46 topographic sheets cover 37 settlements here, and 13 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 National Register listings published here · the county-history sources tell 1 story and name 16 people · people the book names include General Development (Sugar Creek Township, 1916) · General Development (Buck Creek Township, 1916) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Among them: Storm. These passages come from the identified county-history source books. Each inset names its own source and opens the exact section it comes from.
On May 12, 1886, Wilkinson was partially destroyed by a cyclone, in which Glenn Smith, little son of John Smith, also Samuel White, who resided just east of the town, were killed, and Mr. White's daughter was seriouslv injured. Wilkinson was also visited by the storm of June 25, 1902, in which one glass factory was blown down and several men seriously injured, two of them dying from the effects of their injuries.
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Charles Barr House | building | 2008 | 08001208 |
 | Rufus and Amanda Black House | building | 2014 | 14000802 |
 | Browne-Rafert House | building | 2015 | 15000595 |
 | County Line Bridge | structure | 1994 | 94001356 |
| Fortville Carnegie Library | building | 2024 | 100010744 | |
| Fortville Methodist Episcopal Church | building | 2024 | 100010745 | |
 | Greenfield Courthouse Square Historic District | district | 1985 | 85000455 |
 | Greenfield Residential Historic District | district | 2011 | 11000909 |
 | Lilly Biological Laboratories | building | 1977 | 77000016 |
 | Lincoln Park School | building | 2009 | 09000424 |
 | Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon No. 37396 | structure | 2009 | 09000234 |
 | Jane Ross Reeves Octagon House | building | 2001 | 01000620 |
 | James Whitcomb Riley House | building | 1977 | 77000017 |
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 1 of them, burning under an acre. None started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 April 2005 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Indiana State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 316 reports for this county, causing 2 deaths, 55 injuries and about $62,734,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 183 |
| Hail | 84 |
| Tornado | 23 |
| Flash Flood | 10 |
| Lightning | 8 |
| Flood | 8 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1974 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 1 killed, 23 hurt, $25,000,000 | no account filed |
| March 1986 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 killed, 1 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| April 1974 | Tornado (F4) | not stated | 11 hurt, $25,000,000 | no account filed |
| September 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 7 hurt | no account filed |
| June 1980 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 4 hurt | no account filed |
| November 1965 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 3 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| March 1951 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 2 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| October 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Warrington | 2 hurt, $75,000 | Significant damage occurred to a hog barn that was under construction near the intersection of County Roads 1100 North and 1100 East. Injuries occurred to two workers who were on stilts constructing the ceiling in the unfinished hog barn when the storm and damaging wind gusts moved across the area. One hog in the finished barn was also found injured and had to be put down. |
| June 1998 | Tornado (F4) | Greenfield | 1 hurt, $1,100,000 | no account filed |
| May 1972 | Tornado (F4) | not stated | 1 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 2009 | Flood | Mohawk | $3,000,000 | Two cars were reported to be stuck in high water at county road 600 north and county road 400 west. Flood damage to vehicles estimated. |
| September 2002 | Tornado (F0) | Mc Cordsville | $2,000,000 | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Mc Cordsville | $500,000 | Wind speeds with this tornado were around 100 mph based on damage indicators. Multiple structures had damage including farm buildings and houses. |
| June 1998 | Tornado (F2) | Eden | $400,000 | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Lightning | Greenfield | $300,000 | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Mt Comfort | $250,000 | The tornado began in Marion County at 2127 near 42nd Street and Post Road and tracked southeastward for 3.1 miles before exiting Marion County. The tornado exited Marion County at 2132 and entered Hancock County on North County Line Road, 500 meters south of East 38th Street. The tornado continued in Hancock County for 4.0 miles until lifting at 2136, 500 feet south of West 200 North on North 400 West. The tornado was rated EF-2 while in Marion County with a width of 150 yards and winds of 125 mph. The tornado was rated EF-1 while in Hancock County with a width of 100 yards and winds near 100 mph. Numerous structures were damaged in Marion County with the hardest hit area being an apartment complex near 38th Street and Mittthoefer Road. While in Hancock County, the tornado damaged barns, houses, billboards, trees, and powerlines. The tornado was associated with an embedded supercell that was overtaken by a line. |
| November 1992 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| March 1986 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| February 2023 | Tornado (EF1) | Mc Cordsville | $200,000 | This first tornado touched down approximately 3 miles south-southeast of McCordsville, damaging the roof of a warehouse. The tornado remained on the ground approximately 3.34 miles striking a farm and destroying a farm outbuilding, damaging a large and functioning historic barn (sliding it slightly off its foundation) and snapping numerous trees. The tornado then continued to the northeast, possibly skipping for the last 1.9 miles of its path, crossing Indiana State Route 234 and North Fortville Pike where it blew over a semi truck before ending. This tornado was on the ground for approximately 6 minutes with estimated peak winds of 110 mph. |
| July 2002 | Flash Flood | Greenfield | $150,000 | 4.23 inches of rain fell across Greenfield. Many streets were closed and traffic rerouted by Greenfield Police. A roof also collapsed on a building due to the heavy rainfall. |
| February 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fortville | $147,000 | Downburst straight-line wind damage in the form of downed trees, limbs and power lines occurred on State Road 67 in Fortville at Motel Road, Industrial Drive and just north and west of the downtown area. Roofs were also blown off homes and a semi-truck was blown over as well. Two garages were reported to have collapsed also. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mt Comfort | $100,000 | Damaging thunderstorm winds estimated at 75 MPH moved 38 trailers at an RV dealership, destroying four. One trailer left a hole in the side of the dealership's body shop building. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cleveland | $80,000 | Large barn that holds trucks destroyed by thunderstorm wind gusts. The barn was open to the side that the wind was blowing from which allowed the roof to be lifted and the rest of the barn to collapse. Pieces of roof and wooden beams blown into nearby field. |
| October 2010 | Tornado (EF0) | Warrington | $75,000 | A brief EF0 tornado touched down northwest of Wilkinson on Nashville Rd. Several outbuildings and one garage was destroyed. One home was largely deroofed. |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Spring Lake | $50,000 | Aerial flooding photographs from Hancock County 911 center show flooding at and near Arrowhead golf course including a flooded roadway. Total rainfall ranged from 2.3 to 3.1 inches. |
| February 2023 | Tornado (EF1) | Eden | $50,000 | The second tornado touched down approximately 2 miles east-southeast of Ingalls. This tornado was on the ground for about 2 minutes, and traveled approximately 0.3 miles, with estimated peak winds of 100 mph. The tornado inflicted major damaged to a metal barn, removing the roof and exterior walls. Downwind of the barn, 2x4 beams were driven into the ground at different angles. Several trees were damaged, either being snapped or blown over and uprooted. |
| February 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gem | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds collapsed a barn. |
| December 2013 | Flash Flood | Greenfield | $50,000 | There were an unknown number of home evacuations around State Route 9 and 4th Street due to high water. |
| May 2002 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $50,000 | no account filed |
| March 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Greenfield | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Greenfield | $35,000 | Trees were blown down onto roofs due to thunderstorm wind gusts. No other information describing the extent of the damage was given. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pope Arpt | $25,000 | Metal panels were blown off the southwest section of the Avery Dennison building due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. Semi trailers were also moved. |
| June 2015 | Lightning | Mc Cordsville | $25,000 | WTHR reports that a lightning strike around 5:30 AM EDT Thursday is believed to be the cause of a house fire in the 5700 block of North Peppereel Way in McCordsville. |
| June 1973 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pope Arpt | $20,000 | Picture of an uprooted tree fallen on a house and damaging the home and chimney. Damage was due to thunderstorm wind gusts. Relayed via twitter. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mc Cordsville | $20,000 | Damage to homes |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Greenfield | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shirley | $15,000 | Large tree limb of unknown size downed onto car by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Palestine | $15,000 | Trees downed across road by thunderstorm wind gust at this location. There were 8 other locations nearby with reports of a tree downed with numerous additional likely that went unreported. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cleveland | $15,000 | Tower with a small wind turbine collapsed on a private residence. Shingles of roof also blown away. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Philadelphia | $15,000 | Several trees were downed in Spring Lake with some power poles down as well due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Greenfield | $15,000 | A small barn, trees, and powerlines were knocked down due to damaging thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2007 | Lightning | Greenfield | $15,000 | Lightning struck the Greenfield Police Department and damaged computers, a recorder, and the 911 system. |
| December 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fortville | $12,000 | A semi truck was blown over due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| August 2002 | Lightning | Mt Comfort | $12,000 | Lightning struck a trailer and a business . |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Greenfield | $10,000 | A 70 mph thunderstorm wind gust was estimated at this location with a tree downed nearby. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Palestine | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged trees and blew shingles off of a roof. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shirley | $10,000 | Roof damage to a church steeple caused by thunderstorm wind gusts with the bell dislodged from the steeple. Tree damage noted nearby. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Maxwell | $10,000 | Flooding of low-lying roads all over the county. Several roads were closed through the overnight hours. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fortville | $10,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were down across Fortville due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pope Arpt | $10,000 | A tree fell onto a car in the Kroger parking lot due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. No injuries were reported. |
| September 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mohawk | $10,000 | Trees and/or utility lines were downed due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. This was one of multiple locations. |
| October 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Greenfield | $10,000 | An estimated thunderstorm wind gust of 80 mph was observed in Greenfield. Multiple transformers were reported to have blown up and street signs were reported down. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Greenfield | $10,000 | Significant roof damage to homes and a few garages blown down. |
| April 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Greenfield | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fortville | $7,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts downed six healthy trees. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Palestine | $7,000 | Trees and power lines were down across roads in and near this location due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stringtown | $5,000 | Four power poles downed by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shirley | $5,000 | Utility pole and lines downed by thunderstorm wind gusts at the intersection of State Road 234 and Shirley Road. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mohawk | $5,000 | Several large tree limbs and power poles were snapped due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 5 workings inside this county. 3 still produce and 2 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 5 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlottesville Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Leary's Gravel Co. | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Leary's Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Reeves Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Strubbe Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
History of Hancock County, Indiana; Its People, Industries and Institutions devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 9 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue River Township | Westland | 9,032 words | 18 | |
| Brandywine Township | Carrollton, Reedville Station | 4,928 words | 10 | |
| Brown Township | Nashville, Shirley, Warrington, Wilkinson, Willow Branch | 34,023 words | 40 | |
| Buck Creek Township | Mohawk, Mount Comfort, Pleasant Acres | 8,036 words | 18 | |
| Center Township | Bowman Acres, Cooper Corner, Greenfield, Maxwell, Riley, Stringtown, Sugar Hills | 28,936 words | 29 | |
| Green Township | Eden, Milners Corner | 40,860 words | 63 | |
| Jackson Township | Charlottesville, Cleveland, Pleasant Hill | 15,173 words | 33 | |
| Sugar Creek Township | Brookville Heights, Carriage Estates, Gem, New Palestine, Philadelphia, Schildmeier Park, Spring Lake | 46,576 words | 76 | |
| Vernon Township | Colonial Village, Denny Corner, Eastgate, Fortville, Helmcrest, McCordsville, Woodbury | 4,977 words | 12 |
2 books written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 29 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| Chapter 31: Patriotism of Hancock County | 1,536 words |
| Chapter with an unread heading (no. 2 of those read) | 4,998 words |
| Chapter with an unread heading (no. 3 of those read) | 7,910 words |
| Chapter with an unread heading (no. 4 of those read) | 1,036 words |
| Chapter 5 | 878 words |
| Chapter 6 | 1,969 words |
| Chapter 20 | 3,438 words |
| Chapter 21 | 2,856 words |
| Chapter 22: Medical I'rofessiox Ix Hancock County | 4,218 words |
| Chapter 23 | 4,620 words |
| Chapter 24: Courts, Jails, Exemption Laws, Etc | 3,194 words |
| Chapter 25: Sequel to Bll'e-Riner Townshil | 2,326 words |
| Chapter 26: Sequel to R.randywine Township Introductory | 1,476 words |
| Chapter 27: Biographies and Sketches | 6,205 words |
| Chapter 28 | 5,783 words |
| Chapter 29 | 7,377 words |
| Chapter 30 | 2,870 words |
| Chapter 31: Tatriotism of Hancock Col'xrv I N T K O D U C T.o R V | 3,048 words |
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1: Geography, Topography, Natural Resources and Soil Survey | 5,879 words |
| Chapter 2: Early Influences | 4,396 words |
| Chapter 4: County Buildings | 6,560 words |
| Chapter 6: Education | 22,923 words in 2 parts |
| Chapter 7: Military | 23,734 words in 2 parts |
| Chapter 8: Politics | 21,389 words in 2 parts |
| Chapter 9: Temperance | 11,314 words |
| Chapter 10: Literature and Art | 14,093 words |
| Chapter 12: The Practice of Medicine | 8,991 words |
| Chapter 19: Green Township | 5,024 words |
| Chapter 23: Fortville | 6,306 words |
Everyone History of Hancock County, Indiana; Its People, Industries and Institutions stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1916.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Center township · 46140 · On Little Brandywine Creek · Greenfield quadrangle
12 sheets, 1952 to 1986
Sugar Creek township · 46163 · On Palestine Branch · Acton quadrangle
11 sheets, 1953 to 1986
Sugar Creek township · 46163 · On Palestine Branch · Acton quadrangle
11 sheets, 1953 to 1986
Brandywine township · 46130 · On Maxwell Ditch · Fountaintown quadrangle
9 sheets, 1952 to 1986
Jackson township · 46117 · On Anthony Creek · Knightstown quadrangle
9 sheets, 1953 to 1986
Vernon township · 46055 · On Bills Branch · McCordsville quadrangle
12 sheets, 1952 to 1998
Sugar Creek township · 46163 · On Palestine Branch · Acton quadrangle
11 sheets, 1953 to 1986
Jackson township · 46186 · On Willow Branch · Cleveland quadrangle
8 sheets, 1953 to 1986
Brandywine township · 46130 · On Maxwell Ditch · Fountaintown quadrangle
9 sheets, 1952 to 1986
Sugar Creek township · 46163 · On Palestine Branch · Acton quadrangle
11 sheets, 1953 to 1986
Brown township · 46186 · On Willow Branch · Pendleton quadrangle
9 sheets, 1953 to 1986
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