Hancock County and Hawesville were created by Kentucky law on January 3, 1829. The county seat was named for Richard Hawes, who donated land for the town. His son, Richard Jr., became Confederate governor of Kentucky in 1862. Hancock County's first cannel coal was produced commercially in 1832 at a mine operated by Chas. Landers, a venture that drew workers and investors from as far away as England and Ireland.