The Union River overflowed its banks, flooding downtown Ellsworth in 1923. The flood followed heavy rain that caused the Brimmer Bridge Reservoir Dam to wash away.

The Dirigo moving picture theater (in the foreground on the right), a stucco structure considered modern for its day, was jerked off its foundation.

The Aiken Building, a grain storage and supply shed in back of the Farmer's Union, was swept away, as were numerous yachts moored at the Ellsworth Foundry.