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Holly History

Although only 50 miles from the city of Detroit, many Michiganders consider Holly “up north.” 

The Holly area contains numerous glacial lakes and ponds, making it an ideal place for fishing, camping and hunting. 

Some of the buildings in Holly date to the mid-1870s and some of the homes are even older. It’s a perfect location to host the oldest longest-running Dickens Festival in the United States! 

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. 

Two devastating fires in the 1870s led the village to build the first waterworks system in Oakland County and all businesses were required to be built of brick. 

Holly’s Battle Alley, in the heart of the Village, earned the nickname more than 100 years ago due to the number of disputes settled there. The wild reputation of Battle Alley drew the attention of famous temperance activist, Carrie Nation and she and her anti-alcohol supporters beat patrons of the saloons with umbrellas and Nation used her ax to smash whiskey bottles. 

In June 2022, another fire threatened the Village. The six-alarm fire destroyed Arcade Antiques and severely damaged The Holly Hotel, Andy’s Place restaurant and the Holly Moose Lodge. 150 firefighters from departments across Oakland County answered the call to keep the fire from destroying the entire downtown area. 

Want to learn more about Holly past & present? Stop by the Hadley House Museum at 306 S. Saginaw Street from 1 – 4 pm or visit the links below.