The State Street Factory:

The History of Ellsworth’s Shoe and Hardwood Mill, 1888–Present

Introduction

For nearly seventy years, a three-story wood-frame factory stood on State Street in Ellsworth, Maine, between Third and Fourth Streets. During its lifetime, the building housed three important industrial operations: the boot and shoe manufacturing firms of Burrell, Houghton & Co. and B.E. Cole & Company, followed by Ellsworth Hardwood Company. After the factory was destroyed by fire in 1957, the property entered a new phase as the location of Knowlton Elementary School and later Knowlton Park.

The history of the State Street Factory demonstrates how a community-created industrial resource could adapt to changing economic conditions. Although later memory often associated the building primarily with B.E. Cole & Company, the documentary record reveals a more complex history. The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps show that the factory was already standing and operating as a boot and shoe factory in 1888, before B.E. Cole & Company became the documented occupant.¹

This distinction is historically important. B.E. Cole & Company was a major chapter in the factory’s history, but it was not the beginning of the building itself. The factory originated as an Ellsworth industrial development project intended to attract manufacturing investment and employment.

A contemporary industrial account reported that “Ellsworth citizens have built a large new factory” which was occupied by Burrell, Houghton & Co., of Massachusetts, and was operating successfully.² This description indicates that the physical factory was created through local initiative and then leased or made available to an experienced outside manufacturer.

The State Street Factory followed a pattern common in nineteenth-century New England industrial development. Communities seeking economic growth often organized local investment, constructed factory buildings, and recruited established manufacturers capable of operating them. The community supplied the infrastructure; the manufacturer supplied management, machinery, labor organization, and access to markets.

The factory’s history can be reconstructed primarily through the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, which provide a dated record of the building’s construction, occupancy, and industrial use. The 1884 map shows no factory at the site. By 1888, a three-story wood-frame boot and shoe factory existed on State Street. Later maps show the same building occupied by B.E. Cole & Company and then Ellsworth Hardwood Company.³

The evidence changes the interpretation of the site. The State Street Factory was not simply the B.E. Cole factory. It was an Ellsworth-built industrial property that supported multiple manufacturing enterprises over time. Its history is therefore a story of continuity through change: a vacant site became a shoe factory, a shoe factory became a hardwood mill, and an industrial property became a public community space.

The State Street Site and Construction of the Factory (1884–1888)

The history of the State Street Factory begins with an empty site. The 1884 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Ellsworth shows no factory building at the location later occupied by the shoe and hardwood mill.⁴ At that time, the property had not yet become part of Ellsworth’s industrial landscape.

During the late nineteenth century, Ellsworth and other Maine communities sought new sources of employment and economic growth. Manufacturing offered opportunities beyond traditional occupations and allowed smaller towns to participate in the expanding industrial economy of New England.

The creation of the State Street Factory appears to have been a deliberate community effort. The available evidence indicates that local interests organized the construction of the building and then sought an experienced manufacturer to operate it. This approach was common during the period, when communities competed to attract industrial enterprises by providing factory space.

The strongest contemporary evidence is the description that Ellsworth citizens built a large factory occupied by Burrell, Houghton & Co. of Massachusetts.⁵ The statement identifies two separate actions: the local community created the facility, and an outside company operated the manufacturing enterprise.

The exact individuals responsible for organizing and financing the project have not yet been confirmed. Charles C. Burrill has been suggested as a possible participant because of his known business interests and influence in Ellsworth, including real estate and commercial development. However, available evidence does not conclusively establish that he organized or financed the State Street Factory project.⁶

By 1888, the factory was complete and in operation. The Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for that year identifies a three-story wood-frame building on State Street occupied by: Burrell, Houghton & Co. Boot and Shoe Manufacturing⁷

The map provides several important facts:

• the building existed by 1888;

• it was three stories high;

• it was constructed of wood;

• it was designed for shoe manufacturing;

• it was already occupied before B.E. Cole & Company’s association with the site.

The factory represented a substantial industrial investment. It was not a small workshop but a purpose-built manufacturing facility designed for organized production. Its three floors allowed different stages of manufacturing to occur in separate departments, creating an efficient workflow.

Wood-frame construction was common for nineteenth-century industrial buildings in Maine because of the availability of local timber. However, it also created a significant fire risk. The same material that made construction practical contributed to the vulnerability that ultimately destroyed the building nearly seventy years later.

The 1888 Sanborn map provides the most important correction to the traditional understanding of the site: the building predates B.E. Cole & Company. The factory was already part of Ellsworth’s industrial landscape before Cole’s arrival.

The July 4, 1889 photograph associated with B.E. Cole & Company should therefore be interpreted carefully. Rather than documenting the construction of the building, it most likely represents the beginning of Cole’s operation or a dedication associated with the company’s arrival in Ellsworth. Nineteenth-century communities commonly celebrated the establishment of new industrial enterprises because such events represented employment opportunities and economic progress.

The distinction between the factory and the companies that occupied it is essential. Ellsworth created the industrial resource; different manufacturers used that resource over time.

Burrell, Houghton & Co.:

The First Factory Operator

The first documented occupant of the State Street Factory was Burrell, Houghton & Co., a Massachusetts boot and shoe manufacturer. The company’s presence confirms the original purpose of the building: organized footwear production.

The relationship between Ellsworth and Burrell, Houghton & Co. illustrates the economic strategy behind the project. The town provided the physical facility, while an experienced shoe manufacturer supplied the knowledge and organization needed to operate a modern factory.

Massachusetts was one of the leading centers of American shoe manufacturing during the nineteenth century. Companies from that region possessed experience with mechanized production, specialized labor systems, and distribution networks. Bringing such a company to Ellsworth allowed the community to participate in an established industry.

The company’s tenure at the factory appears to have been relatively brief. By 1895, the Sanborn map identifies B.E. Cole & Company as the occupant.⁸ However, Burrell, Houghton & Co. remains historically significant because it establishes the true beginning of the building’s operating history.

The correct sequence is:

1884 — No factory documented at the site.
1888 — Factory completed and operating under Burrell, Houghton & Co.
1895 — B.E. Cole & Company operating the same building.

This chronology demonstrates why contemporary records are essential. Later memory preserved the connection with B.E. Cole, but the Sanborn maps reveal the earlier chapter.

B.E. Cole & Company:

The Shoe Manufacturing Era (1889–1907)

The period of B.E. Cole & Company’s operation represents the most recognized chapter in the history of the State Street Factory. Although the company did not construct the building, it became the manufacturer most closely associated with the site in local memory.

The transition from Burrell, Houghton & Co. to B.E. Cole & Company is not fully documented in the surviving records examined for this study. The Sanborn maps clearly establish the sequence: Burrell, Houghton & Co. occupied the factory in 1888, while B.E. Cole & Company appears as the occupant by 1895.¹ The reason for the change may have involved a transfer of operations, a change in leasing arrangements, or the recruitment of another manufacturer, but the precise circumstances remain unknown.

What is certain is that B.E. Cole & Company inherited an existing industrial facility. The company’s arrival represented a change in operation, not the construction of a new factory.

The July 4, 1889 photograph associated with B.E. Cole & Company has likely contributed to the belief that the factory itself was completed that year. However, the Sanborn record demonstrates that the building already existed in 1888. The most reasonable interpretation is that the 1889 event marked the establishment or dedication of B.E. Cole’s manufacturing operation in Ellsworth rather than the completion of the physical building.

This distinction reflects an important historical difference between a factory and the company operating inside it. In nineteenth-century industrial communities, the opening of a new manufacturing operation was often celebrated because it represented jobs, investment, and economic progress. A dedication ceremony could therefore celebrate the arrival of a company even when the building itself was older.

The Factory Under B.E. Cole & Company

By 1895, the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map identified the building as:

B.E. Cole & Company
Boot & Shoe Mfy.²

The same company continued operating at the location on the 1901 Sanborn map.³ Throughout this period, the factory remained a three-story wood-frame structure located on State Street between Third and Fourth Streets.

The building was organized according to the production methods of a late nineteenth-century shoe factory. Each floor served a specialized purpose, allowing raw materials to move through a carefully organized manufacturing process.

The production sequence was typical of industrial footwear manufacturing:

Third Floor

• cutting room

• stitching room

Second Floor

• lasting

• bottoming

First Floor

• finishing

• packing

• offices

• shipping

This arrangement reflects the factory system that had transformed shoe production throughout New England. Instead of a single craftsperson making a complete pair of shoes, production was divided among specialized workers performing individual tasks.

Third Floor: Cutting and Stitching

Cutting Room

The third floor began the manufacturing process. Here, workers prepared leather pieces according to patterns required for different shoe styles and sizes.

Cutting was one of the most skilled stages of production. Leather represented a significant portion of the cost of manufacturing shoes, so efficient use of material was essential. Experienced cutters arranged patterns carefully to reduce waste while maintaining the quality and appearance of the finished product.

The cutting department also required knowledge of leather characteristics. Workers had to understand differences in thickness, flexibility, and durability to ensure that each piece was appropriate for its intended use.

Stitching Room

After cutting, leather components moved to the stitching room. Here, workers assembled the shoe uppers using specialized sewing machines.

The development of sewing machinery was one of the major technological advances in nineteenth-century footwear manufacturing. Machine stitching increased production speed and allowed factories to produce large quantities of standardized footwear.

However, machinery did not eliminate skilled labor. Stitching operators needed experience handling leather, operating equipment, and maintaining quality standards.

The third floor therefore combined industrial technology with specialized craftsmanship.

Second Floor: Lasting and Bottoming

Lasting

The second floor contained the lasting department, where shoe uppers were shaped around a last.

A last was a form, traditionally made of wood, that determined the final shape and size of a shoe. Workers stretched the upper material over the last and secured it into position, creating the structure of the finished shoe.

Lasting was a critical stage because it determined comfort, appearance, and fit. Errors at this point could affect the entire finished product.

Bottoming

Following lasting, shoes moved to the bottoming department.

Bottoming involved attaching soles and completing the lower portion of the shoe. This stage brought together the work completed in the earlier departments and prepared the footwear for finishing.

The process required coordination between workers, machinery, and materials. A delay or problem in one department affected the entire production line.

First Floor: Finishing, Packing, Offices, and Shipping

The first floor completed the manufacturing process and connected the factory to the outside marketplace.

Finishing

Finishing involved inspecting and preparing completed shoes. Workers corrected imperfections, cleaned surfaces, and prepared footwear for delivery.

Quality control was important because finished products represented the reputation of the company. A poorly finished shoe could damage customer confidence and increase costs.

Packing

After inspection, shoes were packed for shipment. Packaging protected products during transportation and allowed the company to distribute finished goods efficiently.

Offices

The first floor also contained office space for management and administrative work. Records, orders, payroll, and production information would have been coordinated from this area.

The location of offices within the factory allowed managers to remain closely connected to daily operations.

Shipping

The shipping department represented the final stage of production. Finished shoes left the factory and entered regional markets.

The presence of a shipping function demonstrates that the State Street Factory was not merely a production workshop. It was a complete manufacturing enterprise capable of turning raw materials into finished products ready for sale.

Equipment and Manufacturing Technology

The exact equipment inventory of B.E. Cole & Company at Ellsworth has not been located. However, the departments identified on the Sanborn maps correspond with the standard machinery used in late nineteenth-century shoe manufacturing.

A factory of this type would likely have included:

• leather cutting equipment;

• sewing machines;

• lasting machinery;

• sole attachment equipment;

• finishing tools;

• packing equipment;

• power systems for operating machinery.

The late nineteenth-century shoe industry depended upon a combination of mechanization and skilled labor. Machinery increased production capacity, but workers remained essential for operating equipment and maintaining quality.

The State Street Factory’s design shows that B.E. Cole & Company operated within this modern industrial system.

Employment and Economic Importance

The factory’s importance extended beyond the production of shoes. It provided employment and contributed to Ellsworth’s economic development.

Industrial shoe manufacturing required workers in multiple departments:

• cutters;

• stitchers;

• lasters;

• bottomers;

• finishers;

• packers;

• shipping workers;

• maintenance workers;

• supervisors;

• office employees.

The factory system created a different type of employment from traditional craft production. Workers specialized in particular tasks and participated in a coordinated production process.

Although exact employment numbers have not been confirmed, the size of the building and its departmental organization indicate that it supported a substantial workforce.

The factory also supported the wider community. Workers’ wages circulated through local businesses, while the presence of a manufacturing enterprise strengthened Ellsworth’s position as an industrial center.

The Transition to Ellsworth Hardwood Company (1907–1957)

The State Street Factory entered a new industrial era in the early twentieth century when shoe manufacturing ended and the building was converted to woodworking. By 1907, the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map identified Ellsworth Hardwood Company as the occupant of the same three-story wood-frame factory that had previously housed Burrell, Houghton & Co. and B.E. Cole & Company.¹

The transition demonstrates the adaptability of the building. Rather than being abandoned when the shoe industry operation changed, the factory continued to serve as a manufacturing facility under a new company and for a different product.

The change from shoe production to hardwood manufacturing represented a major transformation in the type of work performed inside the building. The earlier operation processed leather into finished footwear. The new operation processed lumber into finished wood products. Despite this difference, the factory’s basic characteristics remained useful: three floors of industrial space, a central location, and a structure capable of accommodating machinery and workers.

The 1907 Sanborn map records the following arrangement:

First Floor

• sawing

Second Floor

• lathe room

Third Floor

• storing and drying

By 1914, the third floor had been adapted as an assembling room, indicating continued changes in production needs.²

First Floor: Sawing Operations

The first floor became the beginning point of the hardwood manufacturing process.

Sawing operations transformed raw lumber into pieces suitable for additional processing. Locating heavy equipment on the ground floor was practical because materials could be moved more easily and machinery could be supported by the building’s foundation.

This represented a significant change from the shoe factory period. During B.E. Cole & Company’s operation, the first floor had been devoted to finishing, packing, offices, and shipping. Under Ellsworth Hardwood Company, it became the location where raw materials entered the production process.

The change demonstrates that industrial buildings were valuable not because they served only one purpose, but because they could be modified as economic conditions changed.

Second Floor: The Lathe Room

The second floor housed the lathe room.

Woodworking lathes shaped materials by rotating pieces of wood against cutting tools. This process allowed manufacturers to create precisely formed components and finished products.

The presence of a lathe room indicates that Ellsworth Hardwood Company was engaged in more advanced manufacturing than simple lumber processing. The company shaped and prepared wood products rather than merely storing or cutting raw materials.

As with the earlier shoe operation, machinery required skilled workers. Employees needed knowledge of equipment operation, material characteristics, and production standards.

The factory therefore continued the same basic industrial pattern established during the shoe manufacturing era: machinery organized production, but skilled labor remained essential.

Third Floor: Drying, Storage, and Assembly

The third floor was initially identified as a storage and drying area.

Wood products required careful preparation before final use. Moisture content affected the stability and quality of finished wood, making drying an essential part of the manufacturing process.

Proper drying reduced problems such as:

• warping;

• cracking;

• shrinking;

• structural instability.

By 1914, the third floor was identified as an assembling room.³ This change suggests that Ellsworth Hardwood Company continued adapting the factory layout to meet changing production requirements.

The ability to modify interior spaces was one of the reasons older industrial buildings could remain useful for decades.

A Second Industrial Life

The history of Ellsworth Hardwood Company demonstrates why the State Street Factory survived for so long. The building was not tied permanently to one industry. It adapted.

The factory’s industrial sequence can be summarized as:

1888–early twentieth century

• Boot and shoe manufacturing

• Burrell, Houghton & Co.

• B.E. Cole & Company

1907–1957

• Hardwood manufacturing

• Ellsworth Hardwood Company

The building therefore served two major manufacturing industries during its lifetime.

This transition also reflects broader economic changes in Maine. Small communities often experienced shifts in manufacturing as industries expanded, declined, or moved elsewhere. Buildings that could be adapted had a greater chance of survival.

The State Street Factory remained useful because its original design provided flexibility. A large, multi-story industrial building could accommodate different types of production without requiring complete reconstruction.

Fire Risk and the Limits of Adaptation

Although the factory survived changing industries, its original construction method always carried risk.

The building was a wood-frame structure, a common form of nineteenth-century industrial construction in Maine. Wood was affordable and readily available, but it also created serious fire hazards.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps were created partly because insurance companies needed detailed information about buildings, materials, machinery, and fire risks. The maps documented exactly the features that influenced insurance decisions, including construction type and industrial activity.⁴

The same vulnerability that had existed since the building’s construction eventually ended its physical existence.

The 1957 Fire

After nearly seventy years of industrial service, the State Street Factory was destroyed by fire in 1957.

The fire marked the end of one of Ellsworth’s oldest industrial buildings. A structure that had witnessed the rise of factory shoe production, the transition to hardwood manufacturing, and generations of local employment was gone.

The loss was significant because the building represented a direct connection to Ellsworth’s nineteenth-century industrial development. Once the factory disappeared, the Sanborn maps, photographs, and written records became the primary evidence preserving its history.

The destruction of the factory also created an opportunity for a new use of the property. The land would continue serving the community, but its purpose would change from manufacturing to education and public recreation.

The Meaning of the Factory’s Industrial Life

The State Street Factory’s history from 1888 to 1957 illustrates several important themes:

Community Investment

The factory began as a local economic development project. Ellsworth citizens created the physical infrastructure needed to attract manufacturing.

Industrial Change

The building reflected two major periods of manufacturing history:

• nineteenth-century shoe production;

• twentieth-century hardwood manufacturing.

Adaptability

The factory survived because it could be reused. Its value came from its ability to support changing industries.

Community Continuity

Even after the building disappeared, the site continued serving Ellsworth residents.

The factory was therefore more than a workplace. It was a physical representation of the community’s economic ambitions and its ability to adapt over time.

The 1957 Fire, Knowlton Elementary School, and Knowlton Park (1957–Present)

The destruction of the State Street Factory by fire in 1957 ended the building’s industrial history, but it did not end the importance of the property. The site continued to serve Ellsworth, although its role changed from manufacturing to education and eventually to public recreation.

For almost seventy years, the property had been associated with industrial production. Generations of workers had manufactured shoes and hardwood products there. The factory represented Ellsworth’s nineteenth- and early twentieth-century efforts to establish a stable manufacturing economy. After the fire, the community faced the question of how the property could continue to serve local needs.

The answer reflected another major period of community investment: education.

The End of the Factory Era

The 1957 fire removed one of Ellsworth’s longest-standing industrial landmarks. The loss was especially significant because the building itself had survived numerous economic changes.

The factory had passed through several distinct periods:

• construction through local initiative;

• shoe manufacturing under Burrell, Houghton & Co.;

• expansion of the shoe industry under B.E. Cole & Company;

• conversion to hardwood production under Ellsworth Hardwood Company;

• destruction by fire.

The physical building was gone, but the land remained valuable. As Ellsworth developed during the postwar period, the former industrial property became available for a new public purpose.

The transition from factory to school illustrates a broader pattern in American communities. Industrial sites often became locations for new civic buildings because they were already established, centrally located properties connected to the community.

Knowlton Elementary School (1961–2008)

In 1961, the Dr. Charles C. Knowlton School opened on the former State Street Factory site.¹ The opening of the school marked a complete transformation of the property.

Where workers had once operated machinery, prepared leather, and processed hardwood, students now attended classes. The noise and activity of manufacturing gave way to the daily routines of education.

The school represented a different form of community investment. The original factory had been built to encourage economic opportunity; the school was built to support the education and future of Ellsworth’s children.

The school served the community for nearly five decades. During that time, many residents knew the property primarily as the Knowlton School site rather than as the location of the former shoe factory and hardwood mill.

The disappearance of the factory building created distance between the modern community and the industrial history of the property. However, the land itself remained connected to its earlier use.

A Changing Community Need

By the beginning of the twenty-first century, Ellsworth’s educational facilities required modernization. A new school complex was developed, and the Knowlton School building was no longer needed for elementary education.

The closure of the school created another transition point in the history of the property. As with the factory’s earlier changes, the community had to determine how the site could continue serving public needs.

Rather than returning the property to private industrial or commercial use, Ellsworth chose another public purpose: recreation.

From School Property to Knowlton Park

After the school closed, the former educational property was redeveloped as Knowlton Park. The transformation continued the long tradition of public use at the site.

The property’s sequence of uses now represents three major phases:

1. Industrial Site (1888–1957)

   • Burrell, Houghton & Co.

   • B.E. Cole & Company

   • Ellsworth Hardwood Company

2. Educational Site (1961–2008)

   • Dr. Charles C. Knowlton School

3. Public Recreation Site (2011–Present)

   • Knowlton Park

The demolition of the former school building and creation of the park removed the last standing structure associated with the site’s twentieth-century history. However, the property remained a community gathering place.

The transformation from factory to school to park demonstrates a continuing pattern: Ellsworth repeatedly adapted the property to meet changing needs.

Remembering the Industrial Past

Although the factory itself no longer survives, its history remains documented through maps, photographs, and local historical collections.

The Sanborn maps provide the most reliable record of the building’s physical history. They establish that:

• the factory existed by 1888;

• it was a three-story wood-frame building;

• it first operated as a shoe factory;

• it later became a hardwood mill;

• the same structure continued for decades.

Photographs preserve the appearance of the building and its importance to local memory. However, the Sanborn maps provide the chronological framework necessary to interpret those images correctly.

This distinction is especially important regarding the July 4, 1889 B.E. Cole photograph. The image remains valuable evidence of the factory’s importance, but the maps demonstrate that the building itself was already standing before that date.

The Continuing History of the Site

The history of the State Street property does not end with the destruction of the factory. Instead, it continues through changing forms of public service.

The factory served Ellsworth by providing employment.

The school served Ellsworth by educating children.

The park serves Ellsworth by providing recreation and community space.

Each period reflects the priorities of its time.

The physical buildings changed, but the purpose of the property remained constant: serving the community.

Final Chronology: The State Street Site, 1884–Present

1884

The Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows no factory at the future State Street industrial site.

1888

A three-story wood-frame boot and shoe factory is documented on State Street. Burrell, Houghton & Co. operates the facility.

1889

B.E. Cole & Company becomes associated with the factory. The July 4 photograph likely commemorates the beginning of Cole’s operation rather than construction of the building.

1895

Sanborn mapping identifies B.E. Cole & Company Boot & Shoe Manufacturing at the site.

1901

B.E. Cole & Company continues shoe manufacturing in the building.

1907

Ellsworth Hardwood Company occupies the former shoe factory. The building is adapted for woodworking.

1914

Ellsworth Hardwood Company continues operation. The building contains woodworking departments including assembly space.

1957

Fire destroys the original State Street Factory.

1961

Dr. Charles C. Knowlton School opens on the former factory property.

2008

Knowlton School closes.

2011

The former school property is redeveloped as Knowlton Park.

Present

Knowlton Park continues as a public community space.

Conclusion: The State Street Factory as an Ellsworth Community Landmark

The history of the State Street Factory is the history of a place that repeatedly adapted to changing circumstances. From its beginnings as a community-supported industrial project in the late nineteenth century to its later uses as a school and public park, the property reflects Ellsworth’s changing economic and civic priorities.

The most important historical correction revealed through this research is that the factory was not built by B.E. Cole & Company in 1889. The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps establish that a three-story wood-frame shoe factory already existed on State Street in 1888 and was occupied by Burrell, Houghton & Co.¹ B.E. Cole & Company became one of the most important operators of the building, but it inherited a facility that had already been created through Ellsworth’s own industrial initiative.

This distinction changes the way the site should be understood. The State Street Factory was not simply a company building. It was an Ellsworth-built industrial resource designed to attract manufacturing and employment.

The original development followed a common nineteenth-century economic model. Local citizens invested in the construction of a factory and recruited an experienced manufacturer capable of operating it. This approach allowed smaller communities to participate in industries that were expanding throughout New England.

The factory’s physical organization reflected the industrial methods of its era. During the shoe manufacturing period, the three floors created an efficient production system:

• the third floor handled cutting and stitching;

• the second floor handled lasting and bottoming;

• the first floor handled finishing, packing, offices, and shipping.²

The arrangement demonstrated the importance of specialization in modern manufacturing. Instead of one worker producing an entire shoe, many employees performed individual tasks within a coordinated system.

Under Burrell, Houghton & Co. and later B.E. Cole & Company, the factory connected Ellsworth to the regional shoe industry. Workers produced finished footwear for wider markets, while the factory provided employment and contributed to the local economy.

When the shoe industry connection ended, the building did not become obsolete. Ellsworth Hardwood Company transformed the same structure into a woodworking facility. The former shoe factory became a hardwood mill, with sawing on the first floor, a lathe room on the second floor, and storage, drying, and assembly functions on the third floor.³

This second industrial life is one of the most important aspects of the building’s history. The factory survived because it could adapt. Its value was not limited to the products it originally produced; its value came from its ability to serve new purposes.

The 1957 fire ended the physical existence of the factory, but it did not end the significance of the site. The property continued to serve Ellsworth through Knowlton Elementary School and later Knowlton Park.

The history of the property therefore represents three different forms of community investment:

• Industry: creating jobs and economic opportunity;

• Education: supporting future generations;

• Public recreation: maintaining a shared community resource.

The State Street Factory should be remembered as more than a vanished building. It represents Ellsworth’s ability to organize, invest, adapt, and preserve the usefulness of important places.

Although the original structure is gone, the historical record remains. The Sanborn maps preserve the building’s physical story. Photographs preserve its appearance. Local records preserve its connection to the community.

Together, these sources reveal the complete chronology:

1884 — No factory documented at the site.
1888 — Ellsworth-built three-story wood-frame shoe factory operating under Burrell, Houghton & Co.
1889 — B.E. Cole & Company begins operation in the existing factory.
1895–1901 — B.E. Cole & Company continues shoe manufacturing.
1907–1914 — Ellsworth Hardwood Company operates the converted factory.
1957 — Fire destroys the original building.
1961–2008 — Knowlton Elementary School occupies the property.
2011–Present — Knowlton Park continues the site’s public use.

The State Street Factory’s story is ultimately one of continuity. The buildings changed, the industries changed, and the needs of the community changed, but the property remained a place where Ellsworth invested in its future.

Footnotes

1. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1888), sheet showing State Street factory.

2. Contemporary industrial account describing Ellsworth citizens constructing a factory occupied by Burrell, Houghton & Co.; exact publication citation to be confirmed from the original source.

3. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1884, 1888, 1895, 1901, 1907, 1914).

4. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1884).

5. Contemporary industrial account describing Ellsworth citizens building the factory; exact citation to be added.

6. Biographical materials concerning Charles C. Burrill’s business activities in Ellsworth; direct connection to the factory project remains unconfirmed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

13. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1907), State Street factory, Ellsworth Hardwood Company.

14. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1914), State Street factory, Ellsworth Hardwood Company.

15. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1907 and 1914).

16. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine, 1884–1914 editions.

17. Ellsworth Historical Society, materials relating to the State Street Factory, Knowlton School, and Knowlton Park, Ellsworth, Maine.

18. Newspaper coverage of the 1957 State Street Factory fire; exact issue citation to be confirmed from original newspaper archives.

19. City of Ellsworth records concerning Dr. Charles C. Knowlton School.

20. City of Ellsworth records concerning the redevelopment of the Knowlton property.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Maps

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Map of Ellsworth, Maine. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1884.

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.

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, 1914.

Newspapers

Ellsworth American. Ellsworth, Maine. Issues from 1887–1889.

(Used for research into the establishment of the Ellsworth shoe factory project, Burrell, Houghton & Co., B.E. Cole & Company, and local industrial development. Exact article citations should be added after review of the original newspaper scans.)

Local Historical Collections

Ellsworth Historical Society. Photographic collections and historical materials relating to the State Street Factory, B.E. Cole & Company, Ellsworth Hardwood Company, Knowlton School, and Knowlton Park. Ellsworth, Maine.

Municipal Records

City of Ellsworth. Annual Reports of the City Government of Ellsworth, Maine. Ellsworth, Maine.

City of Ellsworth. Records concerning Dr. Charles C. Knowlton School and Knowlton Park development. Ellsworth, Maine.

Secondary Sources

Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Studies and reports concerning Maine industrial buildings, shoe manufacturing, and nineteenth-century factory development.

National Register of Historic Places. Documentation concerning Maine shoe factories and community-supported industrial development.

Final Historical Statement

The State Street Factory was an Ellsworth-built industrial facility completed by 1888. It first housed Burrell, Houghton & Co., later became the B.E. Cole & Company shoe factory, and then operated as Ellsworth Hardwood Company until fire destroyed the building in 1957. The site continued serving the community through Knowlton Elementary School and Knowlton Park. The factory’s history demonstrates Ellsworth’s ability to create, adapt, and preserve community resources across changing generations.

Why State Street?

The State Street location did not possess the traditional advantages of Maine's earlier mill towns. It was neither water-powered nor adjacent to the railroad. Instead, the evidence indicates that Ellsworth deliberately built a modern steam-powered factory on a large parcel where a brick engine room, wooden coal house, and three-story manufacturing building could be constructed. The choice reflects the transition from water-powered industrial development to community-financed, steam-powered manufacturing in the late nineteenth century. The exact reasons for selecting the State Street parcel remain uncertain, but the available evidence suggests that land availability, fire safety, and local ownership were more important than proximity to water power.