Roof over the Archives at the Chamberlain/Whitney House

$13,000 Community-Wide Campaign Unlocks $13,000 in Matching Funds

The Ellsworth Historical Society is calling on the community to help protect the heart of Ellsworth’s history — the city’s archives and artifacts housed in the 200-year-old Chamberlain-Whitney House. With shingles curling and leaks appearing, the historic building’s roof is failing, putting irreplaceable records at risk each time it rains.

But there’s good news. Every dollar donated to the Roof Over the Archives campaign will be matched — dollar for dollar — up to $13,000, doubling the impact of each contribution. The matching funds are available from a generous donor at Maine Community Foundation, which gives the community a rare opportunity to preserve the past while protecting the future.

The total cost of replacing the roof is $26,000, and the campaign is already off to a promising start: $13,000 in pledged match funds, and the first donation of $500, unlocked another $500 in matching support.

It’s an inspiring beginning, said J. Mark Worth, clergyman who served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives and is a member of the board of the Ellsworth Historical Society. If everyone who values Ellsworth’s heritage contributes what they can, we’ll reach this goal — and ensure the city’s history remains safe, accessible, and alive for generations to come.

Built around 1825 at 357 State Street Ellsworth Falls across from Clocks by Christopher and adjacent to Tradewinds, the Chamberlain/Whitney House is one of Ellsworth’s most historically layered and culturally significant structures. It is an elegant example of the Adams Federal architectural style. It was constructed for Judge John Chamberlain—a justice of the peace and merchant, and his wife, Mary Hopkins Chamberlain, daughter of original settler James Hopkins. 

For generations, the house has acted as an architectural boundary for the independently functioning village of Ellsworth Falls, the community in which my family lived and worked during the 20th century, said Bill Fogle, President of the Ellsworth Historical Society. This roof project is urgent. Without it, the collections and the building itself are at risk. With the community’s help—and with every dollar matched—we can protect the Chamberlain/Whitney House for the generations that are still to come.

(Alternatively, if you wish to become a member of the Ellsworth Historical Society, click here.)