National Register of Historic Places

Hanover Center Historic District

Hanover, Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Listed
May 8, 1996
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
96000476

About this property

The Hanover Center Historic District encompasses the historic town center of Hanover, Massachusetts. Established in 1721, the town center includes the town hall, library, and church, as well as its first cemetery and the c. 1700 Stetson House, one of its oldest buildings. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The area that is now Hanover was settled around 1700, originally as part of Scituate. Much of its land had been awarded to Cornet Robert Stetson in 1634, and it was his son Benjamin who probably built the house c. 1700 standing on the south side of the town center. Enlarged about 1716, it was here that early meetings were held that led to the town's incorporation in 1727. In that year, the town cemetery was laid out, and its first meeting house was built, where the present First Congregational Church (built 1863) stands. Over the 19th and early 20th centuries, the center acquired the trappings of a modest New England town center, including its town hall and library. The historic district includes seven properties located around the junction of Hanover Street (Massachusetts Route 139) with Main and Silver Streets, near the geographic center of the town. On the south side of Hanover Street stand (from east to west), the Stetson House, now a museum of the local historical society, the Curtis Free Library (1907, Federal Revival), and the Italianate town hall (1863). The First Congregational Church occupies a prominent location on what is now an island surrounded by the three roadways, and the cemetery is located to its north. East of the church is the Colonial Revival Sylvester School, built in 1927 as the town's first public high school. West of the church stands its parsonage house, built about 1855. National Register of Historic Places listings in Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Location

Hanover, Plymouth County, Massachusetts
42.11774, -70.84412

Categories

EDUCATIONCOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTARCHITECTUREPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTRELIGION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Stetson House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Tack Factory, The
Industrial
1.9 mi
Pembroke Friends Meetinghouse
Industrial
2.2 mi
Stetson-Ford House
Industrial
3.1 mi
Rockland Almshouse
Industrial
3.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Hanover Center Historic District listed on the National Register?

Hanover Center Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1996.

What type of historic resource is Hanover Center Historic District?

Hanover Center Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Hanover Center Historic District?

The period of significance for Hanover Center Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Hanover Center Historic District?

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