Hancock Area Chamber
Hancock, NY Hancock Area Chamber

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Hancock Area Chamber
ABOUT OUR TOWN
Hancock Area Chamber

Bluestone Capital of the World

Bluestone
Hancock Bluestone

Hancock was built upon, and still today relies on, its many natural resources, such as timber, bluestone and its mountains and rivers.

 

Some of the finest hardwood timber grows and is harvested here, is shipped all over the world, and is used to make everything from furniture to baseball bats.

 

But perhaps the most significant identifying feature of Hancock is its world-famous Bluestone quarries.

 

Bluestone mining is an industry that has existed here for generations and continues to flourish as modern technology is utilized in the production and distribution of this "blue gold."

 

"The Gateway to the Upper Delaware River"

 

Known as "The Gateway to the Upper Delaware River," the village of Hancock is located at the edge of the famed Catskill Mountains in the Southern Tier of New York State. The village rests at the confluence of the East and West Branches of the Delaware River--where the Delaware River begins--on the border of New York State and Pennsylvania. Hancock is an Incorporated Village of approximately 1,500 people, surrounded by the Town of Hancock, which includes an additional 1,500 inhabitants, both of which lie within the bounds of Delaware County.

Scenic Highways and Byways

Built in the early 1930s to link Port Jervis with the town of Hancock, Route 97, which begins its journey at Hancock, has been designated "The Most Scenic Highway in the East." And in the 1960s, New York's Route 17 was designated "Most Scenic Highway in the Nation," paying tribute to the route that thousands of people take through Hancock each year to marvel at the Autumn foliage, which is usually at its peak around the first week of October.

Recreation in Hancock

Recreation
Golfing

Tourism and recreation thrive in our area as fishermen congregate at the rivers in order to catch the elusive but plentiful Rainbow and Brown Trout. Hunters take to the woods in search of Whitetail deer, wild turkey, and numerous small game. Others come to hike through or tour the mountains with all-terrain vehicles, or to float the Delaware in a canoe as the original inhabitants of this area once did.

Besides local residents, Hancock has many weekend and seasonal homeowners and visitors, and is a haven for those tired of the frantic pace of the Metropolitan area. For decades, in fact, people have been relocating here from downstate, many upon retirement, and spent the remainder of their days enjoying this beautiful countryside.

Enjoy year-round recreation with hiking, fishing, hunting, water sports, skiing, golfing, and more. Whatever the season, whatever the reason, come visit us and experience the beauty of Hancock for yourself.

Be sure to check our Events section for an up-to-date listing of what's happening around town.

Making Sports History in Hancock


Louisville Slugger Factory

World famous Louisville Slugger baseball bats were made from Hancock timber for over 85 years. The wood that made Babe Ruth's bat was carved from a tree that grew in Hancock. The Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat Factory (Larimer & Norton, formerly owned by the Ramburg family of Hancock) closed in June 2004. The factory manufactured bat "slugs" for most every major league baseball star in history. Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams all set records with bats that started out in the Hancock, NY mill.


"Honest" Eddie Murphy

"Honest" Eddie Murphy, born in Hancock on October 2, 1891, played 11 years for the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in three World Series, and his batting average trailed Babe Ruth's by only three percentage points in 1918. He was also the first batter to ever face Babe Ruth when "The Bambino" broke in as a pitcher for the Boston Braves. Murphy got the nickname "Honest Eddie" for not being implicated in the "Black Sox" World Series scandal of 1919.
Click here to view "Honest Eddie" Web Site.


Abe Atell

Abe Atell, Featherweight Champion of the World from 1901 to 1912, is buried in the Beaverkill Cemetery. He was accused of being Arnold Rothstein's right-hand man behind the "fixing" of the Chicago "Black Sox" World Series of 1919, the same World Series that Hancock's "Honest" Eddie Murphy appeared in and is the story behind the motion picture," Eight Men Out". Abe was able to convince a New York jury that they had the wrong Abe Attell.

© 2005-2011 Hancock Area Chamber of Commerce   |   P.O. Box 525 Hancock, NY 13783-0525
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