On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hancock is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hancock’s overall grade.
Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hancock’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (20% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.1 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Hancock’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prior to the current name, the settlement was named "William's Town" for William McClary.
The name Hancock comes from Edward Joseph Hancock, Jr., who fought alongside George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Individuals began settling in the area of modern-day Hancock during the 1730s. During the Civil War, on January 5, 1862, General Stonewall Jackson began a siege of the town, but did not succeed due to weather conditions.
Passages that mention Hancock, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Washington County, Maryland from the earliest settlements to the present time, including a history of Hagerstown1906 · page 552Read the page →
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Hancock Church is tile principal church of Hancock circuit which has eight active churches, and is twenty-live miles in extent from East to West.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Washington County, Maryland from the earliest settlements to the present time, including a history of Hagerstown1906 · page 263Read the page →
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tinder the name of the Franklin Railroad Com¬ pany, with authority to extend the railroad to the south and to cross the Potomac river at any point between Hancock and Knoxville. This privilege was not used until 1873, when the Martinsburg a large machine shop and engine house; these, to¬ gether with several warehouses in the vicinity of the depot, make it quite a stirring place.
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
Hancock, 1795 to 1933
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Hancock is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns. 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 Hancock?
32% of Hancock’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1959.
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 Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
1922