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B−History
History · Hanover

Hanover’s post office opened in 1815

More historic than 48% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Hanover was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1870.

1815first post office
0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Hanover began

When was Hanover founded?

1815

The Hanover post office opened in 1815, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1849.

First census: 322 in 18702020 census: 1,270211 years

How historic is Hanover?

B−

More historic than 48% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Hanover post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1849.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 48% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hanover’s overall grade.
Founding era1815, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19409.9% of homes (±7.0) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%B−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical OH town 2.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 48%
NewerOlder

Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hanover’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1849 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

Founding year: the first post office (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 history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Hanover are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19093 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1970. Watch Hanover change.Deep rootsA post office since 1815: 211 years of Hanover.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hanover’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hanover’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
On the map

Hanover on the map, 1909 to 1970

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 1909 USGS mapHanover on the 1961 USGS mapHanover on the 1970 USGS map1909Newark 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.

Timeline

Hanover, 1815 to 1959

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1815Post officeThe Hanover post office opens
  3. 1818Born hereWilliam Welles Hollister is born here
  4. 1836Born hereMilton I. Southard is born here
  5. 1841Born hereHannah R. Cope Plimpton is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1959Post officeThe Hanover post office closes
The story

How Hanover came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hanover.

Read it all →

Hanover was laid out in 1849, although there had been business activity at the site for some time. An early variant name was Fleming, for John Fleming, the original owner of the town site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Hanover, 1908–1913

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

CRAIG MILL At the platting of the village of Hanover in 1818, James Craig erected a sawmill and flouring mill near the present Christian church site. In 1816 Arthur Lockard with his family came from Belfast county, Ireland, to New York and in 1817 with William Kennedy and wife came over the mountai…
HISTORY OF HANOVER COLOMBIANA COUNTY OHIO 1804-19131913Read the page →
Read the text

CRAIG MILL At the platting of the village of Hanover in 1818, James Craig erected a sawmill and flouring mill near the present Christian church site. In 1816 Arthur Lockard with his family came from Belfast county, Ireland, to New York and in 1817 with William Kennedy and wife came over the mountains in carts and settled in Hanover, buying this mill. This mill was conducted by them for almost two deae =

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
His successor was Andrew Pettit another of the pioneers of Hanover, this also being a subscription school. Pettit taught school for a number of years, he being a very popular teacher of his time. James Shaw and Levi Miller were also teachers of the early days, near Hanover.
HISTORY OF HANOVER COLOMBIANA COUNTY OHIO 1804-19131913Read the page →
Read the text

His successor was Andrew Pettit another of the pioneers of Hanover, this also being a subscription school. Pettit taught school for a number of years, he being a very popular teacher of his time. James Shaw and Levi Miller were also teachers of the early days, near Hanover.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A postoffice was established at Hanover about 1812, when James Craig was postmaster. At that time the name of the postoffice was Hanoverton, as there was already a Hanover in Ohio. After the failure of the company store which Craig managed, the postoffice was discontinued for a time. Then in 1832 O…
History of Hanover, Columbiana County, Ohio, 1804-19081908Read the page →
Read the text

A postoffice was established at Hanover about 1812, when James Craig was postmaster. At that time the name of the postoffice was Hanoverton, as there was already a Hanover in Ohio. After the failure of the company store which Craig managed, the postoffice was discontinued for a time. Then in 1832 Owen Williams was appointed postmaster. George Freace was the next postmaster, in 1837, and after him the office was held by the following persons: Henry Freace, J. R. Arter, William Hamilton, A. N. Kinear, George

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.

By decade

Hanover, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Porphyritic granite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio, USA) 12024Porphyritic granite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Han…Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio, USA) 62024Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio…Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio, USA) 52024Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio…Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio, USA) 42024Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio…Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio, USA) 32024Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio…Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio, USA) 22024Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio…Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio, USA) 12024Migmatite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio…Marble gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio, USA) 22024Marble gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio, U…Marble gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio, USA) 12024Marble gravestone (Hanover Cemetery, Hanover, Ohio, U…Hanover Cemetery (Hanover, Ohio, USA) 52024Hanover Cemetery (Hanover, Ohio, USA) 5Hanover Cemetery (Hanover, Ohio, USA) 42024Hanover Cemetery (Hanover, Ohio, USA) 4Hanover Cemetery (Hanover, Ohio, USA) 32024Hanover Cemetery (Hanover, Ohio, USA) 3Hanover Cemetery (Hanover, Ohio, USA) 22024Hanover Cemetery (Hanover, Ohio, USA) 2Hanover Cemetery (Hanover, Ohio, USA) 12024Hanover Cemetery (Hanover, Ohio, USA) 1Granite gravestone (Hanover Cemetery2024Granite gravestone (Hanover CemeteryHanover PCUSA on Main2016Hanover PCUSA on MainMap of Licking County Ohio Highlighting Hanover Village2015Map of Licking County Ohio Highlighting Hanover Villa…MapOHMap-doton-Hanover2004OHMap-doton-Hanover
People over time

Hanover, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,400188019001920194019601980200020201,270

Grew from 322 people in 1870 to 1,270 in 2020, 3 times over.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Hanover

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

See all →
Milton I. SouthardAmerican politician · b. 1836
Hannah R. Cope PlimptonAmerican Woman's Relief Corps worker · b. 1841
W
William Welles HollisterAmerican businessman and rancher · b. 1818
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Hanover had its own post office from 1815 to 1959.

Hanover
1815–1959
18101920today
Gone or out of use
Hanover Post Officepost officeWalnut Grove Farmlocale

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

MarneIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Hanover’s history

What year was Hanover founded?

The Hanover post office opened in 1815, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1849.

How does Hanover rank for history?

Hanover is more historic than 48% 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 Hanover?

10% of Hanover’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.0 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1973.

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 (18), 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 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.