Hancock is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Delaware County,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, United States. The town contains a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
, also named
Hancock. The town is in the southwest part of the
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
. The population was 2,764 at the 2020 census.
The town is the largest by area in Delaware County. The town borders two other counties,
Sullivan County to the south and
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
's
Wayne County to the west. The town is located partially in the
Catskill Park
The Catskill Park is in the Catskill Mountains in the U.S. state of New York. It consists of of land inside a Blue Line in four counties: Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, and Ulster. As of 2005, or 41 percent of the land within, is owned by ...
.
History
This town was established in 1806 from part of the town of
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''.
Colchester occupies the ...
. It is named for
John Hancock
John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot of the American Revolution. He was the longest-serving Presi ...
, signer of the Declaration of the Independence.
Sports and the Upper Delaware River
The town of Hancock has a rich history of sports. Perhaps the most popular sports are baseball and fishing.
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is in ...
is extremely popular due to the
Upper Delaware River, which flows through the town. The river is a large economic engine that powers many businesses in Hancock and neighboring areas. The Hancock Golf Course was designed in 1941 by famed golf architect,
Robert Trent Jones, Sr.
Baseball has been a part of Hancock for generations. A local Hancock native,
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...
, was a professional baseball player in the major leagues. "Honest Eddie" Murphy appeared in three
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
during his time in MLB. Most recently,
Hancock Central School joined forces with Deposit Central School for all sports, in 2016. The new sporting programs played under the name of the D-H Eagles. Prior to that, from 2010 to 2015, the Hancock Wildcats won six Section 4 baseball championships in a row. After joining forces with Deposit in 2016, and falling in the state semifinals in 2017, the D-H Eagles final broke through and won their first State Championship in 2018. D-H defeated Fort Plain 9-3.
Geography
The southwestern town line, delineated by the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
, is the border of
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. The
East Branch of the Delaware flows from east to west across the town, joining the
West Branch at Hancock village to form the Delaware River proper. Upstream from Hancock village, the town line and state line are formed by the West Branch.
NY Route 17 passes through the town, with access from Exits 87 through 90.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.85%, is water.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 3,449 people, 1,390 households, and 913 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,512 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.69%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.70%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.52%
Native American, 0.61%
Asian, 0.32% from
other races, and 1.16% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 2.38% of the population.
There were 1,390 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,449, and the median income for a family was $37,125. Males had a median income of $28,259 versus $21,875 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $16,057. About 8.4% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Henry Bidleman Bascom (1796–1850), religious circuit rider, Methodist bishop, chaplain to US Congress
*
Clark L. Hood (1847–1920), Wisconsin State Assemblyman and lawyer
*
"Honest Eddie" Murphy, baseball player, appeared in three World Series
*
Harold Searles
Harold Frederic Searles (September 1, 1918 – November 18, 2015) was one of the pioneers of psychiatric medicine specializing in psychoanalytic treatments of schizophrenia. Searles had the reputation of being a therapeutic virtuoso with difficul ...
(1918–2015), psychiatrist
Communities and locations in the Town of Hancock
*Cadosia — A
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
northeast of Hancock village.
*Centerville — A location in the northern part of the town on
New York State Route 30.
*Chiloway — A hamlet southwest of Peakville.
*
East Branch - The
Hotel Delaware was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2004.
*
Fish's Eddy — A hamlet northeast of Hancock village on
New York State Route 17
New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate New York, Downstate regions of New York (state), New York in the United States. It begins at the New York–Pennsylvani ...
.
*French Woods — A hamlet near the center of the town on
New York State Route 97.
*Goulds — A hamlet near the eastern town line
See Gould Cemetery website*
Hancock — A village by the western town line.
*Harvard — A location near the northeastern town line on
New York State Route 30.
*
Islamberg - a hamlet west of the village.
*Kelsey — A hamlet at the northwestern town line north of Hancock village and south of Cannonsville Reservoir.
*Kerry Siding — A hamlet at the northwestern town line.
*Kerryville — A hamlet at the northwestern town line.
*Kilgore Spur — A location west of Lordville.
*Kingswood Campsite — A
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
campsite.
Kingswood Campsite: Family-oriented campground with RV sites, tent sites and cabin tents with fully equipped kitchen shelters in the Catskills of New York State near Hancock. ...
/ref>
*Long Flat — A location near the northeastern town line.
*Lordville — A hamlet by the Delaware River in the southern part of the town. The Lordville Presbyterian Church and the Ravina historic district are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
*Luzerne — A hamlet southeast of Fishs Eddy on New York State Route 28.
*Methol — The Lower Shavertown Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
*Peakville — A hamlet west of East Branch (historically called Trout Brook).
*Pea Brook — A location in the southern part of the town on New York State Route 97.
*Peas Eddy — A hamlet east of Hancock village by the Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
.
* Point Mountain Mausoleum — an abandoned mausoleum at the top of Point Mountain.
*Readburn — A hamlet in the northern part of the town.
*Rock Valley — A hamlet by the eastern town line. The Rock Valley School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
*Tylers Switch — A hamlet east of Hancock village near New York State Route 17
New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate New York, Downstate regions of New York (state), New York in the United States. It begins at the New York–Pennsylvani ...
.
References
External links
Town of Hancock official website
Visitor's Guide to the Hancock NY area
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock (Town), New York
Towns in Delaware County, New York
Towns in New York (state)
New York (state) populated places on the Delaware River
Populated places established in 1806
1806 establishments in New York (state)