The Hanna Rover House is significant because of its splendid example of advanced farmhouse construction. The house’s form is rooted in the vernacular tradition of homestead houses built throughout America in the 19th Century. Its simple construction is hidden, however, by the carpenter’s use of decorative details and the ability to avoid square corners and shapes.

Charley (Dick) Williams built this house around 1912. Williams and his wife, Hanna, however, did not move into the house until 1917. Apparently, Hanna did not want to move into the house because it meant leaving their original house on the farm. The Williams family homesteaded the land and owned 320 acres; they operated a small ranch and sold their milk to William Bishop’s creamery at Chimacum.