Hancock, William

HANCOCK

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 3/7/2008 at 15:53:41

Jackson Sentinel
Centennial Edition, 1938

93-Year-Old Pioneer Has Been Active Mason Since 1877

William Hancock, 93, Maquoketa’s oldest contractor, has finally reached what he believes to be the “age for retirement.” This ruddy-cheeked, white-bearded, English gentleman who still repairs his own roof, has lived in Maquoketa since 1873, coming here from Chicago. He came to Chicago from Truro, Cornwall county, England, in 1871, and his experiences during the Chicago fire were very thrilling. At the time, he and his brother were forced to gather their belongings and flee across the river, with the fire directly behind them.

Mr. Hancock began his life as a mason at a very early age. At the age of 14 he was apprenticed to a builder for seven years. His wage for his first year was a great sum of one shilling (25c) a week. Each year this was increased by one shilling until at the end of his apprenticeship he received $1.75 per week for this skilled labor. When he came to Maquoketa, he worked for older, more experienced men for a few years, finally working his way up until he had a fine business of his own.

Until the last three or four years Mr. Hancock has been quite active in contracting. On his 82nd birthday he completed a bungalow himself in DeWitt and considers it one of the finest he has ever built.

His community spirit has shown itself in many ways. Since June 4, 1877, he has been a member of the Masonic lodge in Maquoketa, and several years ago received a certificate for his long service. He has served as Worshipful Master of Helion Lodge, No. 36, and as secretary of both Helion Lodge and Bath Kol Chapter No. 94, R. A. M. In addition, he has served as Eminent Commander of Tancred Commandery No. 40, and for the past 38 years has been recorder of that organization.

Mr. Hancock can take great pride in the fact that many of the public buildings of the city have been built under his supervision. The present Masonic home, the public library, the three ward school houses, the old high school building which burned a few years ago, and the first public water works, which included the old brick standpipe recently demolished, are some of the main buildings erected by him. In addition to these, he has built many residences, including the comfortable brick home in which he now lives with his two daughters.

This sturdy Englishman can recall the many times he had been forced to walk several miles in order to be on the job. In the early days of his business he took trains to the various towns where he had contracts, or, if it were not possible to reach the site by train, he would go in a carriage many miles in order to complete his work. Andrew, Charlotte, Bellevue, DeWitt, Sabula and many other towns in this vicinity have buildings which have been erected by Mr. Hancock.

While in the employ of John Ward of the Clinton Bridge company, Mr. Hancock built the approaches and massive piers across the Mississippi river, one at LaCrosse, Wis., and the other at Clinton, Iowa.

This contractor, who has had many years of experience, feels that the construction of houses has not changed a great deal in the years since he has been building. “It is true,” he says, “that they formerly used wooden laths, where they now use metal ones,” but he feels that methods have not altered enough to make a great deal of difference. Mr. Hancock believes that the houses are smaller now because building materials and labor are more expensive and because, also, large houses, as a rule, are no longer needed. He says that the heating system of the present day is an advantage over the old method; he also feels that air conditioning is a change, but he does not list it as a definite advantage because in former days a large house that was well-built had the same effect as the present-day “air-conditioning.”

Although he is doing no actual contracting at present, Mt. Hancock still is interested in construction work. He is very active, and takes great pleasure in doing small jobs around the yard. Last winter this sure-footed gentleman climbed on the roof to fix it, and for several winters has helped many of the young people on the icy walks. His health is excellent, and he takes a great interest in present-day affairs.