Holly Springs is a town in

Wake County, North Carolina Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 41,239, a 67% increase from 2010.

History

Etymology

The town's name refers to the free flowing springs that emerge into a stream and small lake surrounded by large mature holly trees.

Early history

The Tuscarora Indians used the area around Holly Springs as a hunting ground prior to colonial settlement. This tribe fled North Carolina around 1720 to escape the influx of Europeans and eventually became the sixth nation of the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

. The town of Holly Springs grew around fresh water springs, believed to be the original "holly springs", near the intersection of what is now Avent Ferry Road and Cass Holt Road. These roads linked

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

to the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Carol ...

and ultimately to Fayetteville as well as linking Hillsborough to Smithfield.

19th century

By 1800, the crossroads had spawned a village, including a general store built by Richard Jones, a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

church, and a

Masonic lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

. These were soon followed by a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

and cotton gin. Archibald Leslie, a Scottish tailor, arrived in the community around 1817, opened a tailoring business and a store and soon began construction of a house near the springs. This 38-room mansion, now known as the Leslie-Alford-Mims House, is located off Avent Ferry Road near Town Hall. Holly Springs Baptist Church, established in 1822, was the town's first successful church. The Masonic Lodge #115 was formed in 1847, and in 1854 a two-story lodge building was erected. This building also served as one of the town's first schools. Holly Springs Academy opened its doors in 1854 to prepare young men for admission to

Wake Forest College Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the u ...

. Two years later, the first floor of the lodge was used as a school for local girls. The lodge was honored with a historical-site plaque in the fall of 2006. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, North Carolina seceded from the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

. Captain Oscar R. Rand recruited willing men of all ages to join Governor

Zebulon Baird Vance Zebulon Baird Vance (May 13, 1830 – April 14, 1894) was the 37th and 43rd governor of North Carolina, a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War. A prolific writer and noted public speake ...

's 26th Infantry Regiment in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. On a single day at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, during the assault known as

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge (July 3, 1863), also known as the Pickett–Pettigrew–Trimble Charge, was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee against Major General George G. Meade's Union positions on the last day of the ...

, 13 of the 14 commanding officers died. Only 81 soldiers out of a unit of 880 would survive. With the men of the town gone, both schools in Holly Springs closed, and Holly Springs became a virtual ghost town. When the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

receded northward, Holly Springs lay in its path. Bands of marauding robbers known as "bummers" raided the area farms and homesteads, taking food, supplies, silver, clothes and anything of value. Also during the war, for a two-week period, a segment of the Union Army encamped near Holly Springs and set up headquarters in the Leslie-Alford-Mims House. It is reported that Mrs. Leslie hated the

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United S ...

s bitterly but loved her home more, so she treated them with cool civility. This may have protected the house from destruction, the fate of many other grand southern houses. Mrs. Leslie is said to have “charmed the soldiers so that they didn't burn the house down, but they did get the chickens.” The little community of Holly Springs had appeared to be on its way to becoming a bustling town, but the Civil War ultimately left the community economically devastated. Some families moved away. The exodus was encouraged by construction of the Chatham

Railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

through the village of

Apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex, ...

, giving that neighboring town a link to the outside world which Holly Springs did not have. Historian M. N. Amis described Holly Springs in 1871 as "a deserted village." The Town of Holly Springs was established in 1877. In 1875, George Benton Alford moved his successful mercantile business from Middle Creek Township to Holly Springs and was instrumental in beginning an economic revival in the community. A year later he bought the Leslie house, which was the centerpiece of the village. Over the years he made significant additions and improvements to the house until it became one of the largest mansions in Wake County, one of the few with its own ballroom. Alford, a businessman and politician, started several businesses including a mercantile store, a sawmill, a cotton gin and the Holly Springs Land and Improvement Company, and eventually, the General Assembly granted the town a charter. He started a newspaper, ''The Cape Fear Enterprise,'' which he used to promote the town. He also got other prominent men in the community to join him in seeking a charter of incorporation for the Cape Fear and Northern Railroad, which became the

Durham and Southern Railway The Durham and Southern Railway operated of railroad from Dunn to Durham, North Carolina, USA. It was originally chartered as the Cape Fear and Northern Railway by Holly Springs resident George Benton Alford in 1892 and construction began in ...

. During the post-war period, several attempts were made to revive the Holly Springs Academy, but none was successful. For a time, children were taught in private homes, and eventually the first co-educational school, serving 125 students, was opened by the Masons.

20th century

In 1906, the town addressed the need for a larger and better-equipped facility to educate the children. Under the leadership of Raymond A. Burt, J. Carter, and the Women's School Betterment Association, 10 acres (40,000 m²) near the springs were purchased (this was, in time, the site of the library and cultural arts center). The first bell rang for classes in 1908. By this point, Alford was a wealthy man, and he had dreams of turning Holly Springs into an industrial town of 10,000 people. The town's population had not increased a great deal, holding at around 300, but the business community and the schools were drawing outsiders. The flourishing village was once again struck down by war with the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The young men went off to fight, and many others went away to work in war-related industry. In 1923 Alford died, leaving the town without an effective voice in political circles. Then came the Great Depression. The Bank of Holly Springs, established before the turn of the 20th century, failed in 1924. Holly Springs experienced difficulty during this time, although

WPA WPA may refer to: Computing *Wi-Fi Protected Access, a wireless encryption standard *Windows Product Activation, in Microsoft software licensing * Wireless Public Alerting (Alert Ready), emergency alerts over LTE in Canada * Windows Performance An ...

funds were used to build a school auditorium. The town missed out on the new federal road-building projects being carried out to provide employment.

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

did what World War I had done, drawing more young people away from Holly Springs to war and/or to cities for jobs. At the close of the war Holly Springs was faced with a stagnant population. During the early 1950s, while most

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cities and towns were booming, Holly Springs remained at a stand still. During the early 1960s, with a population stabilized at around 580, the town installed fluorescent street lights about the same time that

Highway 55 The following highways are numbered 55: International * European route E55 * Arab Mashreq route M55 Argentina * San Luis Provincial Route 55 Australia * Carnarvon Highway * Castlereagh Highway * Karoonda Highway Belgium * N55 road (Belgiu ...

(Main Street) was widened. A general clean-up effort netted the town an award from a state appearance committee. Racially the town became less balanced with a stronger minority population existing to the late 1980s. During this period several black businesses were flourishing: a dry cleaning business, barbershop, three neighborhood stores, and the local gathering place of the "Packhouse" built by one of the town's prominent black citizens by the name of George Grigsby, for whom Grigsby Avenue (previously called Old Fuquay Road) was named. The town board consisted of many of its prominent black citizens, among them Burnis Lassiter, Cora Lassiter, James Norris (Holly Springs' first black mayor), John McNeil, Edison Perkins, George Kimble, and "Preacher" Beckwith. Later, in the 1980s other prominent black citizens joined the town council, among them Nancy Womble, Reverend Otis Byrd, and Parrish "Ham" Womble, who served on the council for 28 years and was also interim mayor for a year. During this period the town hired Dessie Mae Womble, the first black female chief of police in the state of North Carolina. As segregation gave way to integration, the Holly Springs School for Blacks was closed, and many of its students were sent to surrounding communities to further their educations. This was the beginning of an era of busing for the community, which continued until the late 1990s when Holly Springs Elementary School on Holly Springs Road was opened. It was not until the town built its first sewage plant in 1987 that any real growth occurred. It was 1992 before Holly Springs, in line for the spillover from increased populations in

Cary Cary may refer to: Places ;United States * Cary, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area * Cary, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area * Cary, Miami County, Indiana * Cary, Maine * Cary, Mississippi * Cary, North Carolina ...

and

, suddenly boomed. Population increased from 900 in 1992 to an estimated 6,000 in 1998 to nearly 25,000 in 2010.

21st century

Holly Springs Community Library, part of the Wake County Public Library system, and a cultural arts facility opened in early December 2006. On July 18, 2006, it was announced that the pharmaceutical company

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...

would be building a manufacturing facility in Holly Springs and employing approximately 350 to produce flu vaccines using new technologies. The manufacturing facility was built on in Holly Springs Business Park off N.C. 55 Bypass. Construction was completed in late 2008. Novartis's investment is at least US$267 million and eventually could reach US$600 million.

Bristol-Myers Squibb The Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS) is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in New York City, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consistently ranks on the ''Fortune'' 500 list of the lar ...

expressed interest in county-owned land along N.C. 55 Bypass at the future interchange of Interstate 540. The County originally expressed a desire to allow the proposed landfill site to be used for economic development to be sold to the company. However, county leaders refused to relocate a solid waste transfer station which would be at the entrance. When the company decided not to locate on the site, the

Wake County Board of Commissioners The Wake County Board of Commissioners is the governing board for Wake County, which includes the City of Raleigh. As of the 2010 census, the population of Wake County was 900,993 making it North Carolina's second most populated county. Its county ...

voted five to two to proceed with plans to build a landfill there. For years, town leaders have become increasingly confident that Holly Springs is positioned to experience high growth, propelled by the economic engine of Research Triangle Park (RTP). At a distance of , Holly Springs is close to RTP. On April 16, 2011, a large

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

touched down close to the Holly Springs town center, uprooting trees and destroying homes and buildings.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.78%, is water. Neighboring towns include

to the north and

Fuquay-Varina Fuquay-Varina ( ) is a town in southern Wake County, North Carolina, United States, lying south of Holly Springs and southwest of Garner, and north of the Harnett County town of Angier and west of the unincorporated community of Willow Sp ...

to the south.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 41,239 people, 11,202 households, and 9,307 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 24,661 people, 8,147 households, and 6,706 families residing in the town. In the 2000 census, there were only 9,192 people, 3,316 households, and 2,609 families residing in the town, demonstrating a large rate of growth during the past decade. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 1,633.18 people per square mile. There were 8,658 housing units in 2010, an increase from only 3,642 housing units in 2000. The racial makeup of the town was 79.80%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 12.6%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.40% Native American, 2.9%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.8% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 6.30% of the population. There were 8,147 households, out of which 55.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.38. In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.4% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 45.0% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. The population was also 51.4% female and 48.6% male. The median income for a household in the town was $85,000, and the median income for a family was $92,539. Males had a median income of $66,630 versus $43,326 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $31,527. About 2.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The

Harrington-Dewar House Harrington-Dewar House is a historic house located near Duncan, NC, Harnett County, North Carolina. The main house dates to 1865, and is a two-story frame I-house with vernacular Greek Revival style design elements. At the rear is an older tw ...

Holly Springs Masonic Lodge Holly Springs Masonic Lodge is a historic Masonic Lodge located at Holly Springs, Wake County, North Carolina. It was built about 1852, and is a two-story, Greek Revival influenced frame building with a side gable roof. It has a one-story, hip r ...

, and Leslie-Alford-Mims House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Sports

The

Holly Springs Salamanders The Holly Springs Salamanders are an amateur baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, North Carolina. The Salamanders are coached by Brian Ro ...

, founded in 2015, are a collegiate summer baseball team in the

Coastal Plain League The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal League which operated in the area from 19 ...

Parks and recreation

Public recreation facilities include: * Bass Lake Park * Capital Area Greenway * Jones Park * North Main Athletic Complex * Parrish Womble Park * Sugg Farm Park * W.E. Hunt Recreation Center

Education

Public charter schools

* Pine Springs Preparatory Academy

Public schools (Wake County Public School System)

* Holly Grove Elementary School * Holly Ridge Elementary School * Holly Springs Elementary School * Oakview Elementary School * Holly Ridge Middle School * Holly Grove Middle School * Holly Springs High School

Private schools

* The New School Montessori Center * Primrose School at Holly Grove

Notable people

Andrew Capobianco Andrew Capobianco (born October 13, 1999) is an American Olympic diver. Career In 2021 he qualified with his diving partner Michael Hixon for the U.S. Olympic Diving Team, to compete in the men's synchronised 3m springboard. Later during the ...

, American

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

diver *

Daniel Dhers Daniel Dhers (born March 25, 1985, in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan professional BMX rider. He is currently sponsored by Red Bull, POC, DC Shoes, Specialized, Albe's Mailorder, Sony and Verizon. Dhers lived in Greenville, North Carolina ...

, professional BMX rider *

Brad Fritsch Brad Fritsch (born November 9, 1977) is a Canadian professional golfer. Career Fritsch was born in Edmonton, Alberta and grew up in Ottawa, Ontario. Fritsch played on the Canadian Tour from 2001 to 2006 and again from 2010 to 2011. His best fi ...

, professional golfer * C. J. Leslie, professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player *

Kiara Leslie Kiara Leslie (born December 6, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Leslie played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpa ...

, WNBA player * Hoke Norris, journalist and author *

Carlos Rodón Carlos Antonio Rodón (born December 10, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played MLB for the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants. Rodón is a two- ...

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher *

Andrew Wantz Andrew Hunter Wantz (born October 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021. Amateur career A native of Holly Springs, North Carolina, Wantz pla ...

pitcher * Linda Hunt Williams, member of the North Carolina House of Representatives * Susana Žigante, women's soccer player; member of the Croatia women's national teamSusana Zigante - Women's Soccer - Grand Canyon University
Retrieved October 30, 2020.

References

* Town of Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce: Town History
/cite> * Town of Holly Springs: Town History
/cite>

External links

Town of Holly Springs official website

Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Towns in Wake County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina Populated places established in 1800 1800 establishments in North Carolina