Hancock MN

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The village of Hancock was first plotted in 1872 by the railroad. This came about after a steady migration in 1865, following the Civil War, of people to the west. These pioneers from a variety of nationalities homesteaded in this area with the hope and promise of a wonderful new life on the prairie.

Some of the early businesses included a livery station, general store, lumberyard, saloon, implement shop and meat market.

The Hancock School District No. 3 was organized on Sept. 8, 1912. This later grew to include a full elementary and high school. New school buildings were constructed in 1912, 1922, 1960, and 1998, replacing the 1912 building.

Through the years the community has grown and changed. In it’s prime in the 1930’s and 40’s, Main Street and its side streets featured 35 to 40 businesses. Some of these included multiple grocery stores, restaurants, banks, and implement dealers. The town also had it’s own theater for Saturday night movies.

Each year the community celebrates it’s past, present and future on July 4. The tradition dates back as far as the 1870’s and 1880’s. Activities include baseball, meals, parades, dances, and the popular fireworks at dark.

In the late 1990s, the city completed major upgrades of sewer and water lines throughout the city - along with new streets replacing the old. The 1912 school building was replaced with a new beautiful building and a new addition.

The town has been growing.  The latest Census in 2010 showed an increase and most of this growth is from young families, arriving here to work in town, as well as the surrounding towns of Benson and Morris.  One of the last small towns with a full K-12 school, Hancock is built for growing community, one family at a time.