c) Andrew Carter, 2022
After one night at the bunkhouse, I moved to the Super 8 Motel for my second night in Hancock. After check-in, I was told the motel has no hot water. That meant I had to go back to the bunkhouse for a shower. It also meant I had to squabble to get even a partial refund.
Other Hancock highlights included trying to find a place to eat. The first night I walked to a local restaurant that was supposed to be open until 8. It was only open until 7, so I had to walk in the opposite direction to a Pizza Hut, but the Pizza Hut was only open for take-out. I did get the Pizza Hut to let me eat in the closed dining room as long as I ordered at the counter.
The next morning, the only place open early for breakfast was a Hardee’s. I walked there, but discovered it closed, apparently for Good Friday. So I walked in the opposite direction to a local restaurant and waited outside in the cold for it to open at 8.
Other Hancock experiences included:
1) Walking to a post office after-hours to discover it has no self-service kiosk. I had to go back the next day during business hours.
2) Walking to a public library that happened to be closed on Good Friday, so I sat outside to use the WiFi.
As you may have picked up, I did a lot of walking in Hancock. It’s an historic town which time has passed by.
For most of its life, Hancock was a transportation hub. It was the site of a ferry across the Potomac River in Colonial times, then later the site of a bridge.
Its a town whose Main Street was part of the great National Pike leading west to Ohio from Baltimore during horse and buggy days. Then it was a stop on the C&O Canal and finally a stop on the B&O Railroad and Western Maryland Railroad.
There is still a bridge across the Potomac, but the National Pike has been replaced by Interstate 70 which speeds by the town. The Hancock exits are so poorly designed that not even car dealers and shopping malls have sprung up next to them.
The C&O Canal closed down almost 100 years ago. The Western Maryland Railroad is gone, so is the train station which used to serve it. The B&O Railroad (now CSX) is on the opposite side of the river. It’s station is used by company freight employees only. No Amtrak trains stop here.
What all this means is that most of downtown is empty storefronts — literally 80% to 90% of all commercial buildings are empty. Many of the buildings look abandoned and are decaying away. There are also abandoned and decaying homes. Some of these buildings and homes date to the early 1800’s or earlier. (The town was founded in 1749.)
It’s sad looking at these buildings, thinking of the past, and wondering what hope Hancock has for the future.
Carter Hikes 