USA > Michigan > Oakland County > History of Oakland County, Michigan, with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, palatial residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and important manufactories > Part 54
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A plank-road was laid from Holly to Flint in 1855-56, and was for some time kept in good repair. It was finally left to run itself, and at present the only traces of it are occasional worn pieces of plank pushing up at various angles, in about such shape as Mississippi river snags, although not quite as great sources of danger. This was the only plank-road ever constructed in the township, and will most probably be the last.
MILITARY.
When the rebel guns opened upon Fort Sumter in April, 1861, the echoes traveled with lightning speed to the north, and were answered by responsive throbs in the heart of every patriot in the land. The desire to at once take up arms and wipe out the insult to the nation was everywhere at the highest pitch, and nowhere was the excitement greater than at Holly. Immediately succeeding the president's call of April 15, 1861, for seventy-five thousand men for three months' service, the following persons volunteered from the township of Holly:
Edwin Joslin, John McCann (rejected), Thomas Smith (rejected), John Goodrich, and Virgil Halstead.
In 1862 nearly the whole of Company C, Eighth Michigan Cavalry, was raised in the township, and rendezvoused at Mount Clemens, Macomb county. The original officers of this company were Jerome B. Calkins, captain ; John M. Baird, first lieutenant ; William Merryweather, second lieutenant.
It is said that the first bounties offered in the county were paid at a meeting held at the old school-house, on Saginaw street, in Holly village. The money was advanced by William Young and James Patterson.
About one hundred and sixty men volunteered from Holly township during the war. Twenty of them were reported killed or dead of disease, and six were brought back and buried in the home cemeteries. The direct war taxes on the township amounted to thirteen thousand six hundred dollars.
Thus it will be seen that both men and means were furnished as soon as needed, and the patriotism of the citizens of the township never can be doubted. Her sons " fought the good fight," and helped to conquer. Those who safely returned bear the laurels richly earned, while those who rest on southern fields, their bones again mingled with the dust from which they sprang, have taught a rescued country the value of gratitude. Theirs was the fate of the patriot, and in their green graves, by river, mountain, and plain, let them calmly sleep till they shall awake to the sound of the final trump, and greet again the ones who, next to their coun- try, were best beloved.
The first celebration of the anniversary of American independence was held on section 22, July 4, 18 9, at the hotel kept by Wm. Young. Mr. Young had arranged two tables, each twelve rods in length, and fed the hungry at the rate of fifty cents a couple. He had also brought a gun and a gunner from Clarkston, and the forest re-echoed to the thundering salvos belched forth from the brazen throat of the single piece of ordnance, while the people listened to strains of elo- quence which proceeded from the lips of Michael E. Crofoot and Hiram Rood, of Pontiac, who were the orators of the day. The " forest primeval" probably never had a gathering beneath its shade at which greater good feeling was manifested or a happier company of people congregated. Those of the pioneers who are living yet recall the occasion as one of the bright links which connect the history of the past with that of the present, and could the same people be gathered together to- day, the reunion would be most pleasant and the enjoyment of all complete.
SCHOOLS.
A school was opened in 1833 in a log school-house, which was built on the turnpike, where it crosses the line between Groveland and Holly. The building stood immediately upon the township-line, and was the first school-house built in either township. The first teacher was an Irishman named Hugh Dougherty, who taught a very popular school. The original number of pupils was twelve. Some members of a family named Galloway were wont to mischievously pro- nounce the teacher's name "Dog-harty." The school-house was burned to the ground some years after it had been abandoned for school purposes. While it was in use occasional preaching was held in it,-".old Elder Gamble," of Grand Blanc, Genesee county, a clergyman of the Baptist denomination, holding forth in the neighborhood at different periods.
The second building erected for school purposes was built in 1837, on section 26. About a dozen pupils attended, and were taught by Anna Dobkins in the branches then deemed of most importance. The first male teacher in this build- ing was C. P. Jones.
About the same year (1837) a log school-house was built on section 36, and stood on the opposite side of the road from the present residence of Moses Smith. The first teacher was a young lady named Adelia Young, who is said to have been an excellent lady, and a good teacher, though at that time but fifteen or six- teen years of age. She afterwards married John Allen, thereby terminating a courtship, it is stated, of seven years. A frame school-house was some time after- wards built near the site of the present frame structure, on land taken partially from the Moses Smith farm.
There are at present eight schools in the township outside of Holly village, and all are neat and substantial buildings. The number of school-children is in the neighborhood of seven hundred. The population of the township, including the village, is about two thousand seven hundred, of which number about two thousand are in the village alone.
VILLAGE OF HOLLY.
This place owes its start and subsequent growth to the location through its site of the Detroit and Milwaukee railway. This line was completed as far as Holly in 1855, the first train arriving in October of that year. Previous, however, to the building of the railway, a small settlement had been formed, which was the nucleus of the present thriving and busy village. The first station-agent at this
* Authority of Peter Fagan.
1
4
Charles Imsman
RESIDENCE OF CHARLES TINSMAN, HOLLY, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICH.
SAMUEL GREEN
MRS. SAMUEL GREEN.
-------
RESIDENCE OF SAMUEL GREEN, HOLLY TP, OAKLAND CO., MICH .
197
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
point was Ira C. Alger, and the first car-load of wheat shipped to Detroit was forwarded by Everett Wendell and A. W. Buell. The amount of freight for- warded from Holly station for the year ending July 1, 1876, was 18,980,946 pounds ; amount received, 7,909,179 pounds; total, 26,890,125 pounds; or nearly 13,500 tons. The number of passenger tickets sold for the same period was 19,491. These figures show nearly the annual average of the business of the road at this station since it was completed. A considerable number of the employees reside in the village, and the annual aggregate of their wages is some- thing over $13,000. An accommodation train runs from this place to Detroit, leaving early in the morning, and is of much advantage to persons doing business in the city and living outside, or to those going to it to trade.
The Flint and Pere Marquette railway was completed between Holly and Flint in 1862, and the Holly, Wayne and Monroe railway opened for travel as far as Monroe in 1870. These two roads were afterwards consolidated, and the name " Flint and Pere Marquette railway" now applies to the entire line.
For the year ending July 1, 1876, the amount of freight forwarded over this road was 12,586,834 pounds ; freight received, 25,910,090 pounds; total, 38,496,924 pounds ; or over 19,200 tons. The number of passenger tickets sold during the same time was 18,953}, with an estimated value of $22,000. Over twenty of the employees reside in the village, and are annually paid over $14,000. The machine-shops are located here, and all breakages between Flint and Monroe are here repaired. All the hand-cars and track-tools used on the road are manu- factured at these shops, and Holly has become one of the most important stations on the line.
THE FIRST FRAME HOUSE
built on the site of the village was erected by Charles Warren, now living on sec- tion 22, before the Detroit and Milwaukee railway was completed.
A saw-mill was built by Ira C. Alger in 1843, and the first log was sawed therein on the 18th day of August of that year. The next year (1844) Mr. Alger erected a grist-mill, which contained two run of four-feet stones. The first grain was ground in December, 1844. This mill afterwards became the prop- erty of William F. Hadley, who sold in 1857 to the present proprietor, Martin Stiff .* The latter has greatly enlarged and improved it, and it does probably more business than any like institution in the county.
A foundry was established in 1858 by Samuel Adams. The next year it passed into the hands of the present proprietor, James E. Church.
A second foundry was erected by Daniel Smoke, in 1870. Mr. S. is still operating it. Both foundries do a fair business.
A post-office was established in 1846, mainly through the instrumentality of Peter Fagan. This was the first post-office in the township, and was kept by Marcus Young, postmaster. The name-" Holly Mills post-office"-was given to it by Mr. Fagan. The mail-route was from Groveland cottage, on the turn- pike, in Groveland township, to Holly, and the mail was carried on horseback by Daniel Donaldson. The office now has several thousand patrons, and handles a large amount of mail matter, including periodicals. A considerable business is done in money-orders. David Hobart is the present postmaster.
Besides the newspapers and magazines received through the office, the different news-dealers dispose of a large number additional. The number of packages an- nually received by express numbers over six thousand.
The first school in the village was taught by Miss Caroline Norris, in the win- ter of 1845-46. The old school-house stood on Saginaw street, and was used for various purposes.
The Holly Union school-building was begun in the fall of 1867, and completed the following summer, at a cost, including grounds and furniture, of over $26,000. The Union school was organized in the fall of 1868, and the school census of that year shows an enrollment of three hundred and seventy-three pupils, and an average attendance of two hundred and fifty-five. The cost of maintaining the school was two thousand eight hundred and eighty dollars.
The course is divided into primary, grammar, and high school departments, each department requiring four years to complete, thus making the entire course twelve years, beside a preparatory course to entering the State university. An- cient languages are taught without extra charge, and there is also provided a good chemical and philosophical apparatus for the use of students.
The teachers for the school-year of 1876-77 were : Principal, William Thomas ; Preceptress, Miss Alice Cooper ; Grammar Department, Miss Kate M. Miles, Miss Ella A. Farnsworth ; Primary Department, Mrs. Amelia Norris, Miss Georgie Holland. The total annual expenses of the school, including the salaries of teachers, janitor's wages, fuel, lights, etc., are over three thousand dollars. The building is a large brick structure, three stories in height, surmounted by a belfry, in which hangs a fine bell. The grounds are located in the eastern part
of the village, occupying the south half of the block bounded by Maple, Centre, East, and College streets.
The union school building being deemed inadequate to accommodate the large number of pupils, a one-story brick school-house has recently been erected in the southwest part of the village, at a cost of one thousand dollars. The teacher for the school-year of 1876-77 was Miss Ada Plumer. The people of Holly have just cause for pride in their schools and school buildings.
The first hotel in the village was located on Broad street, and kept by Leicester Hodsky. The next was the " Donaldson House," also on Broad street, and now used for boarding-house purposes. The third hotel in the village, and at the time the most extensive, was built by Ira C. Alger.t
The present " National House" was built by William Sickles ahout 1860-61. He carried it on for a while, and since his time it has been run by a number of persons, among them Dr. Ira C. Alger and Henry Springer. The present pro- prietor is E. Van Every, who came to the county in 1836 and located in the village of Franklin, Southfield township, eight miles south of Pontiac. After residing at that place a number of years he removed to a farm in Rose township, where he lived till 1862, when he came to Holly and engaged in hotel-keeping in the old " Northern Hotel," on the corner of Saginaw and Maple streets. Mr. Van Every changed its name to " Union Hotel" while occupying it. This was the same building afterwards purchased and rebuilt by William Young, and finally burned.
On the corner where the " Washington House" now stands was originally a small one-story frame dwelling, which George Alger purchased and enlarged and transformed into a saloon, and finally into a hotel. The location is in the busi- ness part of town, and the hotel enjoys a good reputation with the traveling public. The present proprietor is William H. Van Steenberg.
The " Exchange Hotel," the largest in the village, was erected about 1864 by Henry Springer and Jacob Van Steenberg. The latter, while the house was under construction, attempted to cross the railway track in front, and was run over by a locomotive, which cut off one of his legs. Springer some time afterwards committed suicide. This house was formerly known as the " Holly Exchange," but the name has been altered to " Exchange Hotel." Mr. A. Calkins, one of the present proprietors, assumed charge of the house about eight years since, and under his management it has become one of the best hotels in the county. It is located near the railway station, and convenient to travelers generally.
Numerous other hotels on a small scale have been in operation at different times, and the business has always been well represented in the village. Several disastrous fires have occurred among them.
Besides the business transacted at the three hotels and the numerous boarding- houses, the restaurant at the station has a large custom, many of the trains on both roads stopping here for refreshments.
The first cabinet-shop was opened by Joseph Winglemire, who still continues in the business.
Ahasuerus W. Buell established the first dry-goods store, and Mr. Bristol the first grocery.
The first saloon was opened by Robbins Jones. The second store was probably started by Messrs. Tindall and Arms.
The first resident physician was Dr. - Carter, who came at the same time with A. W. Buell. The members of the medical fraternity at present residing in town are Drs. De Witt C. Wade, L. E. Wickens, Oscar N. Tindall, Daniel D. Bartholomew, Thomas B. Johnson, L. I. Wicker, Ira C. Alger, and D. R. Stone.
The first regular attorney was Thomas A. Young, son of William Young. Those now living in the village are Thomas L. Patterson, Fred. P. Watrous, Milton M. Burnham, and H. M. Norris.
The fine brick block on Broad street, known as the " Balcony block," was built by John M. Baird and others in 1870, and was at the time the best in the county. On the ground-floor are six store-rooms, all large, well lighted, and convenient ; the second story contains a number of offices, and several rooms occupied for dwelling purposes ; the third story is divided into two large and fine halls,-the one known as " Baird's Hall," for public use, and the Masonic Hall. This block is a credit to the enterprise of the citizens of Holly, and would grace the street of any town or city in the State.
The original plat of the village of Holly was laid out by James G. Mitchell in 1855, and in 1858 he made an addition which was called "J. G. Mitchell's Northern Addition." A. W. Buell made additions in 1857 and 1858, and others were platted as follows : William Sickels' addition, 1858; John M. Baird's ad- dition, 1865 ; William L. Young's addition, December, 1865; James B. Simon- son's addition, 1865 ; Moses B. Jones' addition, October, 1865; Edward Tenny's addition, 1866; Thomas Smith' addition, September, 1867; Stiff's addition,
# See biographical sketch.
+ Authority of M. M. Burnham, Esq.
# Authority of E. Van Every.
,
198
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
November, 1865; James B. Simonson's second addition, 1867 ; H. M. Baldwin's addition, June, 1867; Baird and Green's addition, by John M. Baird and Oliver H P. Green, 1869 ; Bela Cogshall's addition, 1869 ; John M. Baird's western addition, 1871 ; Hadley's addition, by Charles F. Hadley et al, 1874.
The village was incorporated by act of the legislature in 1865, and the follow- ing were the first corporation officers elected, viz. :
President, James B. Simonson ; Recorder, John G. Crawford; Treasurer, A. P. Waldo; Trustees, Francis Baker, William Van Steenberg, and William Stiff.
The present elected officers are : President, Darius H. Stone ; Recorder, James G. Mitchell; Treasurer, Sidney S. Wilhelm; Trustees, George Dudley, Bela Cogshall, Moses A. Plumer.
.
The corporation is one and one-fourth miles square, and includes the south- west quarter of the southeast quarter of section 27, the south half of the south- west quarter of section 27, the south half of the southeast quarter of section 28, the east half of section 33, and all of section 34 except the east half of the north- east quarter and the east half of the southeast quarter; in all, one thousand acres. The immediate vicinity of the corporation, across the line in Rose township, is quite thickly settled, and within its limits are Simonson's, Bevins', and a portion of Bush lakes, besides the mill-pond.
THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF HOLLY
was organized in December, 1870, with a capital of $50,000, which was increased to $60,000 January 1, 1872. The highest amount of deposits at any one time has been $63,000, and the highest amount of loans $106,000. The total net profits to date (July 1, 1877) have been $37,000. Dividends paid to stockhold- ers, $30,000 ; leaving surplus profits, $7000. The present officers are: Presi- dent, James B. Simonson ; Vice-President, Jefferson K. Tindall; Cashier, J. C. Simonson ; Teller, E. M. Newell.
J. B. Simonson, the president of the bank, came from Roxbury, Delaware county, New York, and settled in Royal Oak in September, 1835. His wife and one child, a son, were with him. In 1841 he removed to Birmingham, and stayed there two years. In 1844 he again moved, this time to Springfield town- ship. and located at Springfield post-office, on the old Detroit and Saginaw turnpike. While residing at that place he was postmaster for twelve years, and also kept a general store. Mr. Simonson finally sold his stock at Springfield post-office, and opened another store at the Anderson settlement, in the same township, where he stayed but a short time. He had previously (in 1858) built and opened a gen- eral store in Holly,-the building now known as the "Simonson block," on Saginaw street. He finally came to Holly, and has made it his place of residence ever since. At the time he came first to the village there were but four buildings north of the railroad track, and they were all small. One of them was a saloon, kept by D. G. Collier, and there were several saloons in full blast south of the track. Mr. Simonson now occupies a fine residence on Maple street. His son, J. C. Simonson, present cashier of the bank, has been married for some time ; and a daughter, Miss Lizzie Simonson, has lately become the bride of Hon. Mark S. Brewer, of Pontiac, representative in Congress from the sixth district of Michigan.
THE MERCHANTS' NATIONAL BANK OF HOLLY
was organized May 10, 1872, and began business with a capital of $50,000. The highest amount of deposits held at any one time has been $47,000, and the high- est amount of loans $78,000. The net profits to July 1, 1877, have been $28,000. The present officers are : President, Thomas Hadley ; Vice-President, D. R. Stone; Cashier, Sidney S. Wilhelm ; Directors, Thomas Hadley, Joseph Hadley, Charles F. Hadley, D. H. Stone, D. K. Stone, S. S. Wilhelm, Bela Cogshall, W. H. Hovey, H. W. Downing. The bank is located in the brick block on Saginaw street, oppo- site the post-office, and occupies two rooms.
A short resume of the business of Holly will serve to show its importance in the county and State :
The Holly flouring-mills, during the year 1875, purchased 111,539.46 bushels of wheat, at a cost of $184,783.75; 9228.03 bushels of oats, costing $3053.74; 4071.10 bushels of corn, costing $1888.43; 392.15 bushels of buckwheat, cost- ing 8271.36; total, 12,523,074 bushels of grain, costing the large sum of $189,997.28. The total sales of mill products for the same season amounted to $215,706.48. The annual expenses of running the mill, including the wages of ten hands, are over $5000. The average daily production of flour is one hundred and fifty barrels, although the capacity of the mill is two hundred barrels per diem.
The sales of the merchants and manufacturers of all classes, exclusive of the products of the Holly mills, and the business of coal, lime, and ice, amount to the annual sum of over half a million dollars.
Considerable business is done in the stock line, large numbers of cattle, sheep, etc., being annually shipped from this station, with an estimated value of two
hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Jay Adams is the heaviest stock-dealer in the place.
The manufactures, exclusive of the products of the Holly mills, amount to seventy-nine thousand and fifty dollars.
The coal consumed costs annually over five thousand dollars, principally used for manufacturing purposes.
There is insurance on property in the village and township to the amount of more than six hundred thousand dollars.
The various ice companies have storage room for ten thousand to fifteen thou- sand tons of ice. During the winter of 1875-76, the amount harvested and housed by companies and individuals was ten thousand five hundred and ten tons, and large quantities were shipped south, as there was no good ice formed that winter south of Oakland County. The winter of 1876-77 was more generally cold, and the ice supply was large in all localities, and it was not necessary to store as much at Holly.
THE FIRST NEWSPAPER
in the village was the Holly Register, established by a Mr. Crawford, in 1865. Crawford carried it on about a year, and sold to E. Frank Blair. On the 29th of May, 1869, it was purchased by Henry Jenkins, the present editor and pro- prietor. The paper is a twenty-eight column weekly journal, with one side (" patent") printed at Chicago, and the other on a hand-press in the office. This press is said to have been the first one ever brought to Oakland County, and was used for a long time at Pontiac. The circulation of the sheet is something over five hundred.
The Holly Times, a thirty-two column paper, also issued weekly, and all printed at home, was established in December, 1875, by Thomas V. Perkins. Its circu- lation was over five hundred, and the business men of the place gave it sixteen columns of advertisements. It would have proved a paying institution if rightly managed, but was allowed to run down, and finally its publication ceased altogether.
The Oakland Advertiser, a sixteen-column monthly journal, neutral in politics, was established in May, 1877, by Frederick Slocum, and already has a circulation of over one thousand. It is a thoroughly alive sheet, and meets the demands of the business men, besides furnishing the news.
The village can boast of having more than eight miles of sidewalks, in addition to her many other improvements.
THE LAKESIDE CEMETERY
was laid out in 1875. This beautiful resting-place for the dead is located in the northeastern part of the corporation, on the shore of Bush lake, and is truly a credit to the place. The walks are laid in beautiful curves, and the nature of the ground has been studied and considered in the work of platting. A considerable number of neat head-stones are already in place, and the citizens point with just pride to the ground where they " must shortly lie."
" There is a calm for those who weep, A rest for weary pilgrims found ; They softly lie and sweetly sleep, Low in the ground."
And a more enchanting spot could not have been chosen for a burial-place than that occupied by this new and beautiful cemetery. A remarkable incident is given in connection with this notice, which is worth preserving. About the middle of March, 1877, a man named Crapo Lake, an old and esteemed citizen and pioneer of this section, died, and, though living near a cemetery, desired to have his remains interred in the Lakeside cemetery. After his funeral it was deemed proper to place his mother, who had been buried over fourteen years, beside him. They went to her grave and began the work of exhumation, and when down about the depth of an ordinary grave the spade struck against a hard substance, supposed to be a rock. Their surprise was great when the supposed rock was found to be the body they were in search of, petrified to the consistency and appearance of marble. A coffin was procured, as nothing remained of the old one, and four men were taxed considerably in strength in lifting the body into it. It was said by the sexton, who had charge of the proceeding, that every lineament of form and feature was as perfect as in life. This circumstance created great excitement for a while, and was an event long to be remembered.
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