Hanover dates to 1730, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #24 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 2,632 buildings. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1795.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hanover’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hanover is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #24 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 3 inputs put Hanover near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hanover’s overall grade.
Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hanover’s 1,589 sits above most of its state (99% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 2,635 historic buildings outnumber those of 100% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1730.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.6 points).
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.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Hanover, building by building, 1886–1917
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.
In 1727, John Digges, an Irish nobleman of Prince George's County, Maryland, obtained a grant of 10,000 acres (40 km2) of land where Hanover is now located from Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore. The area was called Digges Choice, and in 1730, a group of Catholics started the settlement that became known as the Conewego Settlement. Settlers from both Maryland and Pennsylvania began moving into the area in the 1730s. At this time, Maryland and Pennsylvania did not agree on the northern border of Maryland and the southern border of Pennsylvania, and the area that is now Hanover was in the disputed area claimed by both states. This led to numerous disputes about property ownership from the 1730s until 1760. The dispute was settled when Maryland and Pennsylvania hired British expert surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon to survey what became known as the Mason–Dixon line. This line …
miles — 15 miles beyond the afterward certified township of Hanover. About half of that ''District" south of certified Hanover, was cut off in 1839, and the other half in 1853. Up to these dates whatever persons and property there were in the ** district" were assessed as in Hanover. The United States Census for r8oo placed them in Hanover.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Hanover township. The part taken from Hanover is bounded north-west by the river, south-east by the Nanticoke railroad, south-west by Newport township line, and north-east by the westerly line of the Jameson or Hakes lot in Hanover, No. 22. It contains a number of fine brick buildings, a large brick school building, five churches and four breakers. There are some fine business blocks here — two newspapers are published, the Stm and the Tribune.
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
6 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
In 1730, according to Wikidata. Hanover’s post office opened in 1795, and the census of 1820 counted 946 people here.
How does Hanover rank for history?
Hanover is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #24 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the George Nace (Neas) House (listed 1972, the first), and 1 historic district, the Hanover Historic District, with 2,632 contributing buildings. 2,635 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Hanover?
32% of Hanover’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1956.
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 (8), the Library of Congress (4), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
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