Hanover Township’s post office opened in 1857, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns · #462 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Most of Hanover Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2005. Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1890.
The Hanover Township post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Brunswick (1860) and Klaasville (1882), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 985 in 18902020 census: 18,214169 years
How historic is Hanover Township?
C
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Hanover Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Hanover Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hanover Township is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #462 of 593 in Indiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hanover Township’s overall grade.
Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hanover Township’s 0.5 sits near the middle of its state (45% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Hanover Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Brunswick
1860–1957
Klaasville
1882–1902
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BrunswickKlaasville
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hanover Township
BrunswickGerman Methodist EpiscopalZion United Church of Christ
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Hanover Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hanover Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hanover Township is one of eleven townships in Lake County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 12,443 and it contained 4,861 housing units. Hanover Township was established in 1853.
Its first post office opened in 1857. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 12,443 to 18,214 (+46%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Hanover Township, 1860 to 1957
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hanover Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1953St John 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 Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Hanover Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Hanover Township, census by census
Grew from 985 people in 1890 to 18,214 in 2020, more than tenfold.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hanover Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Hanover Township
Nobody well known was born in Hanover Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Hanover Township post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Hanover Township rank for history?
Hanover Township is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #462 of 593 in Indiana. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Hanover Township?
6% of Hanover Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 2005.
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).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
