This square is named after a great Methodist Missionary (from USA), Reverend James Matthew Hoover. Reverend Hoover was the first foreign pastor who served the Methodist Churches of Sibu. From 1903 to 1935, he had helped to build 41 churches and 40 schools all over Sibu. When the Fuzhou settlement pioneer, Mr.Wong Nai Siong, left Sibu in 1904, Rev. Hoover helped to manage the settlement. His contributions to the early development of Sibu were fondly and gratefully recognized.
In addition, he created history and modernized Sibu by being the first person to pioneer the use of the following items to Sibu: