Hanson is a rural pastoral community incorporated in 1820. Residents of the town established a preserve for the native population of the area on 100 acres of land in 1662 when they purchased the land on which the town is situated.

Early settlers farmed and lumbered, setting up the first saw mill in 1695 on the Indian Head Brook near the present town hall. There were some early 19th century textile mills in Hanson, as well as shoemakers and lumber mills. Lumbering, making shingles and the cranberry industry dominated the town's economy in the 19th century. In 1912, a huge cranberry packing house was built in Hanson. This, with many later additions, eventually became the national Ocean Spray Corporation. By 1915 there were 21 cranberry growers and 20 poultry farms in a community which has to this day remained significantly agricultural.

The town was named for Alexander Conte Hanson, a Maryland newspaper publisher who upheld the rights of a free press in the early 1800's when he defended his right to condemn the War of 1812. But Hanson, residents say, is much quieter and more peaceful than its namesake was and that, they note, is how they like it.