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History · Hanover

Hanover’s post office opened in 1836, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.

1836first post office
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: SD Dirk · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Hanover began

When was Hanover founded?

1836

The Hanover post office opened in 1836, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 459 in 18802020 census: 863190 years
Founding year: the first Hanover post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Hanover’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,643 in 1950; 863 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Hanover’s homes were built before 1944.Deep rootsA post office since 1836: 190 years of Hanover.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hanover’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hanover’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSewage Disposal Plant: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Hanover, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,80018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,643

Peaked at 1,643 in 1950; 863 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hanover’s Wikipedia page.

The story so far

Hanover, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hanover yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Hanover is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States, along the Apple River. The town was previously named Wapello, in honor of Chief Wapello of the Meskwaki tribe. The population was 863 at the 2020 cenus, up from 844 in 2010.

Its first post office opened in 1836. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 844 to 863 (+2%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Hanover in 1878

Passages that mention Hanover, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The Methodist Episcopal Church (English) has held services in the Derinda Centre School House since 1857. The Hanover pastor, Rev. Mr. Soule, now officiates. In 1860, the population of the Township was 818; in 1870 it numbered 804.
The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion ... history of the Northwest, history of Illinois ... Con1878 · page 597Read the page →
Read the text

The Methodist Episcopal Church (English) has held services in the Derinda Centre School House since 1857. The Hanover pastor, Rev. Mr. Soule, now officiates. In 1860, the population of the Township was 818; in 1870 it numbered 804.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Hanover, 1836 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1836Post officeThe Hanover post office opens
  3. 1860Born hereBenjamin F. Fowler is born here
  4. 1883Born hereOrrin Augustine White is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,643
  7. 1968On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1970In the archiveSewage Disposal Plant
By decade

Hanover, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s1 item
Sewage Disposal Plant1970Sewage Disposal Plant
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today9 recent
IL-084NR-Hanover2023IL-084NR-HanoverWhite horses and vivid red barns on a farm near Hanover, Illinois2019White horses and vivid red barns on a farm near Hanov…White horses and vivid red barns on a farm near Hanover, Illinois2019White horses and vivid red barns on a farm near Hanov…Support Staff Readies for Hunt2011Support Staff Readies for HuntRick Schultz & Attendant Brian Byrd2011Rick Schultz & Attendant Brian ByrdHanover, Ill - Rocky Waters 062009Hanover, Ill - Rocky Waters 06Hanover, Ill - Rocky Waters 052009Hanover, Ill - Rocky Waters 05Hanover, Ill - Rocky Waters 042009Hanover, Ill - Rocky Waters 04Hanover, Ill - Rocky Waters 032009Hanover, Ill - Rocky Waters 03
On the map

Hanover on the map in 1968

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hanover.

Hanover on the 1968 USGS map1968Hanover sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hanover.

Every building

Hanover, building by building, 1893–1898

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Hanover fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Sewage Disposal Plant
Retake this viewSewage Disposal Plant, 1970

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hanover’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Hanover

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
B
Benjamin F. FowlerThird Attorney General of Wyoming · b. 1860
O
Orrin Augustine WhiteAmerican artist · b. 1883

Questions about Hanover’s history

What year was Hanover founded?

The Hanover post office opened in 1836, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.