Ellenton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Manatee County, Florida, United States.

Originally a sugar plantation worked by slaves, the antebellum mansion fell into disrepair after the Civil War.

Major George Patten and his wife, Mary, purchased the property in 1870 and named the area "Ellenton" after his daughter Ellen.

[6] A refining plant for fuller's earth located in Ellenton along the Manatee River opened in 1903.

U.S. Route 301 passes through the center of the community, and Interstate 75 forms the eastern border, with the highways intersecting at Exit 224 on I-75.

[11] 1900 - Fuller's Earth Plant mined clay to be used as bleaching agent and as an absorbent for oil and fat.