Hover Family History

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                 A Longmont Legacy…

Charles Lewis Hover was born in 1867 in Mazomanie, Wisconsin, where he was trained in pharmacy. In the early 1890’s he joined his brother in the successful Hover Drug Co. in Denver. In 1902 on orders from his doctor, he left behind the press of business, and purchased a farm west of the small town of Longmont. Charles became a successful farmer and businessman, personifying the partnership between agriculture and industry that was then the hallmark of Longmont’s economy. Until his death in 1958, Hover remained a leader in the business, civic and religious life of the Longmont community.

Katherine Avey Hover met Charles after coming to Denver from her native Illinois in the 1890’s and they were married in Castle Rock in 1898. Katherine, like her husband, became deeply involved in the life of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and hosted legendary “Sylvan Suppers” on the grounds on Hoverhome to benefit the church. Her dream of helping create a retirement community where senior citizens could live with dignity became a reality with the establishment of Hover Manor and other retirement housing which now stand on part of the family farm.

Beatrice Hover, who at age nine was adopted by the childless Hovers, came to live with them in 1907. She never married and she took care of her parents throughout their lives, but also worked for many causes, including translating books to Braille. After her mother’s death in 1971, she continued to shepherd her mother’s vision of the retirement community and to ensure that her own dream of preserving her father’s farmstead and Hoverhome for the community would become a reality. Beatrice was clear about her vision for the future of her family home:

“My hopes are that it can be preserved as a home…as a museum exemplary of a fine house of the early 1900’s with furnishings, rare books and artifacts kept intact, so the home can become a community center.”