Page 2 - Depot Case Statement HTML

The Organization
Main Street Holly is a 501c3
that was organized to promote
the historic preservation,
protection and use of the
Village of Holly’s traditional
downtown area, including its commercial, civic, and religious enterprises and residences; and to contribute to the community’s betterment while lessening the bur- dens of the Village of Holly’s government.
The History
Holly’s Railroad history begins in 1855 with the construction of The Detroit, Milwaukee and Grand Haven RR. Passengers and goods flowed from Detroit to Pontiac and then Grand Haven in 1857. Henry Howland Crapo, a Flint lumberman, built a line which became The Flint and Holly RR and started in 1864 connecting the Saginaw Val- ley with Detroit and beyond and started a statewide lumber boom! Holly became the first railroad diamond in the state, and became a railroad center making a direct connection to Canada and East Coast through the Holly, Wayne, and Monroe RR in 1872. Large numbers of railroad workers lived in and around Holly and the repair and storage facilities were located in Holly. The Depot became the focal point of the community; not only bringing people and goods but also news and culture! The current Depot was built in 1886 after a devastating fire. It was considered one of the finest in the state and the rails helped to spur hotel, restaurants and bars in Holly. The depot is a key part of Holly as a rail- road center and was in service until the 1970s.
The Project
The Holly community has a deep emotional connection to the Depot. Breathing new life into our beloved building will evoke a sense of deep pride for our community! From the start people took excursions for shopping, visiting relatives, going to school, or sightseeing on vacations.
Other historical uses of the Rail in Holly included:
Taking troops to and from service up to the Korean war and in 1862 it brought the 10th regiment to Holly where Holly put on the 1,000 man meal for them.
Residents like Tom McKenney used it to travel to Notre Dame Prep and others like Steve Striggow used it to travel to Fenton. Youth used to jump the train to Walled Lake to an amusement park. Other families, like the Casters were RR families that worked for the Depot as station agents and track repairmen.
Many families would put nametags on their children and trust the rails to get them safely to their destination.
Historical figures like Carry Nation, George Bush Sr. and other presidents used the rails to come to Holly.