Holly’s Railroad/Depot  history begins in 1855 with the construction of The Detroit, Milwaukee and Grand Haven Railroad. 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 Railroad and started connecting, in 1864, the Saginaw Valley 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 Railroad in 1872.  Large numbers of railroad workers lived in and around Holly and the repair and storage facilities were located in Holly. Because of this 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 destroyed the first.  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 railroad center and was in service until the 1970s.  It is a historical marker for not only Holly but also for the State of Michigan and Railway history overall. 

Holly is a destination location and a major part of that is our downtown and Battle Alley Social District. The area makes up a large portion of our overall Battle Alley Placemaking Strategy to draw people to Holly see the charm and beauty of our town- as well as all the great shops and restaurants.  We want everyone to know that Holly is the place to play, work and live!
The Holly community has a deep emotional connection to the Holly Union 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.  As part of the overall Battle Alley Placemaking Strategy we hope that the depot will become a part of that again!
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.
Local reporter, Joe Hass, would gather news from passengers to publish each day to entertain Holly residents.
Budget and Sources of Funding In 1998, the Depot building was stabilized and placed on the National Historic Registry but because safety rules were changed the current location of the building makes it unusable. Our first step is to have pre-move work done to have the Depot moved to its new location that is useable by the community. Re-cently, the Village of Holly purchased the land the Depot will be relocated to.
THE PLAN
Our goal is to make the Depot a place for people to gather again by moving it to a new location, 1,000 feet to the Northwest, in a safe area, away from the current railroad tracks. Once the depot has been moved, we will continue to work on rehabilitating the building to make it a usable asset to our community once again.
With your help we plan to relo-cate the Depot and make it a part of the heart and soul of Holly.
Railroads shaped our community and gave us a unique perspective. Moving the depot, which is on the National Registry of Historic Sites, will enable us to pre-serve a key part of our community history and help us showcase our unique history for those with-in our community and those who will visit. Restoring the Depot will enable it to become a part of our historical interest and help Holly continue to be a destination point in our area.
Moving the Depot closer to the downtown will make it usable to the community in many ways including:

PHASE 1 Pre-Move site work….…………… ……………………….......…$ 60,500
Foundation removal, utility removal, utility relocation, tree removal,
billboard removal, Sidewalk removal, partial salvage of stone floor.
PHASE 2 Building Moving………………………………...…….……....... $650,000
Basement excavation, new footings/foundation walls, steel structural for first floor.
PHASE 3 Depot rehabilitation and restoration..................................... $ 505,000
New HVAC, Electrical, plumbing, fire suppression system, 3” steel
deck with concrete topping, original wall reconfiguration, restore
finishes.
PHASE 4 Site Development ……………………………………………..... $ 440,400
Asphalt paving, concrete curbs, landscaping, brick and concrete
walks, decorative safety fencing, lighting.
Construction Total…………………………………….……………...…….. $1,655,900
Contingency Costs (10%) …………………………………...………………..$166,000
TOTAL ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTION COST $1,821,900

• we are working with Jeremy Watson of the Village of Holly, ROWE Engineering and Wolfe Movers, who are   
  experienced in moving historical buildings in a safe manner and will move our depot to the new area.
• we are working closely with Ron Campbell of Oakland County Main Street for our architectural and historical
  restoration guidance and
• have started preparing the new area for the building move and, with the help of this grant, plan to move it in the Spring

To date we have:

    Start foundation construction

 
The Organization
Main Street Holly is a 501c3 that was organized to pro-mote 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 burdens of the Village of Holly’s government.

Call To Action
The Depot stands today as a symbol of the railroad’s past importance. It was once the center
of the town, surrounded by constant activity in and around the facility. To most people, the
Depot was a sign of progress and, with your help, it will be again. We hope you will want to join us and “get in on the ground floor” of this exciting project! Your tax-deductible donation or willingness to help, will make a HUGE difference and allow the Village of Holly to breathe life back into this historical building.
Currently we have received help from; 

 As well as received in-kind services from many entities including 

We are looking for donations or connections to people who can donate
Ideas for fundraising
In-kind services people can provide
Getting the word out
If you would like more information on donating please contact Nick Klempp at nklempp@hollyvillage.org