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History · Hancocks Bridge

Hancocks Bridge’s post office opened in 1811, and 68% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1948 on.

1811first post office
2on the National Register
68%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hancocks Bridge’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hancocks Bridge began

When was Hancocks Bridge founded?

1811

The Hancocks Bridge post office opened in 1811, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 155215 years
Founding year: the first Hancocks Bridge post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Hancocks Bridge’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.Old housesHalf of Hancocks Bridge’s homes were built before 1938.Deep rootsA post office since 1811: 215 years of Hancocks Bridge.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hancocks Bridge’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Descri…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Hancocks Bridge, in brief

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

Hancock's Bridge (also Hancocks Bridge, without an apostrophe) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Lower Alloways Creek Township, in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the CDP's population was 254. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08038.

Its first post office opened in 1811. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 254 to 155 (-39%).

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

By decade

Hancocks Bridge, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1850s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s1 item
1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - New Jersey - Salem County - ED 17-1, ED 17-2, ED 17-3, ED 17-4, ED 17-518501940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - New J…
Today11 recent
Swedish Cabin and Salem CR 658 sb, Hancocks Bridge, NJ (2), Dec. 20242024Swedish Cabin and Salem CR 658 sb, Hancocks Bridge, N…Swedish Cabin and Salem CR 658 sb, Hancocks Bridge, NJ (1), Dec. 20242024Swedish Cabin and Salem CR 658 sb, Hancocks Bridge, N…Lower Alloways Creek Twp., NJ veterans memorial, Dec. 20242024Lower Alloways Creek Twp., NJ veterans memorial, Dec.…Lower Alloways Creek Twp., NJ municipal building, Dec. 20242024Lower Alloways Creek Twp., NJ municipal building, Dec…Lower Alloways Creek Twp., NJ fire and rescue company, Dec. 20242024Lower Alloways Creek Twp., NJ fire and rescue company…Hancocks Bridge, NJ post office, Dec. 20242024Hancocks Bridge, NJ post office, Dec. 2024Hancocks Bridge, NJ United Methodist Church, Dec. 20242024Hancocks Bridge, NJ United Methodist Church, Dec. 2024Bridge of Hancocks Bridge, NJ, Dec. 20242024Bridge of Hancocks Bridge, NJ, Dec. 2024Alloway Creek, NJ upstream from Hancocks Bridge, Dec. 20242024Alloway Creek, NJ upstream from Hancocks Bridge, Dec.…Alloway Creek, NJ downstream from Hancocks Bridge, Dec. 20242024Alloway Creek, NJ downstream from Hancocks Bridge, De…Joe Ware House Salem Co NJ2013Joe Ware House Salem Co NJ
On the map

Hancocks Bridge on the map, 1948 to 1995

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

Hancocks Bridge on the 1948 USGS mapHancocks Bridge on the 1951 USGS mapHancocks Bridge on the 1970 USGS mapHancocks Bridge on the 1986 USGS mapHancocks Bridge on the 1995 USGS map1948Salem 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 Hancocks Bridge.

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.

1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - New Jersey - Salem County - ED 17-1, ED 17-2, ED 17-3, ED 17-4, ED 17-5
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - New Jersey - Salem County - ED 17-1, ED 17-2, ED 17-3, ED 17-4, ED 17-5, 1850

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Hancocks Bridge

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts

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

Questions about Hancocks Bridge’s history

What year was Hancocks Bridge founded?

The Hancocks Bridge post office opened in 1811, 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 (12) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.