The C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill: Lumber Manufacturing and Family Enterprise on the Union River at Ellsworth Falls, Maine

The C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill at Ellsworth Falls represented one of the final important phases of the traditional lumber manufacturing economy that had shaped Hancock County, Maine, for more than a century. Located along the Union River, the mill produced lumber, barrel staves, heading, and wooden boxes at a time when wooden containers remained essential to New England commerce. By the early twentieth century, many of the small water-powered sawmills that had once lined the Union River had disappeared, but the Treworgy operation remained a significant producer of forest products. The history of the mill reflects the relationship between Maine's forests, rivers, transportation networks, and family-owned manufacturing enterprises.¹

The central figure in this history was Charles J. Treworgy, a successful lumber manufacturer whose career followed the traditional path of many Maine industrialists of the nineteenth century. Born in Blue Hill, Maine, on November 30, 1844, Treworgy moved to Ellsworth Falls as a child. Like many young men in communities dependent upon forest resources, he entered the lumber trade early and gained practical knowledge of sawmill operations. Through experience in local mills, he developed the skills necessary to manage timber purchasing, manufacturing processes, and the distribution of finished wood products.²

During the nineteenth century, the Union River valley was one of Hancock County's important industrial regions. Water power provided the energy required for sawmills, while the river served as both a transportation route and a means of moving logs from inland forests toward coastal markets. At Ellsworth Falls, a series of dams and mill sites supported generations of manufacturers. The Five-Saw Dam became one of the best-known industrial locations on the river, supporting multiple mills that converted Maine timber into boards, shingles, staves, and other products.³

The mill later operated by Charles J. Treworgy had a long industrial history before becoming associated with his name. The site was likely established around 1838 by Seth Tisdale and subsequently passed through several owners before being operated by Hartshorn, Ellis & Company. In 1887, Charles J. Treworgy purchased the property and continued its lumber manufacturing operations. His acquisition placed him among the leading forest-products entrepreneurs of Hancock County and allowed him to expand production at an established industrial location rather than constructing an entirely new facility.⁴

Under Treworgy's ownership, the mill developed into a specialized stave and box manufacturing operation. The company produced several related wood products, including long lumber, short lumber, barrel staves, heading, and wooden boxes. This combination represented an efficient use of available timber resources. Larger and higher-quality pieces of wood could be manufactured into barrel staves and heading, while other grades could be converted into boards and box materials. Such diversification allowed the mill to serve multiple markets and reduce waste in an industry where careful use of timber was essential.⁵

Barrel staves were particularly important to Ellsworth Falls during this period. Around the turn of the twentieth century, the community became recognized as a major center of stave production in Maine. Wooden barrels remained critical for transporting and storing many products, including cement, food materials, and agricultural goods. Before steel drums and modern corrugated packaging became widespread, manufacturers throughout the Northeast depended upon large quantities of wooden containers. The Ellsworth Falls mills supplied this demand by producing staves and heading that could be shipped to cooperages and industrial customers.⁶

The 1914 Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine listed Charles J. Treworgy's business as producing long lumber, short lumber, barrel staves, heading, and wooden boxes. This listing demonstrates that the mill was still an active and diversified manufacturing concern during the early twentieth century. Rather than operating solely as a sawmill, the company had adapted to changing markets by producing specialized components used in shipping and manufacturing.⁷

The location of the mill on the Union River was central to its success. Before widespread electrification, water power provided a reliable source of energy for industrial machinery. The river also supported the movement of raw materials, with logs transported downstream from northern forests and processed at mills located near established water routes. Finished products could then move by road, rail, or water to regional markets. Ellsworth's connection to coastal shipping facilities further strengthened the importance of river-based manufacturing.⁸

The construction of a new concrete dam at Ellsworth Falls in 1907 helped preserve the industrial importance of the site into the twentieth century. While older wooden dams and small mill operations had declined, improved infrastructure allowed remaining manufacturers such as Treworgy to continue production. The mill therefore represented a transitional period in Maine industry: it retained traditional water-powered manufacturing methods while adapting to modern commercial demands.⁹

By 1914, the C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill stood as one of the leading surviving lumber operations at Ellsworth Falls. Its continued operation reflected both the skill of its owner and the economic importance of forest products to Hancock County. The company connected Maine's inland forests with regional manufacturing and shipping markets, producing materials essential to the commercial economy of the era.¹⁰

Following Charles J. Treworgy's death on March 29, 1918, the mill did not immediately disappear from Ellsworth's industrial landscape. Instead, the business was reorganized as the C. J. Treworgy Corporation, continuing the family's involvement in lumber manufacturing. Charles's son, Owen Treworgy, became president of the corporation, while longtime employee Bernard Jellison served as manager. This transition reflected a common pattern among Maine family enterprises, where ownership and management passed from one generation to the next while preserving established industrial operations.¹¹

The continuation of the Treworgy mill after 1918 demonstrates the durability of specialized wood manufacturing in Maine. Although many nineteenth-century sawmills had closed as timber supplies, markets, and transportation methods changed, companies producing specialized products could remain competitive longer. Barrel staves, heading, and wooden boxes served industries that still depended upon durable shipping containers. The Treworgy operation survived because it occupied a specialized position within the larger forest-products economy.¹²

The history of the Treworgy family also illustrates the broader economic transition experienced by many Maine families during the twentieth century. Charles J. Treworgy's career represented the older industrial economy based on forests, rivers, water power, and manufacturing. His mill transformed raw timber into products used throughout New England's commercial system. A later branch of the extended Hancock County Treworgy family entered a different economic era centered on hardware stores, building supplies, and retail distribution.¹³

The connection between these branches appears to be through the older Treworgy families of Hancock County, although the exact parent-child relationship between Charles J. Treworgy and Reuben T. Treworgy requires additional primary genealogical documentation. Available family information indicates that Charles J. Treworgy and the descendants of Reuben T. Treworgy belonged to the same extended Ellsworth-area family network. However, surviving records must establish the precise ancestor where the two lines divided.¹⁴

This distinction is historically important because the later Treworgy hardware businesses were not a direct continuation or rebranding of the stave and box mill. Rather, they represent another chapter in the economic adaptation of a Maine family. The earlier generation participated in resource extraction and manufacturing, while later descendants entered retail and building supply industries. Both reflected an ability to respond to changing economic conditions in Maine communities.¹⁵

The transformation from lumber manufacturing to hardware retail mirrors a broader shift in Maine's economy during the twentieth century. Nineteenth-century communities depended heavily upon rivers, sawmills, shipbuilding, and forest products. By the mid-twentieth century, many families whose wealth and experience came from timber moved into businesses connected with construction, household goods, and consumer markets. The Treworgy family provides an example of this transition from production-based industry to service and retail commerce.¹⁶

The historical importance of the C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill lies not only in the products it manufactured but also in what it represents about Maine's industrial heritage. The mill preserved the older relationship between forests and waterways that had defined the state's economy since the nineteenth century. Its location at Ellsworth Falls demonstrates how communities developed around natural resources, using rivers as sources of power and transportation while creating products for regional and national markets.¹⁷

Although the mill eventually passed from active operation, its legacy remains part of Ellsworth's industrial history. The Five-Saw Dam area, the Union River mill sites, and the surviving historical records preserve evidence of a period when small communities in Maine participated directly in national commerce through specialized manufacturing. The Treworgy mill was one of the last major representatives of that tradition at Ellsworth Falls.¹⁸

Further genealogical research may clarify the exact relationship between Charles J. Treworgy and the later hardware-business branch of the family. The most useful sources for establishing this connection include nineteenth- and early twentieth-century census records, Hancock County vital records, marriage records identifying parents, and local family histories. Such research would complete the story of a family whose economic contributions followed Maine's own transition from timber manufacturing to modern commerce.¹⁹

The C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill therefore represents more than a single manufacturing business. It symbolizes the endurance and adaptation of Maine family enterprise across generations. From river-powered lumber production at Ellsworth Falls to later retail and building-supply businesses, the Treworgy family story reflects the changing economic landscape of Hancock County. The mill's history preserves the memory of an era when Maine's forests, rivers, and skilled manufacturers supplied essential materials for the wider world.²⁰

Footnotes

11. Ellsworth Historical Society, materials concerning Ellsworth Falls industries and Union River mills.

12. Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine (Augusta, ME: State of Maine, 1914).

13. Hancock County, Maine, census records, 1880–1920; local family records concerning the Treworgy family.

14. U.S. Bureau of the Census, Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900; Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910; Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920, Ellsworth and surrounding Hancock County communities.

15. Local histories and business records relating to Maine hardware merchants and building supply companies.

16. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, studies of Maine industrial heritage and nineteenth- and twentieth-century economic transitions.

17. Ellsworth Historical Society, historical materials concerning Ellsworth Falls and the Union River industrial district.

18. Ibid.

19. Hancock County vital records; U.S. Census records; local genealogical collections concerning the Treworgy family.

20. Ellsworth Historical Society; Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine (1914); Maine industrial history publications.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Ellsworth Historical Society. Historical collections concerning Ellsworth Falls, the Union River, and local industries. Ellsworth, Maine.

Hancock County Vital Records. Hancock County, Maine.

United States Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1901.

United States Bureau of the Census. Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1911.

United States Bureau of the Census. Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1922.

Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine. Augusta, Maine: State of Maine, 1914.

Secondary Sources

Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Publications on Maine industrial history and historic mill development. Augusta, Maine.

Maine industrial and local history collections concerning Hancock County lumber manufacturing.

Local genealogical records and family histories of the Treworgy family of Hancock County, Maine.

The C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill: Lumber Manufacturing and Family Enterprise on the Union River at Ellsworth Falls, Maine

Expanded Historical Discussion and Source Notes

The story of the C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill begins with the importance of water-powered industry in the development of Ellsworth Falls. Long before the twentieth century, the Union River provided the physical foundation for manufacturing in Hancock County. The river offered both energy and transportation, allowing entrepreneurs to establish sawmills close to timber resources while maintaining access to coastal markets. By the nineteenth century, the falls at Ellsworth had become one of the region's most valuable industrial locations, supporting a succession of lumber manufacturers whose operations changed as markets and technology evolved.¹

The mill site associated with Charles J. Treworgy was part of this longer industrial tradition. The property was reportedly established in the late 1830s, with Seth Tisdale among the earliest known operators. Over subsequent decades, the mill passed through several ownership arrangements before becoming associated with Hartshorn, Ellis & Company. When Charles J. Treworgy purchased the operation in 1887, he acquired not simply a building and machinery but a developed industrial location with access to water power, transportation routes, and an established workforce.²

Treworgy's success resulted from his ability to adapt an older sawmill operation to changing commercial opportunities. Maine's lumber industry in the late nineteenth century was moving away from producing only rough boards and general lumber. Manufacturers increasingly specialized in products designed for specific markets. Barrel staves and heading were especially valuable because they supplied the enormous demand for wooden containers used by agricultural, food-processing, cement, and industrial companies throughout the Northeast.³

The manufacture of barrel staves required careful selection and processing of timber. Logs were sawn into curved pieces that could be assembled into the sides of barrels, while heading consisted of the circular wooden pieces forming the ends. A successful stave mill therefore required both access to timber and skilled workers capable of producing standardized products. Treworgy's decision to combine lumber, staves, heading, and box production allowed the company to use different grades of wood efficiently.⁴

The 1914 Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine provides an important snapshot of the company's operations during its mature period. The directory identified Charles J. Treworgy's establishment as producing long lumber, short lumber, barrel staves, heading, and wooden boxes. This listing confirms that the company had developed beyond a simple sawmill and functioned as a diversified wood-products manufacturer.⁵

Wooden boxes represented another important part of the company's production. Before modern cardboard packaging became widespread, wooden boxes were essential for shipping manufactured goods, agricultural products, and commercial materials. Box production allowed mills to utilize smaller pieces of lumber that might otherwise have had limited value. The Treworgy operation therefore reflected the broader industrial principle of maximizing the usefulness of every part of the timber supply.⁶

The Union River location also shaped the company's identity. The mill depended upon the relationship between forests and waterways that had defined Maine's economy for generations. Timber harvested in inland areas could be moved toward processing facilities, while finished products could reach customers through regional transportation networks. Ellsworth's connection to coastal trade further increased the value of manufacturing sites located near the river corridor.⁷

The Five-Saw Dam area became one of several important industrial centers along the Union River. Although many earlier mills eventually disappeared, surviving operations benefited from improvements in infrastructure. The construction of the concrete dam at Ellsworth Falls in 1907 represented an effort to modernize and stabilize water-powered industry at a time when many traditional mills were facing competition from larger industrial centers and new energy sources.⁸

By remaining active into the twentieth century, the C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill represented the persistence of small-scale, family-managed manufacturing in Maine. The company was not a large corporation by national standards, but it occupied an important regional role. It employed local workers, purchased timber, contributed to the commercial economy of Ellsworth, and produced materials used throughout the wider industrial system.⁹

The death of Charles J. Treworgy in 1918 marked the end of the company's founding era but not the immediate end of the enterprise. The reorganization as the C. J. Treworgy Corporation demonstrated that the business possessed sufficient value and stability to continue beyond the lifetime of its founder. The transition from individual ownership to corporate organization reflected a common pattern among family businesses seeking continuity in the early twentieth century.¹⁰

Following Charles J. Treworgy’s death in 1918, the reorganization of the business as the C. J. Treworgy Corporation preserved the family’s connection to the Ellsworth Falls mill. Owen Treworgy assumed the role of president, while Bernard Jellison, a longtime employee familiar with the operation, served as manager. This arrangement reflected the importance of experienced management in maintaining a specialized manufacturing business whose success depended upon knowledge of timber, machinery, production methods, and regional markets.¹¹

The continuation of the mill after its founder’s death also demonstrates the resilience of Maine’s forest-products economy during a period of major change. By the early twentieth century, many older water-powered sawmills had closed or declined. Forest resources were becoming more difficult to access, transportation systems were changing, and new materials were beginning to replace traditional wood products. Nevertheless, specialized manufacturers such as the Treworgy mill remained viable because they produced goods for industries that still depended upon wooden containers and lumber products.¹²

The history of the C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill also provides insight into the changing economic identity of Maine families. During the nineteenth century, success often came through direct involvement in natural-resource industries such as lumbering, shipbuilding, quarrying, and agriculture. The Treworgy family’s early twentieth-century experience followed this pattern: Charles J. Treworgy built his reputation through forest products and river-powered manufacturing. Later generations, however, entered a different commercial environment in which retail, construction supplies, and hardware businesses became increasingly important.¹³

The later Treworgy hardware businesses of Maine appear to represent a related but separate branch of the family’s economic history. Harold T. Treworgy and other descendants associated with hardware and building-supply enterprises continued the family tradition of serving local communities, but their businesses were not direct successors of the Ellsworth Falls stave mill. Instead, they demonstrate how members of the same extended family adapted their knowledge of materials and commerce to new economic opportunities.¹⁴

The relationship between Charles J. Treworgy and the later hardware-business branch remains an important genealogical question. Available information places both families within the broader Treworgy community of Hancock County, but the exact connection requires additional primary documentation. Census records, marriage records, and vital records would likely provide the evidence needed to identify the common ancestor linking the two branches.¹⁵

This family transition parallels a larger pattern throughout Maine history. Communities that had once depended almost entirely upon forest extraction and water-powered manufacturing gradually developed new commercial identities. Lumber knowledge evolved into building-supply expertise, manufacturing experience contributed to retail success, and families that had once operated mills became involved in serving the construction and consumer markets of the twentieth century.¹⁶

The historical importance of the C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill extends beyond its products. The mill represents the relationship between natural resources and community development that shaped much of Maine’s history. The Union River provided power, transportation, and economic opportunity. The surrounding forests supplied raw materials. Local entrepreneurs transformed those resources into products that connected a small Maine community with regional and national markets.¹⁷

The mill also represents the final period of major lumber manufacturing at Ellsworth Falls. During the nineteenth century, the Union River supported numerous mills and industrial operations. By 1914, many of those earlier enterprises had disappeared, leaving companies such as Treworgy’s among the remaining representatives of a once-dominant economic system. Its continued operation demonstrates both the importance of the lumber trade and the ability of specialized manufacturers to survive during a period of industrial transition.¹⁸

Although the physical mill operation eventually passed into history, the legacy of the C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill remains significant. It preserves the memory of a time when Maine’s rivers powered factories, local families owned manufacturing enterprises, and communities were built around the movement of timber from forests to finished products. The company’s story contributes to a broader understanding of Maine’s industrial heritage by showing how a single family enterprise reflected changes occurring throughout the state.¹⁹

The C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill was therefore more than a lumber business. It was a representative example of Maine’s transition from a nineteenth-century resource economy into a modern commercial economy. Charles J. Treworgy’s career connected the traditions of river-powered sawmills with the specialized manufacturing demands of the twentieth century. The later activities of the Treworgy family continued that tradition of adaptation, demonstrating how Maine families adjusted to changing economic conditions while maintaining connections to their communities.²⁰

Footnotes

11. Ellsworth Historical Society, historical materials concerning Ellsworth Falls industries and Union River mills.

12. Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine (Augusta, ME: State of Maine, 1914).

13. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, publications concerning Maine industrial history and economic development.

14. Family records and local histories concerning Treworgy family businesses in Hancock County and later Maine communities.

15. United States Bureau of the Census, Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900; Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910; Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920; Hancock County vital records.

16. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, studies of Maine’s transition from traditional industries to twentieth-century commerce.

17. Ellsworth Historical Society, historical collections concerning the Union River industrial district.

18. Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine (1914); Ellsworth historical materials.

19. Maine industrial history collections concerning Hancock County lumber manufacturing.

20. Ellsworth Historical Society; Maine Historic Preservation Commission; Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine (1914).

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Ellsworth Historical Society. Historical collections concerning Ellsworth Falls, the Union River, and local industries. Ellsworth, Maine.

Hancock County Vital Records. Hancock County, Maine.

United States Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1901.

United States Bureau of the Census. Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1911.

United States Bureau of the Census. Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1922.

Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine. Augusta, Maine: State of Maine, 1914.

Secondary Sources

Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Publications on Maine industrial history, historic mills, and economic development. Augusta, Maine.

Local genealogical collections concerning the Treworgy family of Hancock County, Maine.

Historical materials concerning Ellsworth Falls, the Union River, and Maine lumber manufacturing.

The C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill and the Transformation of Maine’s River-Based Lumber Economy

Industrial Legacy and Historical Interpretation

The C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill occupies an important place in the industrial history of Ellsworth Falls because it represents the survival of a traditional Maine manufacturing system into the twentieth century. The mill belonged to an earlier era when water power, local timber supplies, and family ownership formed the foundation of economic development. By the time Charles J. Treworgy acquired the mill in 1887, the Union River had already supported generations of sawmills and related industries. His achievement was not simply the operation of another lumber mill, but the adaptation of an established industrial site to changing markets and manufacturing demands.¹

The importance of Ellsworth Falls was directly connected to geography. Maine’s forest economy depended upon access to timber resources and efficient methods of transportation. Rivers such as the Union River served several purposes simultaneously: they provided power for machinery, carried logs from inland forests, and connected interior communities with coastal trade routes. The concentration of mills at falls and dams throughout Maine was therefore not accidental; these locations represented strategic points where natural resources could be converted into commercial products.²

The Treworgy mill demonstrates how Maine manufacturers moved beyond simple lumber production. During the nineteenth century, many sawmills primarily produced boards and construction lumber. By the early twentieth century, successful operators increasingly specialized. Barrel staves, heading, and wooden boxes represented higher-value products because they served specific commercial needs. The ability to manufacture several related products from different grades of timber allowed the company to remain competitive in a changing marketplace.³

The barrel-stave industry was especially significant in Hancock County. Before modern metal containers and disposable packaging became common, wooden barrels were essential throughout the American economy. Cement manufacturers, agricultural producers, food processors, and shipping companies depended upon cooperage products. Ellsworth Falls developed a reputation as a center for stave production because local mills combined available timber resources with skilled manufacturing labor.⁴

The C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill was therefore connected to a much larger economic network. Although physically located in a small Maine community, its products entered regional and national markets. The mill’s output supported industries far beyond Hancock County, demonstrating how rural manufacturing communities participated in broader commercial systems. The company’s history challenges the idea that small-town Maine industries were isolated or purely local enterprises.⁵

The survival of the Treworgy operation into the twentieth century also illustrates the importance of adaptation. Many Maine mills declined because they depended upon a single product or outdated methods of production. Treworgy’s operation remained viable because it combined lumber production with specialized manufacturing. The company could respond to demand for multiple products and use timber resources efficiently. This flexibility was one reason family-owned mills could survive even as industrial conditions changed.⁶

After Charles J. Treworgy’s death in 1918, the transition to the C. J. Treworgy Corporation reflected another important development in Maine business history: the movement from individual proprietorships toward corporate structures. Incorporation allowed established family enterprises to continue beyond the lifetime of their founders while creating clearer systems of ownership and management. Owen Treworgy’s leadership preserved the family connection to the mill during a period when many traditional industries were declining.⁷

The later history of the extended Treworgy family reflects the broader economic transformation of Maine communities. The nineteenth-century economy emphasized extraction and manufacturing: forests were harvested, timber was processed, and products were shipped outward. The twentieth-century economy increasingly emphasized distribution, retail, and construction services. The emergence of Treworgy family members in hardware and building-supply businesses represents this shift from producing materials to supplying the needs of growing communities.⁸

Although the exact genealogical relationship between Charles J. Treworgy and the later hardware-business branch requires additional primary documentation, both branches illustrate a common pattern in Maine history. Family enterprises often adapted across generations, moving from resource-based industries into newer forms of commerce. The Treworgy story therefore represents not only one mill but also a broader history of economic adjustment in rural New England.⁹

The historical significance of the C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill lies in its representation of a disappearing industrial tradition. By the early twentieth century, many river-powered lumber operations had vanished, replaced by larger industrial systems, new energy sources, and changing consumer products. The Treworgy mill preserved an older relationship between community, river, forest, and manufacturing.¹⁰

Conclusion

The C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill was one of the important lumber enterprises that sustained Ellsworth Falls during the final era of Maine’s traditional river-powered manufacturing economy. From its nineteenth-century origins through Charles J. Treworgy’s ownership and the later C. J. Treworgy Corporation, the mill demonstrates the ability of local entrepreneurs to adapt established industries to new economic conditions.

The company produced materials essential to the commercial world of its time: lumber for construction, barrel staves for shipping, heading for cooperage, and wooden boxes for transportation. Its success depended upon the combined advantages of the Union River, nearby timber resources, skilled labor, and access to regional markets.

The Treworgy family’s later transition into hardware and building-supply commerce represents the continuation of an entrepreneurial tradition rather than a departure from it. The same knowledge of materials, construction, and local markets that supported a lumber mill could also support twentieth-century retail enterprises.

The story of the C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill therefore provides a valuable example of how Maine families and communities transformed themselves across generations. It preserves the history of a period when rivers powered industries, forests supplied communities, and small manufacturers connected rural Maine with the wider economy.¹¹

Additional Footnotes

1. Ellsworth Historical Society, materials concerning Ellsworth Falls industries and Union River manufacturing.

2. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, publications concerning Maine industrial history and historic mill development.

3. Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine (Augusta, ME: State of Maine, 1914).

4. Ellsworth Historical Society, materials concerning the Ellsworth Falls barrel-stave industry.

5. Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine (1914).

6. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, studies of Maine forest-products industries.

7. Ellsworth Historical Society, materials concerning the C. J. Treworgy Corporation.

8. Hancock County census records and local business histories.

9. United States Bureau of the Census, Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900; Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910; Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920.

10. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, industrial heritage publications.

11. Ellsworth Historical Society; Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine (1914).

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Ellsworth Historical Society. Historical collections concerning Ellsworth Falls, the Union River, local industries, and the history of barrel-stave manufacturing in Hancock County. Ellsworth, Maine.

Hancock County Registry of Deeds. Property records concerning mill sites, industrial properties, and ownership transfers in Ellsworth Falls, Hancock County, Maine.

Hancock County Vital Records. Birth, marriage, and death records relating to the Treworgy family of Hancock County, Maine.

Sanborn Map Company. Fire Insurance Maps of Ellsworth, Maine. New York: Sanborn Map Company, various editions.

United States Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1901.

United States Bureau of the Census. Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1911.

United States Bureau of the Census. Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1922.

Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine. Augusta, Maine: State of Maine, 1914.

Ellsworth newspapers, including local reports of industrial activity, business notices, and community events concerning Ellsworth Falls manufacturers.

Secondary Sources

Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Publications concerning Maine industrial history, historic mills, water-powered manufacturing, and the development of Maine’s forest-products economy. Augusta, Maine.

Local histories of Ellsworth, Hancock County, Maine, concerning the Union River, Ellsworth Falls, and nineteenth- and twentieth-century industries.

Genealogical collections concerning the Treworgy family of Hancock County, Maine, including family histories and compiled genealogical materials.

Suggested Archival Research Sources for Future Citation Expansion

The following records would provide the strongest documentation for a fully archival version of this study:

1. Hancock County Registry of Deeds

   • Original mill purchase documents.

   • 1887 transfer from Hartshorn, Ellis & Company to Charles J. Treworgy.

   • Corporate transfers following 1918.

2. Ellsworth City Directories

   • Business listings for Charles J. Treworgy.

   • Listings for the C. J. Treworgy Corporation.

   • Addresses and occupational information.

3. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

   • Mill building locations.

   • Dam and water-power arrangements.

   • Lumber storage areas.

   • Machinery and manufacturing facilities.

4. Ellsworth Newspapers

   • Purchase announcements.

   • Business advertisements.

   • Reports of mill production.

   • Obituary notices for Charles J. Treworgy.

   • Corporate reorganization announcements.

5. Genealogical Records

   • Birth records confirming Charles J. Treworgy’s parentage.

   • Marriage records identifying family connections.

   • Census households linking Charles J. Treworgy, Reuben T. Treworgy, and Harold T. Treworgy.

Historical Summary

The C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill represents a significant chapter in the industrial history of Ellsworth Falls and Hancock County, Maine. Founded within a long tradition of Union River water-powered manufacturing, the mill adapted nineteenth-century lumber practices to twentieth-century markets by producing specialized wood products including barrel staves, heading, lumber, and wooden boxes.

Charles J. Treworgy’s career demonstrates the importance of skilled local entrepreneurs in sustaining Maine’s forest economy. His mill connected inland timber resources with regional commerce and preserved a manufacturing tradition that had defined the Union River for generations.

The later history of the Treworgy family illustrates the broader transformation of Maine’s economy from resource extraction and manufacturing toward retail and building supply industries. Although the exact genealogical relationship between the lumber-mill branch and the later hardware-business branch requires additional documentation, both represent the adaptability of a Hancock County family whose enterprises reflected changing economic conditions.

The history of the C. J. Treworgy Stave & Box Mill therefore serves as an example of Maine’s industrial evolution: forests became lumber, lumber became manufactured goods, and generations of families transformed that experience into new forms of commerce.