Station: Holly, MI

Holly was settled about 1830 in northwest Oakland County. A sawmill was built here in 1843 and a grist mill shortly thereafter. It was called Algerville and then Holly Mills in 1851. The Detroit & Milwaukee railroad came through here in 1855. The town was renamed Holly in 1861 and it became a village in 1865. [MPN]

Holly was a crossing and interchange point on the Detroit & Milwaukee (later GTW/CN) and the Flint & Pere Marquette (later C&O/CSX). In addition to a union station, an interlocking tower was also located here to protect train movements over the crossing.

Photo Info: Top, the union station at Holly, serving the Grand Trunk Western and Pere Marquette railroads. 2nd photo, another view of the depot with a GTW passenger train present. [Alan Loftis collection]. 3rd photo, a Chesapeake & Ohio freight heads south past the union station in a 1963 winter view. [Charles Geletzke Jr]. 4th photo a 2003 view of the depot which has been updated. [Alan Loftis]. 5th photo, GTW 4556 pulls a freight train across Fish Lake Road west of Holly in 1969. [Charlie Whipp]

Notes

Time Line

1868. An addition of 20x48' was made to the building previously erected as a woodshed (which was 138x40') and the whole was turned into a car repair shop, it being considered an economy to make this change as 3/4 of all the platform cars do not run north of Pine Run, except for repairs. By placing the repair shop here, the cars are inspected both going and returning, and repairs can be made for want of which we would be liable to delays and accidents. [F&PM-1868]

1890. August 25. About 1,000 people, employees of the Flint & Pere Marquette railroad company and their friends picnicked at Holly to-day. [DFP-11890-0825]

1917. The GTW had an operator around the clock as well as a station agent. [TRT]