Ernest Kouwen-Hoven

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Ernest Kouwen-Hoven came to the U.S at the age of 20 from Holland. He was married by 1908 when his son, Jack, was born. His daughter, Phylis followed in 1910.

In 1915, he arrived in Melbourne, Florida from California with his wife, and 2 children, Jack and Phylis. 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. The original land sales office for Indialantic, Florida was along Front Street in Melbourne that burned in 1919.

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

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

In 1923, he built a house in 1923. The house was part of what was to become Magnolia Park subdivision, but it never materialized. Parts of the original plat have been replatted, including Magnolia Manor. This house was purchased by a Robert Widrig and added 2 wings and called it the Lincoln Hotel. It ultimately failed and was revitalized as The Barcelona in 1957. The property was sold to the Florida Air Academy in 1963.

His wife dedicated the second bridge across the Indian River between Melbourne and Indialantic.

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