Hancock, Massachusetts
| Hancock, Massachusetts | ||
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| Town | ||
The Round Barn at Hancock Shaker Village
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 Location in Berkshire County and the state of Massachusetts. |
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| Coordinates: 42°32′35″N 73°19′27″W / 42.54306°N 73.32417°WCoordinates: 42°32′35″N 73°19′27″W / 42.54306°N 73.32417°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Massachusetts | |
| County | Berkshire | |
| Settled | 1767 | |
| Incorporated | 1776 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Open town meeting | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 35.8 sq mi (92.6 km2) | |
| • Land | 35.7 sq mi (92.4 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.08 sq mi (0.2 km2) | |
| Elevation | 1,058 ft (322 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 717 | |
| • Density | 20/sq mi (7.8/km2) | |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 01237 (Lanesborough), 01267 (Williamstown), 01201 (Pittsfield) | |
| Area code(s) | 413 | |
| FIPS code | 25-28180 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0619421 | |
Hancock is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 717 at the 2010 census.
Hancock was first settled in 1762 as the Plantation of Jericho. The town was officially incorporated in 1776, and renamed for John Hancock.
Hancock is one of only three towns in Massachusetts whose local telephone service was not provided by the former Bell System (instead it is part of the Taconic Telephone Corporation, every one of whose other exchanges is situated in neighboring New York). The other two such towns are Richmond, also in Berkshire County, and Granby, in Hampshire County.
Around 1780, some families in Hancock converted to the teachings of the Shakers. By 1790, Believers in Hancock and Pittsfield established Hancock Shaker Village. The Shakers were a religious order which believed in pacifism, celibacy and communal living. Worship could take the form of singing and ecstatic dance, which is why they were called the "Shaking Quakers", or "Shakers." The utopian sect is renowned today for its plain architecture and furniture. Hancock Shaker Village is famous for its Round Stone Barn, built in 1826. In 1959, the remaining Shakers in Hancock sold the property to a non-profit museum.
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