Upon the establishment ofHancock County in 1829, local landownerRichard Hawes Sr. (father ofRep.Richard Hawes Jr.) donated land for a county seat, free to any homesteaders who settled there. The Hawesvillepost office was established later that year.[5] The city was formally established in 1836 and incorporated by thestate assembly in 1847.[6][7]
Despite theImmaculate Conception Church's listing on the National Register of Historic Places, it was demolished and replaced with a modern structure.
In 1969 an aluminum smelter was built in the area.[8] As of 2024[update]Century Aluminum owns the smelter, which the company describes as the largest in North America, but it was idled in 2022, resulting in layoffs affecting 550 employees.[9]
As of thecensus[11] of 2000, there were 971 people, 409 households, and 271 families residing in the city. The population density was 747.3 inhabitants per square mile (288.5/km2). There were 441 housing units at an average density of 339.4 per square mile (131.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.25%White, 1.44%African American, 0.10%Native American, and 0.21% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.21% of the population.
There were 409 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% weremarried couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,929, and the median income for a family was $45,000. Males had a median income of $39,318 versus $22,750 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $18,985. About 12.1% of families and 11.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.