Ernest Kouwen-Hoven

Who is Ernest Kouwen-Hoven?

Ernest Kouwen-Hoven came to the U.S at the age of 20 from the Netherlands. In 1908, his son, Jack, was born. His daughter, Phylis, followed in 1910. In 1915, the family arrived in Melbourne, Florida from California. He purchased land and platted it in 1916, thus founding Indialantic, Florida. The plat was later revised in 1919. In the same year, he began construction of his toll bridge across the Indian River. His original "Indialantic, Florida Land Sales" office, which was destroyed by fire in 1919, was built on Front Street in Melbourne.

During construction of his bridge he set up three sawmills throughout Brevard County. The first one was in Melbourne Village, the second in Merritt Island and the last one 5 miles west of Grant. In 1921 his bridge was complete.

In the 1920s, Ernest, along with Charles Steward, Claud Edge, L. G. McDowell, F.C. Powell and Ernest Every created the Melbourne Golf Course and Country Club in 1920. It is now the Melbourne Municipal Golf Course. In 1925, the pre-historic body of a human, dubbed the "Melbourne Man", was found there. The site can be seen from the ball fields of the Florida Air Academy.

In 1923, he built a grand home, Magnolia Manor.