The History of Hancock County and New Palestine, Indiana
Hancock County was founded in 1828 from a southern portion of Madison County. It was named after John Hancock, who is best known for having the first signature on the Declaration of Independence.
New Palestine was platted by Jonathan Edwards on Oct. 1, 1838, as part of Sugar Creek Township. His house was the first one built in town, and he operated both the store and post office – officially known as Sugar Creek – next door. However, with many people not knowing the post office was named Sugar Creek instead of New Palestine, mail was often wrongly delivered to an unincorporated town called Palestine in Kosciusko County for many years. It wasn’t until Jan. 16, 1889 that the post office’s name was officially changed to New Palestine, and mail delivery hiccups became less frequent. Before the renaming of the post office, New Palestine became incorporated on May 22, 1871.
As of the 2024 census, New Palestine’s population is 3,621, making it the fourth-largest incorporated town/city in Hancock County behind Greenfield (26,268), Cumberland (7,211), and Fortville (4,927). It is the 161st-largest town in Indiana.
Things to Do In or Near New Palestine, Indiana
The Hancock Wellness Center just west of town is one of three Hancock Wellness Centers in Hancock County. Memberships include access to the pool, basketball courts, sauna, steam room, fitness amenities and equipment, classes focused on aquatics, mind and body, and strength and cardio, plus on-site child care.
For those looking to get outdoors, Sugar Creek Township Park spans 88 acres and has a paved trail, playground, 9-hole disc golf course, dog park, and incredible Southern Hancock County veterans memorial. Nature lovers will also enjoy the Jacob Schramm Nature Preserve for bird watching, wildflowers, and some of Hancock County’s most photogenic spots.
In the winter months, you have to check out Veal’s Ice Tree less than 10 miles southwest of town. This winter tradition first began in 1961 and is a must-see attraction every winter.
New Pal SummerFest occurs annually every June and is full of fun including food vendors, live music, fireworks and much more.
Places to Eat and Shop in New Palestine, Indiana
Start your day at Barrel Racing Baristas. Established in 2022, they’ve racked up 4.5 stars on Google because of their breakfast featuring crepes, sandwiches, and pastries, plus unique ice cream flavors all day long.
The New Pal Pub is another popular spot in town. They’re known for serving up traditional pub grub that includes favorites like pizza and wings. The pub fills up on trivia and karaoke nights, too.
New Palestine High School
The mascot for New Palestine High School is the Dragons, and they’ve won 12 IHSAA state championships in school history.
Since 2003, Dragons softball has made it to the state championship game eight times, winning six of them – tied for second most behind only Center Grove’s seven softball titles – and head coach Ed Marcum has been around for them all. They were 3A runner-ups in 2003 to Gibson Southern, losing 1-0, but beat West Lafayette 5-1 in the 3A championship in 2004. They added 3A titles in 2008 (4-0 vs. Jasper), 2009 (10 in 5 innings vs. Andrean), 2017 (13-6 vs. Kankakee Valley), 2018 (3-1 vs. South Bend St. Joseph), and 2019 (10-0 vs Yorktown). New Palestine is the only program in IHSAA softball to three-peat as champions. Most recently, they were 4A runner-ups in 2024, falling 2-1 to Hamilton Southeastern.
Shortly after softball secured the school’s first state championship, baseball doubled down with its own 3A title in 2004, defeating Andrean 3-2. The Dragons were also 3A runner-ups in 2003, losing 3-1 vs. Norwell in 8 innings.
Lastly, Dragons football has become a 4A/5A powerhouse over the last decade behind head coach Kyle Ralph. In 2014, they scored a state finals record 77 points in the 4A final vs. New Prairie to cap a perfect 15-0 season. They also won championships in 2018 (5A, 28-14 vs. Decatur Central), 2019 (5A, 27-20 vs. Valparaiso), 2024 (4A, 56-26 vs. East Noble), and 2025 (5A, 38-17 vs. Merrillville) to finish off perfect 14-0 campaigns each year. The Dragons were 3A state runner-ups in 1990 and 5A runner-ups in 2015, with the ‘15 final featuring a combined 125 points scored in a 64-61 loss vs. Fort Wayne Snider. Despite the defensive shortcomings, a special shoutout goes to quarterback Alex Neligh who set a number of records in the loss. He threw for a state finals record 501 yards passing, added 166 rushing yards, and was responsible for eight touchdowns – four through the air and four on the ground. Incredible effort.
That’s it for small town breakdown No. 51. Where should we head next?
