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–Not graded
History · Hancock

Hancock’s post office opened in 1871, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

1871first post office
0on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hancock began

When was Hancock founded?

1871

The Hancock post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 863155 years
Founding year: the first Hancock post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Hancock’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Hancock are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hancock’s homes were built before 1962.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hancock’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Hancock came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hancock.

Read it all →

Hancock was laid out in 1871 when the Great Northern Railway was extended to that point. The city was named for Joseph Woods Hancock, a county official. A post office has been in operation at Hancock since 1871.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Hancock, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Hancock, Minnesota-042024Hancock, Minnesota-04Hancock, Minnesota-032024Hancock, Minnesota-03Hancock, Minnesota-02, Fire Department2024Hancock, Minnesota-02, Fire DepartmentHancock, Minnesota-01, Post Office2024Hancock, Minnesota-01, Post Office
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Hodges TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMoore TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Hancock’s history

What year was Hancock founded?

The Hancock post office opened in 1871, 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 →
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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 (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.