The town of Hancock in the Berkshires, was re-named for John Hancock in 1776, the year of its incorporation, from Plantation of Jericho, as it was called by the original settlers in 1762. Hancock Shaker Village was established there in 1790, becoming a thriving Shaker community before the movement’s mid-19th century demise. In 1960, the Hancock community was closed by the Shaker Central Ministry, and the next year Hancock Shaker Village, a non-profit museum was opened; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1968.
Points of interest in Hancock include: Hancock Shaker Village, Jiminy Peak, the state’s largest ski area, time-share mecca Vacation Village At Berkshires, a barn museum, a campground, a nudist camp, and twenty-four known and catalogued cemeteries.
Hancock, MA facts and map:
- Phone: (413) 738-5225
- Population: 721
- Settled/Inc’d: 1767/1776
- Named for: John Hancock
- Elevation: 1020′