| The Town of Hanover is a
pastoral/suburban community in Plymouth County which was first settled
in 1649 and incorporated in 1727. The town's early economy was based on
agriculture and lumbering. The lumber was used for house building and
shipbuilding while other early industries included grist mills and iron
forges. By the 18th century, the town had made itself a very
self-sufficient community on a sturdy agricultural and industrial
foundation, with a wealth of water power resources and a shipbuilding
complex on the North River. Hanover was in fact one of the major
industrial centers of southeastern Massachusetts at the time. Thirty
ships were built in 1801 on the North River and the town's anchor forges
made the anchors for the United States Navy and are said to have
supplied the anchor for the U.S. Constitution. Unfortunately, a market
for larger ships than the North River could hold ended the shipbuilding
industry in Hanover. The town was the site of the invention of the first
tack-making machine, and making tacks and fireworks were among the
industries of the later 19th century for Hanover. These manufacturing
jobs brought immigrants from Lithuania and Poland, who established their
own settlements within the town. However, the most significant
post-civil war movement was toward residential subdivision development
as the main roads from Brockton and Boston were improved in the 20th
century. Residents are proud of the Four Corners Section of Hanover,
which retains its authentic period village character, and of their
close-knit and friendly town. (Seal supplied by community. Narrative
based on information provided by the Massachusetts
Historical Commission) |
