ELLSWORTH, Maine — The Ellsworth Historical Society is one step closer to reviving the county's former jail.
The old Hancock County sheriff's home and jail at 40 State St. in Ellsworth, was used for nearly 100 years, before being transformed into a museum and cultural heritage center.
"It really does have a deep meaning for me," Bill Fogle, vice president of the Ellsworth Historical Society, said.
Bill Fogle is the nephew of Deale B. Salisbury, the founding president of the organization. Now he is continuing his uncle's legacy as one of five leaders of serving on the Ellsworth Historic Preservation Commission.
"It’s a personal thing for me to know that we have finally stepped up and helped to save [what] my uncle and the generations before me felt was so important," Fogle said.
The mission of the group is to preserve the architectural, historic, prehistoric, and environmental heritage of Ellsworth.
After years of deterioration, crews are entering their next round of renovations which includes repairs to the cell block and the sheriff's office.
"We have a really unique opportunity being a jail to tell the stories of the every man and marginalized communities that don't get their stories told quite as often," Jennifer Sala, the president of Ellsworth Historical Society, said.
Sala, who is also a member of Ellsworth Historic Preservation Commission, said the plan is to have rotating exhibits that tell the stories of inmates.
The Ellsworth Historical Society is funding the project through a $500,000 federal grant, $200,000 grant from the Maine Development Foundation's Maine Downtown Center REvitalizeME Gen2 National Park Service Sub-grant Program and additional grants.
"It will really be a community education opportunity and where people can come and it helps to create this sense of space and understand how we got to where we are," Sala said.
For Fogle, the restoration efforts are not just for the people of Ellsworth, but for the surrounding communities.
"This building, in addition to being a part of the bedrock of Ellsworth itself, also serves a much larger area," Fogle said.
Leaders of Ellsworth Historical Society said the hope is to open the building to the community in 2026.
The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2008.
On Sep. 26, the organization will host an open house as part of Ellsworth's Autumn Gold Festival.