Hancock is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Hillsborough County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, United States. The population was 1,731 at the 2020 census. Hancock is home to the Welch Family Farm Forest. The main village of the town, where 213 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Hancock census-designated place (CDP), and is located at the junction of New Hampshire routes 123 and

137 137 may refer to: *137 (number) *137 BC *AD 137 *137 (album), an album by The Pineapple Thief *137 (MBTA bus) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus division operates bus routes in the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan area. All ro ...

History

Hancock started as an unidentified settlement on the

Contoocook River The Contoocook River () is a river in New Hampshire. It flows from Contoocook Lake on the Jaffrey/ Rindge border to Penacook (just north of Concord), where it empties into the Merrimack River. It is one of only a few rivers in New Hampshire that ...

, in lands known as "Society Land" or "Cumberland", which had been reserved for the proprietors of the lands which became

. First settled in 1764, the town was set off from

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

and incorporated in 1779, named "Hancock" in honor of

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the ...

. A landowner of in the community, Hancock was the first governor of the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, president of the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

, and signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

. Almost every building on Main Street in downtown Hancock is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as part of the Hancock Village Historic District. Hancock's Meetinghouse is home to

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot and Founding Father. He is best known for his midnight ride to ale ...

's #236 bell, which chimes on the hour, day and night. The town does not have paved sidewalks, but gravel paths leading from home to home. Image:Main Street looking East, Hancock, NH.jpg, Main Street in 1907 Image:Historical Society, Hancock, NH.jpg, Historical Society in 1915 Image:Public Library & Main Street, Hancock, NH.jpg, Old Library Image:HancockNH BenningtonRoad.jpg, Bennington Road with Historical Society, 2013

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 4.12% of the town. Hancock is drained by the Contoocook River, which flows northward along the eastern border of the town.

Powder Mill Pond Powder Mill Pond is a impoundment on the Contoocook River in Hillsborough County in southern New Hampshire, United States. The pond's dam is located in the town of Bennington, with water impounded into the towns of Hancock and Greenfield. The ...

is in the east, and

Nubanusit Lake Nubanusit Lake is a lake located on the border between Cheshire and Hillsborough counties in southwestern New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Nelson and Hancock. The outlet of the lake is Nubanusit Brook, a tributary of the Contoocook ...

is on the western border. Skatutakee Mountain, the highest point in Hancock, has an elevation of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. Via the Contoocook River, Hancock lies fully within the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Mas ...

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

Adjacent municipalities

Antrim, New Hampshire Antrim is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,651 at the 2020 census. The main village in the town, where 1,395 people lived at the 2020 census, is defined as the Antrim census-designated place (CDP) ...

(north) *

Bennington, New Hampshire Bennington is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,501 at the 2020 census. The main village of the town, where 338 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Bennington census-designated pla ...

(northeast) *

Greenfield, New Hampshire Greenfield is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,716 at the 2020 census. Greenfield is home to the Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center, to Greenfield State Park, and to part of the Wapack Tra ...

(east) *

Peterborough, New Hampshire Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,418 at the 2020 census. The main village, with 3,090 people at the 2020 census, is defined as the Peterborough census-designated place (CDP) and ...

(south) *

Harrisville, New Hampshire Harrisville is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. Besides the town center, it also includes the villages of Chesham and Eastview. The population of the town was 984 at the 2020 census. Harrisville is a unique, preserved 19th ...

(southwest) *

Nelson, New Hampshire Nelson is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 629 at the 2020 census, down from 729 at the 2010 census. Nelson includes the village of Munsonville. History Originally named "Monadnock No. 6", the town ...

(west)

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 1,654 people, 724 households, and 484 families residing in the town. There were 864 housing units, of which 140, or 16.2%, were vacant. 91 of the vacant units were for seasonal or recreational use. The racial makeup of the town was 97.4%

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.8%

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

n, 0.0%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...

or Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race, and 1.1% from two or more races. 1.0% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. Of the 724 households, 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were headed by

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26, and the average family size was 2.71. In the town, 17.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.0% were from 18 to 24, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 37.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males. For the period 2011–2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $77,788, and the median income for a family was $89,773. Male full-time workers had a median income of $61,944 versus $47,604 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $45,544. 4.6% of the population and 3.3% of families were below the poverty line. 5.2% of the population under the age of 18 and 2.8% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.

Education

Hancock is part of SAU (School Administrative Unit) #1, which is a school district that includes 9 towns, better known as the Contoocook Valley Regional School District. Students from Hancock attend the following schools: *Elementary: Hancock Elementary School, located in Hancock *Middle: Great Brook School, located in Antrim *High:

ConVal Regional High School ConVal Regional High School (short for Contoocook Valley Regional High School) is a high school in Peterborough, New Hampshire that serves nine surrounding towns: Antrim, Bennington, Dublin, Francestown, Greenfield, Hancock, Peterborough, Sha ...

, located in

Transportation

Two New Hampshire

state route A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

s and one

U.S. Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

cross Hancock: *

New Hampshire Route 123 New Hampshire Route 123 (abbreviated NH 123) is a secondary north–south state highway in southwestern New Hampshire. The southern terminus of the route is at the Massachusetts state line in Mason where, as Mason Road, the road continues as an ...

enters the town in the southeast from Peterborough, duplexed with

US 202 U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware to Maine, also traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Mass ...

. Immediately upon entering the town, it leaves on its own as Peterborough Road, traveling north towards the town center. In the central village of Hancock, it merges briefly with NH 137 as a wrong-way concurrency along Stoddard Road. After NH 137 leaves to the south, NH 123 continues to the northeast, leaving into the town of Antrim. *

New Hampshire Route 137 New Hampshire Route 137 (abbreviated NH 137) is a secondary north–south state highway in southern New Hampshire. The road runs between Jaffrey and Hancock. The southern terminus of NH 137 is at U.S. Route 202 and New Hampshire Route 124 in J ...

enters the town in the south-central part of town from Harrisville, following Bonds Corner Road. After its short wrong-way concurrency with NH 123, it turns northeast along Bennington Road before reaching its northern terminus at US 202 near the town's border with Bennington. *U.S. Route 202 enters enters the town in the southeast from Peterborough, duplexed with NH 123. After 123 leaves just upon entering town, US 202 continues along Concord Road, passing Powder Mill Pond, before passing the northern terminus of NH 137 and entering the town of Bennington at Hancock's eastern border.

Sites of interest

* Hancock Historical Society Museum *

Very Long Baseline Array The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) is a system of ten radio telescopes which are operated remotely from their Array Operations Center located in Socorro, New Mexico, as a part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). These ten radi ...

radio telescope

Notable people

* A. A. Ames (1842–1911), corrupt former mayor of

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

and fugitive from justice. Arrested at the house of Rev. C. H. Chapin in Hancock in February 1903 *

Thelma Babbitt Thelma Wright Babbitt (October 9, 1906 – February 18, 2004) was an American civil rights and environmental activist, best known for her work with the League of Women Voters and the American Friends Service Committee in the 1950s and 1960s, and ...

(1906–2004), Quaker activist, environmentalist *

Eli Bremer Robert Eli Bremer (born May 31, 1978) is an American modern pentathlete and politician who competed for the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He finished 22nd overall in the modern pentathlon event. After retiring as ...

(born 1978), Olympic athlete * Oren B. Cheney (1816–1903), abolitionist, Free Baptist preacher, founder of

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

* Person C. Cheney (1828–1901), paper manufacturer, abolitionist, Republican politician *

Wayne Green Wayne Sanger Green II (September 3, 1922 – September 13, 2013) was an American publisher, writer, and consultant. Green was editor of '' CQ'' magazine before he went on to found '' 73'', ''80 Micro'', ''Byte'', ''CD Review'', ''Cold Fusion'', ...

(1922–2013), publisher *

Joseph Grew Joseph Clark Grew (May 27, 1880 – May 25, 1965) was an American career diplomat and U.S. Foreign Service, Foreign Service officer. He is best known as the ambassador to Japan from 1932 to 1941 and as a high official in the State Department in W ...

(1880–1965), US ambassador to Japan, Denmark, Turkey, and Switzerland *

Howard Mansfield Howard Mansfield (born June 14, 1957) is an American author who writes about history, preservation, and architecture. He was born in Huntington, New York, and graduated from Syracuse University in 1979. He lives in Hancock, New Hampshire with his ...

(born 1957), authorHoward Mansfield returns with Summer Over Autumn , Water Street Bookstore, Inc.
Retrieved 2018-08-23. * Charles E. Merrill Jr. (1920–2017), educator, founded the

Commonwealth School Commonwealth School is a private high school of about 155 students and 35 faculty members located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Hist ...

in Boston *

Jay Pierrepont Moffat Jay Pierrepont Moffat (January 7, 1896 – January 25, 1943) was an American diplomat, historian and statesman who, between 1917 and 1943, served the State Department in a variety of posts, including that of United States Ambassador to Canad ...

(1896–1943), US ambassador to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

* Jay Pierrepont Moffat Jr. (1932–2020), US ambassador to

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

Sy Montgomery Sy Montgomery (born February 7, 1958) is a German born, American naturalist, author and scriptwriter who writes for children as well as adults. She is author of 34 books, including ''The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wo ...

(born 1958), author, naturalist, scriptwriter *

Lilla Cabot Perry Lilla Cabot Perry (born Lydia Cabot; January 13, 1848 – February 28, 1933) was an American artist who worked in the American Impressionist style, rendering portraits and landscapes in the free form manner of her mentor, Claude Monet. Perry was ...

(1848–1933), artist

References

External links

*
Hancock Historical Society

{{authority control Towns in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Populated places established in 1764 Towns in New Hampshire 1764 establishments in New Hampshire