Named for a company official from the Kansas City, Mexico, and Orient Railway, Hovey was established as a rail stop in 1913 (Justice). The settlement was always small, with approximately 25 residents through the late-1940’s. There was a general store, post office, school, and several stock and shipping buildings, in additional to homes for its residents. A new school was constructed after the original burned down in 1916, which taught seven grades until closing in 1938. It was used as a community center and church for some time and eventually relocated to Fort Stockton for preservation in 1987.
Today’s Hovey is a real ghost town. A few empty homes and buildings sit beside an abandoned rail line. The lack of any nearby major roads or highways has allowed nature to reclaim rather than vandalism and destruction. There is truly a feeling of a lost community.
