The town of Ellsworth was first called Union River and later changed to Bowdoin. Eventually, the Massachusetts General Court decided to name it after Oliver Ellsworth, a Massachusetts delegate to the Constitutional Convention.
Ellsworth was originally incorporated in 1800, and is the county seat for Hancock County. This Maine town enjoys a large flux of tourism and traffic, as it is a major juntion for anyone traveling to Acadia National Park from the west or the north. Ellsworth is also the home of the Birdsacre Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary, a 200-acre, non-profit refuse maintained in honor of ornithologist Cordelia Stanwood.
