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History · Hoven

Hoven dates to 1883, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the St. Bernard's Catholic Church. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1974 on, and the census since 1910.

1883founded

1on the National Register

24%homes built before 1940

1old photo or paper

1famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Hoven’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Hoven began

When was Hoven founded?

1883

Hoven dates its founding to 1883 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 209 in 19102020 census: 379143 years

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1884.

What stands out about Hoven’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 671 in 1970; 379 people lived here in 2020.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hoven’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hoven’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Retake an old viewHoly Infant Hospital, Hoven, South Dako…: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

People over time

Hoven, census by census

Peaked at 671 in 1970; 379 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hoven’s Wikipedia page.

The story so far

Hoven, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hoven yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Hoven is a town in Potter County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 379 at the 2020 census. Hoven was laid out in 1883 and named after either Matt or Peter Hoven, who were the first settlers.

Hoven was established in 1883. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 406 to 379 (-7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Hoven, 1883 to 1974

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

19th century
1883
FoundingHoven is established
1884Post officeThe Hoven post office opens
20th century
1930In the archiveHoly Infant Hospital, Hoven, South Dakota (84247)
1969Born hereBryan Breitling is born here
1970CensusPopulation peaks at 671
1974On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey

By decade

Hoven, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s1 item

c. 1930Holy Infant Hospital, Hoven, South Dakota (84247)

1940s–1990snothing yet

Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Add from your album

Today2 recent

2018Hoven, South Dakota

2012St. Anthony’s

On the map

Hoven on the map, 1974 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hoven. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

1974Hoven sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hoven.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Retake this viewHoly Infant Hospital, Hoven, South Dakota (84247), c. 1930

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hoven’s page.

Retake this view · +15

On the National Register

1 historic place in Hoven

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

1980

St. Bernard's Catholic Church

Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Neo-Romanesque-Gothic1

All 1 listings

St. Bernard's Catholic ChurchBuilding · listed 1980

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Questions about Hoven’s history

What year was Hoven founded?

In 1883, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hoven’s post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1910 counted 209 people here.

What is on the National Register in Hoven?

One place: the St. Bernard's Catholic Church (listed 1980).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

Start a conversation

Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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