Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Hannibal

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Hannibal

Hannibal’s post office opened in 1816, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1820.

1816first post office
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hannibal began

When was Hannibal founded?

1816

The Hannibal post office opened in 1816, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 935 in 18202020 census: 535210 years
Founding year: the first Hannibal post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Hannibal’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1850 and 1920, then more than doubled.On the map since 19005 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1978. Watch Hannibal change.Old housesHalf of Hannibal’s homes were built before 1942.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hannibal’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hannibal’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 viewHannibal (Township); Wheeler's Corners …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Hannibal, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,50018501900195020003,368 in 1850Low: 1,834

Lost half of its people between 1850 and 1920, then more than doubled.

20 censuses, 1820–2010.

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

On the map

Hannibal on the map, 1900 to 1978

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

Hannibal on the 1900 USGS mapHannibal on the 1943 USGS mapHannibal on the 1954 USGS mapHannibal on the 1960 USGS mapHannibal on the 1978 USGS map1900Oswego 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 Hannibal.

The story

How Hannibal came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hannibal.

Read it all →

The first settlement took place circa 1802. Much of the region was purchased from the Onondaga and Oneida tribes to form the Central New York Military Tract to pay off war veterans. The town was formed in 1806 from the Town of Lysander while still part of Onondaga County, New York. The name was provided by Robert Harpur, an employee of the New York survey, who is responsible for many of the "classical" names applied to political entities in the central part of New York.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hannibal, 1838 to 2000

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1838Born hereWarner Miller is born here
  3. 1845Born hereMary Barker Bates is born here
  4. 1867In the archiveHannibal (Township); Wheeler's Corners Business Directory
  5. 1872Born hereCharles Blakeslee Law is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 21st century
  9. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 4,957
By decade

Hannibal, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s2 items
Hannibal (Township); Wheeler's Corners Business Directory1867Hannibal (Township); Wheeler's Corners Business Direc…South Hannibal (Village); Hannibal Business Directory.; Hannibal Center Business Directory.; Hannibal Centre (Village);…1867South Hannibal (Village); Hannibal Business Directory…
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.

Hannibal (Township); Wheeler's Corners Business Directory
Retake this viewHannibal (Township); Wheeler's Corners Business Directory, 1867

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Hannibal

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

See all →
Warner MillerUnion Army officer · b. 1838
Charles Blakeslee LawAmerican politician · b. 1872
Mary Barker BatesAmerican suffragist · b. 1845

Questions about Hannibal’s history

What year was Hannibal founded?

The Hannibal post office opened in 1816, 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 →
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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.