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AHistory
History · Hanover

Hanover dates to 1761, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #52 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Epic of American Civilization Murals, Baker Library, Dartmouth College, a National Historic Landmark. Below: 35 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1790.

1761founded
3on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
35old photos & papers
56famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hanover’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hanover began

When was Hanover founded?

1761

Hanover dates its founding to 1761 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 1,380 in 17902020 census: 11,870265 years

How historic is Hanover?

A

More historic than 86% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1792.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hanover’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hanover is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #52 of 126 in New Hampshire. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hanover’s overall grade.
Founding era1761, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194025.0% of homes (±4.8) · typical NH town 17.5% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register3 listings, 2.6 per 10,000 residents · typical NH town 9.5 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 86%
NewerOlder
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 59%

New Hampshire towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Hampshire town has 9.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hanover’s 2.6 sits below most of its state (26% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.8 points). Two sources give 1761.

Founding year: Wikidata (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’s past

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

A town in old photos35 old photos, postcards and papers, 1834–1937.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1840 and 1890, then grew 6-fold.Mapped building by building7 fire insurance maps, 1884 to 1922, drew every building in Hanover.Famous sons and daughtersVictor Ambros, John Perkins and 54 more were born here.
★ What stands out · By decade

Hanover, decade by decade

6 decades in the archive, from the 1830s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1830s–1900s27 items
Dartmouth College1834Dartmouth CollegeFive dollars, Dartmouth National Bank of Hanover, New Hampshire, plate date 1865-07-01, certified proof, from the Natio…1865Five dollars, Dartmouth National Bank of Hanover, New…Dartmouth College1890Dartmouth CollegeBema, Dartmouth Park1900Bema, Dartmouth ParkBartlett Tower, Dartmouth Park1900Bartlett Tower, Dartmouth ParkBartlett Tower, Dartmouth College1900Bartlett Tower, Dartmouth CollegeNorth from Bartlett Tower, Dartmouth Park1900North from Bartlett Tower, Dartmouth ParkRollins Chapel, Dartmouth College1900Rollins Chapel, Dartmouth CollegeWest from Bartlett Tower, Dartmouth Park1900West from Bartlett Tower, Dartmouth ParkConnecticut River from Ledyard Bridge1900Connecticut River from Ledyard BridgeSouth from Bartlett Tower, Dartmouth Park1900South from Bartlett Tower, Dartmouth ParkNorth Main Street, Dartmouth College1900North Main Street, Dartmouth CollegeWentworth, Dartmouth, Thornton & Reed halls, Dartmouth College1900Wentworth, Dartmouth, Thornton & Reed halls, Dartmout…Fayerweather Hall, Dartmouth College1900Fayerweather Hall, Dartmouth CollegeRollins Chapel, Dartmouth College1900Rollins Chapel, Dartmouth CollegeBissell Gymnasium, Dartmouth College1900Bissell Gymnasium, Dartmouth CollegeMary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, Dartmouth College1900Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, Dartmouth CollegeWilson Library, Dartmouth College1900Wilson Library, Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth from Prex's Garden1900Dartmouth from Prex's GardenBartlett Hall, Dartmouth College1900Bartlett Hall, Dartmouth CollegeButterfield Museum, Dartmouth College1900Butterfield Museum, Dartmouth CollegeButterfield Museum, Dartmouth College1900Butterfield Museum, Dartmouth CollegeChandler Building, Dartmouth College1900Chandler Building, Dartmouth CollegeCrosby Hall, Dartmouth College1900Crosby Hall, Dartmouth CollegeCulver Hall, Dartmouth College1900Culver Hall, Dartmouth CollegeCollege hall, Dartmouth College, Mass. [i.e. New Hampshire]1902College hall, Dartmouth College, Mass. [i.e. New Hamp…One panoramic photograph showing Hanover Inn at right of picture and the Dartmouth College campus near centre of picture1904One panoramic photograph showing Hanover Inn at right…
1910s–1930s8 items
New Hampshire - Hanover through Intervale1917New Hampshire - Hanover through IntervaleNew Hampshire - Hanover through Intervale1917New Hampshire - Hanover through IntervaleDowntown Hanover, New Hampshire1930Downtown Hanover, New HampshireSecretary Wallace addressing a group of Vermont and New Hampshire farmers at Hanover, New Hampshire1937Secretary Wallace addressing a group of Vermont and N…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Secretary Wallace addressing a group of Vermont and New Hampshire farmers at Hanov…1937Untitled photo, possibly related to: Secretary Wallac…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Secretary Wallace addressing a group of Vermont and New Hampshire farmers at Hanov…1937Untitled photo, possibly related to: Secretary Wallac…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Secretary Wallace addressing a group of Vermont and New Hampshire farmers at Hanov…1937Untitled photo, possibly related to: Secretary Wallac…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Secretary Wallace addressing a group of Vermont and New Hampshire farmers at Hanov…1937Untitled photo, possibly related to: Secretary Wallac…
1940s–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
People over time

Hanover, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,000180018501900195020002,613 in 1840Low: 1,817

Lost a third of its people between 1840 and 1890, then grew 6-fold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Every building

Hanover, building by building, 1884–1922

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, 1884, sheet 11884Sheet 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.

The story

How Hanover came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hanover.

Read it all →

Hanover was chartered by Governor Benning Wentworth on July 4, 1761, and in 1765–1766 its first European inhabitants arrived, the majority from Connecticut. Although the surface is uneven, the town developed into an agricultural community. Dartmouth College was established in 1769 beside the town common at a village called "the Plain"—an extensive and level tract of land a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the Connecticut River, and about 150 feet (46 m) above it.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Hanover in 1928

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

Hanover was in the Claremont District from 1840 to 1845, and thereafter in the Haverhill District. Lyme was joined to Hanover 1 Zerah Colburn, born in Cabot, Vermont, in 1804, was brought to Hanover by his father at the age of six, in November, 1810. Professors Adams and Shurtleff examined him in p…
A history of the town of Hanover, N.H.1928 · page 126Read the page →
Read the text

Hanover was in the Claremont District from 1840 to 1845, and thereafter in the Haverhill District. Lyme was joined to Hanover 1 Zerah Colburn, born in Cabot, Vermont, in 1804, was brought to Hanover by his father at the age of six, in November, 1810. Professors Adams and Shurtleff examined him in private and in public. He did not know written figures and could not count above fifty, but he could multiply mentally with quickness and accuracy quite large sums.

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, 1761 to 2013

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1761
    FoundingHanover is established
  3. 1792Post officeThe Hanover post office opens
  4. 19th century
  5. 1828Post officeThe Hanover Center post office opens
  6. 1834In the archiveDartmouth College
  7. 1865In the archiveFive dollars, Dartmouth National Bank of Hanover, New Hampshire, plate date 1865-07-01, c…
  8. 1882Post officeThe Etna post office opens
  9. 1890In the archiveDartmouth College
  10. 20th century
  11. 1900In the archiveBema, Dartmouth Park
  12. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1917In the archiveNew Hampshire - Hanover through Intervale
  14. 1918Post officeThe Hanover Center post office closes
  15. 1930BuiltThe Epic of American Civilization Murals, Baker Library, Dartmouth College is built
  16. 1930In the archiveDowntown Hanover, New Hampshire
  17. 1945Born hereJohn Perkins is born here
  18. 1953Born hereVictor Ambros is born here
  19. 1963Born hereCharlie Clouser is born here
  20. 1986Born hereHannah Kearney is born here
  21. 21st century
  22. 2013LandmarkThe Epic of American Civilization Murals, Baker Library, Dartmouth College named a Nation…
On the map

Hanover on the map, 1906 to 1996

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hanover. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Hanover on the 1906 USGS mapHanover on the 1980 USGS mapHanover on the 1996 USGS map1906Hanover sheet · 1:62,500

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

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.

Dartmouth College
Retake this viewDartmouth College, 1834

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
On the National Register

3 historic places in Hanover

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmark
1
The Epic of American Civilization Murals, Baker…
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1997
Hanover Town Library
Hanover Town LibraryGreat Hollow Road Stone Arch BridgeThe Epic of American Civilization Murals, Baker Library, Dartmouth College, built 1930★
BuildingsStructuresObjects★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival1
★ Landmark
The Epic of American Civilization Murals, Baker Library, Dartmouth CollegeBuilt 1930
Hanover Town LibraryColonial Revival
Great Hollow Road Stone Arch BridgeStructure

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

56 famous people were born in Hanover

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

See all →
V
Victor AmbrosAmerican developmental biologist · b. 1953
John PerkinsAmerican author · b. 1945
Charlie ClouserAmerican musician · b. 1963
Hannah KearneyFreestyle skier · b. 1986
Charles Augustus YoungAmerican astronomer · b. 1834
Laura BridgmanAmerican deaf-blind teacher and poet · b. 1829
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Hanover’s post office has been open since 1792. Another post office, Hanover Center, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hanover
1792–today
Hanover Center
1828–1918
Etna
1882–today
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
EtnaHanover CenterRivercrest
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hanover
CenterPine Knolls

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Hanover’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDartmouth College: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Lebanon3 historic placesALyme3 historic placesA+Canaan2 historic placesA+

Questions about Hanover’s history

What year was Hanover founded?

In 1761, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hanover’s post office opened in 1792, and the first U.S. census counted 1,380 people here in 1790.

How does Hanover rank for history?

Hanover is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #52 of 126 in New Hampshire. 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.

What is on the National Register in Hanover?

Three places: the Epic of American Civilization Murals, Baker Library, Dartmouth College (listed 2013), the Hanover Town Library (1997) and the Great Hollow Road Stone Arch Bridge (1997).

How old are the homes in Hanover?

25% of Hanover’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.8 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1976.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (32), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, 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.