In Ellsworth, a history project sets out to boost downtown cachet

COURTESY / COREY CHANDLER Heart of Ellsworth, founded in 2015, is starting a new project that tells the story of Ellsworth’s downtown through a historical lens. Overall, the nonprofit seeks to create a happening vibe through events like Taste of Ellsworth, seen here in 2018.

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By Laurie Schreiber

An Ellsworth group is launching an initiative to draw future business downtown by telling the story of its past.

The project, led by Heart of Ellsworth, is designed to encourage community collaboration, build a “sense of place” for Main Street entrepreneurs, and attract new businesses there, according to a news release.

Earlier this month, Heart of Ellsworth received a $10,000 Downeast Innovation grant from the Maine Community Foundation to support the project. Heart of Ellsworth, founded in 2015, is a nonprofit that represents downtown merchants.

In 2019, the organization started a monthly online newsletter on its website that now has a growing readership. The newsletter currently features things like business and nonprofit activities and community events. With the grant, a history section of the newsletter will roll out in the February issue.

“The historical downtown district has a ton of history,” Executive Director Cara Romano told Mainebiz.

The grant will support organizational and marketing efforts for the expanded publication, as well as contracted services like graphic design, Romano said.

Heart of Ellsworth is working with the Ellsworth American, Ellsworth Historical Society, Ellsworth Historic Preservation Commission and community members to identify historical information and images.

“We believe storytelling helps to foster connections to places and attracts people to come and see our historic waterfront and to visit our historic architectural landmarks,” she said. “It’s Maine’s bicentennial year, so this is also a connection to tell Ellsworth’s story alongside Maine’s story.”

Ellsworth’s historic structures include City Hall, which dates to the early 1930s and has features such as an octagonal cupola and carved gilded woodwork on the upper façade.

“We feel that if we start to tell stories about Ellsworth’s historic downtown and are able to bring people through the historic district, local people will see Ellsworth through different eyes and visitors will also be attracted,” Romano said.

The organization will use social media like Instagram and Facebook to promote the history project, she said.

Heart of Ellsworth has been engaged in other projects, such as hosting an annual Taste of Ellsworth, that has helped boost the downtown’s cachet, she said.

“I’ve had quite a few businesses this winter, emailing us, calling, looking to either rent a space downtown or to relocate or start a business downtown,” she said. “We’ve had a few existing businesses looking to relocate to the downtown area. There’s a lot of interest and excitement around further mixed-use development,” with living space on the upper floors and businesses at street level.

Heart of Ellsworth invites downtown businesses to send news or articles of interest to cara@heartofellsworth.org