworth residents.

The fire ended the life of the building, but it did not erase its importance.

Industrial history is preserved not only through surviving structures but also through maps, photographs, documents, and community memory.

The State Street Factory remains historically significant because it illustrates how one building could serve multiple economic purposes over time.

The Legacy of 401–409 State Street

The story of the State Street Factory is ultimately a story of adaptation.

The building began as an ambitious industrial project during the late nineteenth century. Ellsworth citizens invested in a modern factory because they believed manufacturing could strengthen the community.

That investment succeeded.

The building attracted manufacturers, employed local residents, and remained active through changing economic conditions.

Its history can be divided into three major periods:

Burrell, Houghton & Company (1888)
The beginning of industrial shoe manufacturing and the first documented operation of the building.

B.E. Cole & Company (c. 1889–early twentieth century)
The period that established the factory as a major local landmark.

Ellsworth Hardwood Company (c. 1907–1957)
The second industrial life of the building and its final decades as a manufacturing facility.

Each period represents a different chapter, but together they tell one continuous story.

Conclusion

The Ellsworth Hardwood Company period completes the history of 401–409 State Street as an industrial site.

The former shoe factory survived because its design allowed adaptation. Built with modern industrial features in 1888, the building remained useful long after the original purpose changed.

Its conversion to hardwood manufacturing demonstrates the resilience of historic industrial structures and the ability of communities to reuse existing resources.

The factory’s destruction in 1957 ended its physical presence, but its historical importance remains. The site represents Ellsworth’s industrial ambitions, the labor of generations of workers, and the changing economic forces that shaped the community.

The history of the State Street Factory is therefore not simply the history of three companies. It is the history of a place that connected generations of workers and reflected Ellsworth’s changing relationship with industry.

From shoes to hardwood, the building served as a symbol of local enterprise for nearly seventy years.

Volume III

Footnotes

Ellsworth Hardwood Company, c. 1907–1957

1. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1907). The map identifies the former shoe factory property on State Street as the Ellsworth Hardwood Company, documenting the transition from footwear manufacturing to woodworking.

2. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1907).

3. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, later editions documenting the continued industrial use of the State Street property).

4. Ellsworth Historical Society, photographic collections and archival materials relating to the State Street Factory, Ellsworth, Maine. These materials document the building’s appearance, industrial use, and later history.

5. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, industrial survey materials concerning Maine manufacturing buildings, industrial landscapes, and adaptive reuse.

6. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1907).

7. Ellsworth Historical Society, local historical collections relating to the State Street Factory and the 1957 fire.

8. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, later editions documenting changes to the property).

Bibliography

Volume III

Primary Sources

Ellsworth Historical Society. Photographic collections and archival materials relating to the State Street Factory, Ellsworth, Maine.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1907.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine. New York: Sanborn Map Company, later editions documenting the property.

Secondary Sources

Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Industrial resource surveys concerning Maine manufacturing buildings, industrial landscapes, and historic preservation.

National Register of Historic Places documentation concerning Maine industrial architecture and adaptive reuse.

Industrial Heritage of Ellsworth

The History of 401–409 State Street, Ellsworth, Maine

Volume I

Burrell, Houghton & Company Boot & Shoe Factory, c. 1888

The Construction of Ellsworth’s First Modern Shoe Factory

Introduction

On State Street in Ellsworth, Maine, stood a factory that represented the community’s determination to create a modern manufacturing presence at the end of the nineteenth century. Constructed in 1888, the three-story wood-frame building at 401–409 State Street became one of the city’s most significant industrial properties, serving as a manufacturing center for nearly seventy years.¹

Although later generations associated the building primarily with B.E. Cole & Company, the factory’s earliest documented occupant was Burrell, Houghton & Company. The distinction is important because the building itself predates the Cole operation. The State Street Factory was an Ellsworth industrial project that changed operators over time. The 1888 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map identifies the building as “Burrell, Houghton & Co. Boot and Shoe Mfy.,” establishing the company’s role as the first documented manufacturer in the structure.²

The factory represented a different model of industrial development from the older water-powered mills found throughout Maine. Instead of being located beside a river or traditional mill privilege, the State Street Factory was equipped with its own steam-power system. The Sanborn map documents an engine room and associated structures, indicating that the building was designed as a self-powered manufacturing facility.³

The construction of the factory reflected a larger nineteenth-century effort by smaller New England communities to attract manufacturing. Ellsworth was not simply waiting for industry to develop naturally; it invested in the physical infrastructure necessary to bring manufacturing into the community.

Ellsworth’s Industrial Ambition

During the late nineteenth century, manufacturing was widely viewed as a pathway to economic growth. Factories created wage employment, encouraged commercial activity, and provided communities with a stronger industrial identity.

Shoe manufacturing was particularly suited to this period of development. Unlike large textile operations that required extensive water power, shoe factories depended more heavily on skilled labor, specialized machinery, and organized production systems. This allowed communities without major industrial rivers to participate in the industry.

The decision to construct a shoe factory in Ellsworth reflected this changing industrial environment. The town could provide a building, while an experienced shoe manufacturer could provide management, equipment, and production knowledge.

The resulting factory was therefore a partnership between local initiative and outside industrial expertise.

The State Street Site

The location of the factory on State Street represented a deliberate choice. Traditional nineteenth-century mills often followed water resources, but steam-powered factories had greater flexibility in selecting locations.

The State Street property provided space for a large industrial building and supporting structures. The factory required not only production floors but also an engine room, fuel storage, and areas for receiving materials and shipping finished goods.

The use of steam power reduced the need for a river location. Instead, the site could be selected based on available land and suitability for industrial development.

The building’s location also separated heavy industrial activity from the more concentrated commercial areas of Ellsworth. Boilers, coal storage, machinery, and manufacturing materials created safety considerations that made a slightly removed location practical.

The surviving documentation clearly establishes the factory’s location and construction, but the identities of all individuals involved in organizing the project remain uncertain. Any claims regarding specific founders or investors should be made only when supported by additional business records or contemporary accounts.

Construction of the Factory

The 1888 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map provides the earliest detailed description of the State Street Factory. It identifies the building as a boot and shoe manufacturing facility operated by Burrell, Houghton & Company.⁴

The building was a three-story wood-frame factory designed for organized industrial production. Its size and arrangement reflected the requirements of late nineteenth-century shoe manufacturing, where different stages of production were separated into departments.

A major feature of the building was the brick engine room. This structure housed the steam machinery that powered factory operations. The associated coal house provided fuel storage, while the smokestack carried away exhaust from the boiler system.⁵

Together, these features demonstrate that the factory represented modern industrial technology for its period.

The building did not depend on natural water power. Instead, it generated mechanical power on site. This allowed Ellsworth to establish a manufacturing facility without the geographic limitations faced by older mill communities.

Burrell, Houghton & Company

Burrell, Houghton & Company was the first documented manufacturer to occupy the State Street Factory. The company’s presence connected Ellsworth to the larger New England shoe industry.

By the late nineteenth century, Massachusetts had become one of the leading centers of footwear manufacturing in the United States. Companies in the region had developed specialized production systems that relied on machinery, divided labor, and factory organization.

The arrival of Burrell, Houghton & Company allowed Ellsworth to participate in this established industry. The town provided the physical facility; the company brought manufacturing experience.

The available evidence confirms the company’s operation in the building in 1888, but the exact duration of its occupation and the circumstances of its departure require additional documentation.⁶

What can be established is that Burrell, Houghton & Company began the industrial history of the State Street Factory.

Factory Production and Organization

The State Street Factory was designed for the type of organized production that defined late nineteenth-century shoe manufacturing. Unlike a small workshop where a single craftsman completed an entire pair of shoes, the factory system divided production into specialized operations performed by different workers.

This division of labor increased efficiency and allowed manufacturers to produce footwear in larger quantities. Raw materials entered the factory, moved through a series of departments, and emerged as completed products ready for shipment.

The three-story arrangement of the building supported this production system. Although the 1888 Sanborn map does not record every machine or department, the building’s design is consistent with the organization used by New England shoe factories of the period.⁷

The upper floors would have provided space for preparation and assembly work, while lower levels were suited for finishing, storage, offices, and shipping activities. The exact arrangement of departments during the Burrell, Houghton & Company period requires additional company records, but the building itself clearly reflected the needs of industrial footwear production.

The factory’s design reveals an important feature of nineteenth-century manufacturing: the building was not simply a shelter for workers and machinery. It was an organized production system. The arrangement of floors, power equipment, storage areas, and workspaces all contributed to the efficient movement of materials through the manufacturing process.

Steam Power and Industrial Technology

The State Street Factory’s most distinctive feature was its use of steam power.

Many earlier Maine factories were built around water privileges, where rivers supplied mechanical energy. Steam technology changed this relationship between industry and geography. A manufacturer no longer needed to locate beside a waterfall or millstream. Instead, factories could be constructed where land, labor, and community support were available.

The Sanborn map identifies a separate engine room and coal house, providing direct evidence of the factory’s steam-powered operation.⁸ The engine room was constructed of brick, reflecting the safety requirements associated with boilers and industrial machinery.

Coal was essential to this system. Deliveries of fuel supplied the boiler, which produced steam to operate the engine. The smokestack visible in historic photographs was part of this power arrangement, carrying away exhaust from the boiler system.⁹

This technology explains why the State Street location was practical. The factory did not need a river because it carried its own power source within the building complex.

In this respect, the factory represented a transition in Maine industrial history. It combined local initiative with modern manufacturing technology and demonstrated that communities outside traditional mill centers could participate in industrial development.

Workers and Daily Life

The success of Burrell, Houghton & Company depended upon the labor of the people who worked inside the factory.

A shoe factory required a variety of occupations. Workers specialized in different stages of production, including cutting, stitching, assembly, finishing, packing, and shipping. Maintenance workers ensured that machinery continued operating, while supervisors coordinated production.

The factory system changed the nature of industrial work. Instead of completing an entire product independently, workers became part of a larger coordinated process. Their daily activities were determined by production schedules, machinery, and the requirements of the manufacturing system.

The State Street location allowed the factory to draw workers from the surrounding community. Unlike large mill complexes that sometimes developed company housing, Ellsworth’s shoe factory operated within an existing town environment. Employees likely traveled to work from nearby residential neighborhoods.

The factory therefore became part of the daily rhythm of the community. Workers entered the building each day, machinery operated throughout production hours, and the factory became a visible symbol of Ellsworth’s industrial ambitions.

Although the exact number of Burrell, Houghton & Company employees has not yet been established from surviving records, the size of the building indicates an operation significantly larger than a small craft shop.

The Importance of the First Occupant

The historical importance of Burrell, Houghton & Company lies not only in its period of operation but in its position as the first chapter of the factory’s story.

Later memory often focuses on B.E. Cole & Company because that company operated in the building longer and became more closely associated with local identity. However, the building’s industrial history began before Cole arrived.

The distinction matters because it changes the interpretation of the site. The State Street Factory was not created as the Cole factory. It was created as an Ellsworth factory intended to attract manufacturing.

Burrell, Houghton & Company demonstrated that the community’s investment could succeed. The building had been completed, equipped, and placed into operation. A manufacturer had arrived, workers were employed, and Ellsworth had entered the competitive world of New England factory production.

The company’s role was therefore foundational.

Transition to B.E. Cole & Company

The transition from Burrell, Houghton & Company to B.E. Cole & Company occurred soon after the factory opened. The surviving Sanborn records establish the sequence: the building appears as Burrell, Houghton & Company in 1888 and under later shoe manufacturing operation afterward.¹⁰

The exact circumstances of the change remain an area where additional research may provide more detail. It is possible that ownership, leasing arrangements, or business conditions influenced the transition, but the surviving evidence does not yet provide a complete explanation.

What is clear is that the building continued to serve the purpose for which it was constructed: industrial shoe manufacturing.

The arrival of B.E. Cole & Company began the next chapter of the factory’s history. Under Cole, the building became more firmly established in local memory and continued as one of Ellsworth’s important workplaces.

Conclusion

The Burrell, Houghton & Company Boot & Shoe Factory represents the beginning of the industrial history of 401–409 State Street.

Built in 1888, the factory reflected Ellsworth’s effort to create a modern manufacturing economy. Its steam-powered design allowed the town to participate in industrial development without depending upon traditional water-power locations.

The building’s brick engine room, coal house, and smokestack reveal a carefully planned industrial facility. Its three-story construction supported the organized production methods that defined late nineteenth-century shoe manufacturing.

Burrell, Houghton & Company’s occupation of the building established its original purpose and proved that Ellsworth could support factory production. Although the company’s period of operation appears to have been brief, its importance was lasting.

The factory would later become better known through B.E. Cole & Company and would eventually enter a second industrial life under Ellsworth Hardwood Company. Yet the story of 401–409 State Street began with the community that built it and the first manufacturer that operated within its walls.

Volume I

Foototes

Burrell, Houghton & Company Boot & Shoe Factory, c. 1888

1. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888). The map identifies the State Street building as a boot and shoe manufacturing facility operated by Burrell, Houghton & Co.

2. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888).

3. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888). The map documents the factory arrangement, including the engine room and associated industrial structures.

4. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888).

5. Ellsworth Historical Society, photographic collection relating to the State Street Factory, Ellsworth, Maine. The historic photograph showing the smokestack and engine-room area supports interpretation of the building’s steam-power system.

6. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888). The map provides the confirmed evidence of Burrell, Houghton & Co. as the first documented occupant.

7. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888). The building arrangement provides evidence of an organized multi-story manufacturing facility, although specific departmental assignments require additional company records.

8. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888).

9. Ellsworth Historical Society, photographic collection relating to the State Street Factory, Ellsworth, Maine.

10. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888); Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1895).

Bibliography

Volume I

Primary Sources

Ellsworth Historical Society. Photographic collections and archival materials relating to the State Street Factory, Ellsworth, Maine.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1895.

Secondary Sources

Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Industrial resource surveys concerning Maine industrial architecture, manufacturing history, and adaptive reuse.

National Register of Historic Places documentation concerning nineteenth-century Maine industrial buildings and manufacturing development.

Volume II

B.E. Cole & Company Boot & Shoe Factory, c. 1889

Manufacturing, Growth, and Community Memory

Introduction

The factory on State Street between Third and Fourth Streets in Ellsworth entered its best-known period when B.E. Cole & Company began operating in the building in 1889. The structure itself, however, had already been completed the previous year. Built in 1888 through local initiative and first occupied by Burrell, Houghton & Company, the factory represented an established industrial resource that changed operators as economic conditions evolved.¹

The B.E. Cole & Company period became the chapter most closely associated with local memory. Photographs, later references, and community recollections frequently identify the building as the “B.E. Cole shoe factory,” reflecting the company’s importance in Ellsworth’s industrial history.² Yet the full history of the building is broader. The factory belonged first to the community that built it, then to the companies that operated within its walls.

The arrival of B.E. Cole & Company transformed the State Street Factory from a new industrial experiment into a more permanent manufacturing institution. Under Cole’s operation, the building continued to produce footwear using the organized factory system that had become characteristic of New England shoe manufacturing.

The company’s history illustrates the importance of continuity in industrial development. The building, the power system, and the manufacturing infrastructure created in 1888 allowed a new company to continue production without constructing an entirely new facility.

The Arrival of B.E. Cole & Company

The transition from Burrell, Houghton & Company to B.E. Cole & Company occurred soon after the factory opened. The 1888 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map identifies the building as the Burrell, Houghton & Co. Boot and Shoe Manufacturing facility. Later records identify B.E. Cole & Company as the occupant of the same State Street building.³

This sequence is important because it establishes that B.E. Cole & Company inherited an existing industrial facility rather than creating a new factory on the site.

The distinction also explains why the 1889 date associated with B.E. Cole is sometimes misunderstood. The company’s arrival represented the beginning of a new operating period, not the construction date of the building itself.

This was a common pattern in nineteenth-century industrial development. Communities often constructed factories to attract experienced manufacturers. Once the building existed, different companies could occupy the space depending on market conditions, management decisions, and business opportunities.

For Ellsworth, the arrival of B.E. Cole & Company confirmed the success of the original investment. The factory continued operating as a shoe-manufacturing facility, providing employment and contributing to the local economy.

A Modern Shoe Factory

During the B.E. Cole & Company period, the State Street building functioned as a modern shoe factory.

The production of footwear in the late nineteenth century depended upon the organization of labor, machinery, and materials. Workers no longer completed shoes from beginning to end individually. Instead, production was divided among specialized departments.

The factory system increased efficiency by assigning workers specific tasks:

• cutting leather components;

• stitching shoe uppers;

• shaping shoes through lasting;

• attaching soles;

• finishing completed footwear;

• packing and shipping products.

The building’s three floors supported this organization. Materials could move through a sequence of operations as workers and machinery performed specialized functions.

The factory’s original steam-power system remained central to this operation. The engine room, coal house, and smokestack that had supported the building since its construction provided the mechanical foundation for continued manufacturing.⁴

The survival of this infrastructure demonstrates why the building remained useful after the change in ownership. The original design created a flexible industrial space capable of supporting continued production.

B.E. Cole & Company Workers and Employment

The importance of B.E. Cole & Company extended beyond the production of shoes. The factory was a major place of employment and became part of the daily life of Ellsworth residents.

A shoe factory required a broad range of occupations. Skilled workers performed specialized manufacturing tasks, while others supported the operation through maintenance, shipping, and administration.

Employees likely included:

• cutters who prepared leather pieces;

• stitchers who assembled shoe uppers;

• lasting and bottoming workers who shaped and completed shoes;

• finishers who prepared products for shipment;

• packers and shipping workers;

• mechanics responsible for machinery;

• supervisors and office employees.

The factory system depended upon cooperation between these departments. Each stage of production relied on the work completed before it, creating a continuous industrial process.

For workers, employment at the State Street Factory represented a different economic opportunity from traditional occupations based on agriculture, maritime activity, or seasonal labor. Manufacturing provided regular wage employment and connected Ellsworth residents to the larger industrial economy of New England.

The location of the factory also influenced daily life. Because Ellsworth remained a compact community, many employees could walk to work from nearby neighborhoods. The factory did not require a separate company town or worker housing district. Instead, it became integrated into the existing community.

The building’s presence along State Street made industrial work visible. Each day, employees entered the factory, machinery operated within the building, and finished products left the site for distribution.

The Factory and Ellsworth’s Economy

The success of B.E. Cole & Company strengthened the role of manufacturing within Ellsworth’s economy.

A factory affected more than the people directly employed inside it. Industrial operations required supporting services, including fuel deliveries, equipment maintenance, transportation, suppliers, and commercial businesses that served workers and management.

The State Street Factory therefore contributed to a larger economic network.

The building also represented civic investment. When Ellsworth citizens supported the construction of the factory in 1888, they were making a statement about the town’s future. The continued operation under B.E. Cole & Company demonstrated that the investment had produced lasting value.

Industrial development was often viewed as a sign of progress during this period. A successful factory brought employment, encouraged population stability, and strengthened the community’s economic identity.

For Ellsworth, the B.E. Cole years became the clearest expression of that industrial ambition.

The Cole Name and Community Memory

The strong association between the building and B.E. Cole & Company developed because the company became the longest remembered occupant of the factory.

Buildings are often remembered through the names of the businesses that operated within them. Over time, the earlier history of a structure can be overshadowed by the company most closely connected to local experience.

This occurred with the State Street Factory.

The building’s complete history includes:

• construction by Ellsworth interests in 1888;

• operation by Burrell, Houghton & Company;

• the long association with B.E. Cole & Company;

• later conversion to hardwood manufacturing.

The Cole name became dominant because the company represented the factory’s most recognizable period. Local photographs and memories preserved that association, making the building a familiar landmark in Ellsworth history.¹

Recognizing the earlier Burrell, Houghton & Company period does not diminish the importance of B.E. Cole. Instead, it creates a more accurate understanding of how industrial buildings developed. The factory was not created by one company; it was a community resource used by several generations of manufacturers.

Changes Within the Building

Industrial buildings rarely remained unchanged throughout their lifetimes. As companies expanded, technology developed, and production methods evolved, owners modified interiors and equipment.

The State Street Factory followed this pattern.

The original building had been designed for shoe production, but improvements and adjustments would have been made as B.E. Cole & Company operated the facility. Machinery could be replaced, work areas rearranged, and spaces adapted to changing production needs.

The Sanborn maps provide evidence of the continuing industrial use of the property and allow historians to trace changes over time.² These maps are especially valuable because they record not only ownership and occupancy but also the physical arrangement of industrial structures.

Through these records, the factory can be understood as a living industrial space rather than a fixed building.

The End of Shoe Manufacturing

The B.E. Cole & Company period eventually came to an end, but the building itself continued.

The decline or transition of a manufacturing operation did not necessarily mean the end of an industrial building’s usefulness. Across New England, older factories survived by adapting to new industries.

The State Street Factory followed this broader pattern.

After its years as a shoe factory, the building entered a new phase under the Ellsworth Hardwood Company. The change reflected the economic resources of the region and the flexibility of the original structure.

The same building that had produced footwear would now support woodworking and hardwood manufacturing.

Conclusion

The B.E. Cole & Company Boot & Shoe Factory represents the period when 401–409 State Street became most strongly identified with industrial life in Ellsworth.

B.E. Cole & Company did not construct the factory, but the company gave the building its most familiar identity. During this period, the State Street Factory became a significant workplace, employing local residents and connecting Ellsworth to the larger New England shoe industry.

The company’s history demonstrates the value of the original community investment. Because the factory had been built with modern steam power, durable construction, and industrial flexibility, it could continue serving the community through changing economic conditions.

The full history of the building, however, extends beyond the Cole name. The factory began with Burrell, Houghton & Company and later continued under Ellsworth Hardwood Company. Each occupant represents a different chapter in the life of the same industrial structure.

The B.E. Cole years remain essential because they show the factory at the height of its identity as a shoe-manufacturing center. They also demonstrate how a building created in the nineteenth century could continue adapting to the needs of a changing community.

Volume II

Footnotes

B.E. Cole & Company Boot & Shoe Factory, c. 1889

1. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888). The map identifies the State Street building as the Burrell, Houghton & Co. Boot and Shoe Manufacturing facility, establishing that the building existed before the B.E. Cole & Company period.

2. Ellsworth Historical Society, photographic collections and archival materials relating to the State Street Factory, Ellsworth, Maine. Local historical references identify the building with B.E. Cole & Company and preserve the company’s association with the site.

3. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888); Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1895). The maps document the transition in occupancy of the same industrial property.

4. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888). The map records the engine room, coal house, and other structures associated with the factory’s steam-power system.

5. United States Census Bureau, Eleventh Census of the United States, 1890, manufacturing schedules. These records provide broader context for late nineteenth-century industrial employment patterns, although exact employment figures for the State Street Factory require additional company records.

6. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, industrial survey materials concerning nineteenth-century Maine manufacturing facilities and shoe production.

7. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1895).

8. Ellsworth Historical Society, photographic collections and local historical materials relating to B.E. Cole & Company.

9. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1901).

Bibliography

Volume II

Primary Sources

Ellsworth Historical Society. Photographic collections and archival materials relating to the State Street Factory and B.E. Cole & Company, Ellsworth, Maine.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1895.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1901.

United States Census Bureau. Eleventh Census of the United States, 1890. Manufacturing Schedules.

Secondary Sources

Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Industrial resource surveys concerning Maine shoe manufacturing, industrial architecture, and nineteenth-century economic development.

National Register of Historic Places documentation concerning Maine industrial buildings and manufacturing history.

Volume III

Ellsworth Hardwood Company, c. 1907–1957

The Second Industrial Life of the State Street Factory

Introduction

The factory at 401–409 State Street had already experienced two distinct industrial identities before the beginning of the twentieth century. Constructed in 1888 as a shoe-manufacturing facility, it first housed Burrell, Houghton & Company and later became most closely associated with B.E. Cole & Company. By the early twentieth century, the building entered a new phase as the home of the Ellsworth Hardwood Company.¹

This transition illustrates one of the most important characteristics of historic industrial buildings: their ability to adapt.

The State Street Factory had originally been designed for footwear production, but its basic features—heavy construction, large workspaces, mechanical power, and a central location—allowed it to support a different industry. The building that had once produced shoes became a woodworking facility, continuing its role as a place of employment and economic activity.

The Ellsworth Hardwood Company period represents the second major industrial chapter in the history of the site. The building was no longer part of the shoe industry that had defined its first decades, but it remained an important manufacturing property within the community.

The factory’s history after 1907 demonstrates that industrial heritage is not only about individual companies. It is also about buildings, workers, and communities that repeatedly adapt to economic change.

A New Industrial Era

At the beginning of the twentieth century, manufacturing in New England was changing.

Many nineteenth-century industries faced new competition, changing markets, and shifts in production methods. Communities that had depended on one industry often adapted by finding new uses for existing industrial resources.

Ellsworth’s location within a heavily forested region made woodworking a natural economic activity. The forests of Hancock County had long supported lumber-related industries, and hardwood manufacturing reflected the continuing importance of local natural resources.

The conversion of the State Street Factory from shoe production to hardwood manufacturing followed a broader regional pattern. Older industrial buildings were frequently reused because they already contained valuable infrastructure.

The building did not need to be abandoned simply because the original industry changed.

The Ellsworth Hardwood Company

By 1907, the State Street property was identified as the Ellsworth Hardwood Company on Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.² This documentation establishes that the former shoe factory had entered a new industrial phase.

The change from footwear production to hardwood manufacturing required adjustments in the building’s operation.

Shoe manufacturing involved the movement of leather, fabric, and small components through a series of specialized processes. Hardwood manufacturing required the handling of heavier materials, machinery, and finished wood products.

The building’s original industrial design allowed this transition.

Large floor areas provided room for equipment and workspaces. The heavy timber structure supported continued industrial use. Existing power arrangements provided the mechanical foundation necessary for manufacturing.

Although the exact machinery and production methods of the Ellsworth Hardwood Company require additional company documentation, the continued use of the building demonstrates that it remained suitable for industrial purposes.

The Adaptability of the State Street Factory

The survival of the State Street Factory into the twentieth century was due largely to its adaptability.

Industrial buildings often outlasted the businesses that first occupied them. Their value came from their physical qualities:

• strong construction;

• established location;

• existing power facilities;

• access for materials and shipping;

• large interior spaces.

The State Street Factory possessed all of these characteristics.

The building’s original steam-power system, installed during the shoe-manufacturing era, represented a significant investment. Even after the industry changed, the factory continued benefiting from the infrastructure created in 1888.

This continuity connects the three major chapters of the site’s history:

• Burrell, Houghton & Company created the original manufacturing purpose.

• B.E. Cole & Company expanded the building’s importance.

• Ellsworth Hardwood Company extended its industrial life.

The building itself became the connecting element between different eras of Ellsworth’s economy.

Workers and the Hardwood Industry

The transition from shoe manufacturing to hardwood production changed the nature of work inside the State Street Factory, but it did not change the building’s importance as a place of employment.

The workers of the Ellsworth Hardwood Company operated in a different industrial environment from the shoe workers who had occupied the building during the nineteenth century. Instead of cutting leather, stitching uppers, and assembling footwear, employees worked with timber and wood products.

Hardwood manufacturing required a different set of skills and tasks. Workers likely included machine operators, wood finishers, assemblers, laborers, maintenance employees, and shipping workers. The exact occupational structure of the Ellsworth Hardwood Company workforce requires additional company records, but the nature of the industry indicates a production system centered on machinery, material handling, and skilled manual labor.

The factory continued the employment tradition established by the earlier shoe companies. For generations of Ellsworth residents, the State Street building represented a place where industrial work could be found close to home.

This continuity is an important part of the building’s history. Although the product changed from shoes to wood products, the relationship between factory and community remained much the same.

Hardwood Manufacturing and Regional Resources

The Ellsworth Hardwood Company period also reflected the importance of the surrounding landscape.

Unlike footwear manufacturing, which depended primarily on labor and industrial organization, woodworking industries were closely connected to regional forests. Maine’s timber resources supported a wide range of businesses involved in lumber, furniture components, millwork, and related products.

The State Street Factory’s conversion to hardwood manufacturing therefore aligned the building with an industry naturally connected to the region.

The change also demonstrates the flexibility of Ellsworth’s industrial economy. The community was not dependent upon one product or one company. When one manufacturing activity declined, existing infrastructure could support another.

The factory’s continued use helped preserve the economic value of the original 1888 investment.

The Building Through the Twentieth Century

During the first half of the twentieth century, industrial buildings throughout New England underwent constant change.

Machinery improved. Production methods evolved. Companies modified buildings to meet new requirements.

The State Street Factory was no exception.

The building’s long life depended upon adaptation. Spaces that once contained shoe machinery could be reorganized for woodworking equipment. Storage areas, production floors, and utility spaces could be changed as needed.

Sanborn maps provide evidence of the property’s continued industrial character and document changes in the arrangement of the site over time.¹

These records are particularly important because the physical building no longer survives. The maps preserve information about a structure that played a major role in Ellsworth’s industrial history.

The 1957 Fire and the End of the Factory

After nearly seventy years of industrial use, the State Street Factory reached the end of its physical existence in 1957.

The destruction of the building marked the end of one of Ellsworth’s longest-running industrial landmarks. A structure that had begun as a nineteenth-century shoe factory and later served a hardwood manufacturer was gone.

The loss was significant because the building represented several generations of local history:

• the community effort to attract industry in the 1880s;

• the growth of shoe manufacturing;

• the transition to woodworking;

• decades of employment for Ellsworth residents.

The fire ended the life of the building, but it did not erase its importance.

Industrial history is preserved not only through surviving structures but also through maps, photographs, documents, and community memory.

The State Street Factory remains historically significant because it illustrates how one building could serve multiple economic purposes over time.

The Legacy of 401–409 State Street

The story of the State Street Factory is ultimately a story of adaptation.

The building began as an ambitious industrial project during the late nineteenth century. Ellsworth citizens invested in a modern factory because they believed manufacturing could strengthen the community.

That investment succeeded.

The building attracted manufacturers, employed local residents, and remained active through changing economic conditions.

Its history can be divided into three major periods:

Burrell, Houghton & Company (1888)
The beginning of industrial shoe manufacturing and the first documented operation of the building.

B.E. Cole & Company (c. 1889–early twentieth century)
The period that established the factory as a major local landmark.

Ellsworth Hardwood Company (c. 1907–1957)
The second industrial life of the building and its final decades as a manufacturing facility.

Each period represents a different chapter, but together they tell one continuous story.

Conclusion

The Ellsworth Hardwood Company period completes the history of 401–409 State Street as an industrial site.

The former shoe factory survived because its design allowed adaptation. Built with modern industrial features in 1888, the building remained useful long after the original purpose changed.

Its conversion to hardwood manufacturing demonstrates the resilience of historic industrial structures and the ability of communities to reuse existing resources.

The factory’s destruction in 1957 ended its physical presence, but its historical importance remains. The site represents Ellsworth’s industrial ambitions, the labor of generations of workers, and the changing economic forces that shaped the community.

The history of the State Street Factory is therefore not simply the history of three companies. It is the history of a place that connected generations of workers and reflected Ellsworth’s changing relationship with industry.

From shoes to hardwood, the building served as a symbol of local enterprise for nearly seventy years.

Volume III

Footnotes

Ellsworth Hardwood Company, c. 1907–1957

1. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1907). The map identifies the former shoe factory property on State Street as the Ellsworth Hardwood Company, documenting the transition from footwear manufacturing to woodworking.

2. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1907).

3. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, later editions documenting the continued industrial use of the State Street property).

4. Ellsworth Historical Society, photographic collections and archival materials relating to the State Street Factory, Ellsworth, Maine. These materials document the building’s appearance, industrial use, and later history.

5. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, industrial survey materials concerning Maine manufacturing buildings, industrial landscapes, and adaptive reuse.

6. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1907).

7. Ellsworth Historical Society, local historical collections relating to the State Street Factory and the 1957 fire.

8. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, later editions documenting changes to the property).

Bibliography

Volume III

Primary Sources

Ellsworth Historical Society. Photographic collections and archival materials relating to the State Street Factory, Ellsworth, Maine.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1907.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine. New York: Sanborn Map Company, later editions documenting the property.

Secondary Sources

Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Industrial resource surveys concerning Maine manufacturing buildings, industrial landscapes, and historic preservation.

National Register of Historic Places documentation concerning Maine industrial architecture and adaptive reuse.