In 1838, Holly became the last township in Oakland County.
In 1855, the Detroit, Milwaukee and Pontiac Railroad finally reached Holly from Detroit. Holly turned out to be a crucial junction in the east-west line. The railroads created hotels and dining establishments.
Henry Howland Crapo was a lumberman with significant timber and land holdings, but to make money from the lumber, he had to find a way to ship it. He created the Flint & Holly Railroad, which opened on Nov. 1, 1864, connecting Flint to Holly. The new railroad company also opened the Saginaw Valley to settlement and started a lumber boom that lasted for over two decades.
Holly became the first railroad junction in the state, and in 1865, the Village of Holly was incorporated. While trains were the life blood of the area's economy, the Village remained small and the surrounding townships rural.
