H. Grove District Added to National Register
(contributed by Jane Dearing Dennis - from her mother's scrapbook)



        (this newspaper article didn't have a newspaper name or date)
	  The Holly Grove Historic District has been formally added to the National Register of
	Historic Places, according to Governor Bill Clinton. The district was approved on the
	state level in March, 1978, and has been in Washington since then pending final review.
	Most of the research for the nomination to the National Register was prepared by Mrs.
	Donald Dearing of Holly Grove and by the staff of the Arkansas Historic Preservation
	Program, a division of the Department of Arkansas Natural and Cultural Heritage.
	  Inclusion on the National Register means that the United States government has
	recognized the Holly Grove Historic District as a significant architectural and historic
	resource which is worthy of preservation. Financial incentives also accompany National
	Register status. Historic preservation grants-in-aid from the Department of the Interior
	and administered in Arkansas by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, are 
	available to owners of National Register structures. Provisions contained in the Tax
	Reform Act of 1976 also are dependent on National Regsiter listing. A degree of 
	protection from federally funded or sponsored projects also accompanies inclusion
	on the Register.
	  The Holly Grove Historic District is a concentrated collection of commercial structures
	in the downtown in southeast Arkansas. This area contains twenty commercial structures
	facing a Main Street divided by a wide green space. Originally railroad tracks ran
	through this center space in town, but they have been removed. Reflective of the
	significance of the railroad in the development of Holly Grove, the railroad depot 
	stands at the major downtown intersection.
	  Although Holly Grove is and always has been a farming community, the development of 
	the railroad was the major factor in formation of the town. The land was originally
	included in a land grant of November 15, 1836, to Henry Augustus Fay. In 1836, Holly
	Grove was a small community of plantation families. A more heavily populated community
	called Lawrenceville was located south of the railroad on Maddox Bay and was the
	governmental center of Monroe County until 1857 when Clarendon became the county seat.
	With the coming of the railroad in 1873, the population shifted from Lawrenceville
	and other surrounding areas to concentrate near the railroad tracks. On July 25, 1876,
	the town of Holly Grove was officially incorporated. The name Holly Grove was derived 
	from the many thickets of holly trees in the area.
	  The business district built up on either side of the railroad tracks which ran
	through the center of town. Jack and James Kerr, two plantation owners, gave the land
	for development of the town. It experienced a surge of growth in the early twentieth
	century. Around 1910 a local farmer, June Davidson acquired a contract for the
	manufacture of cross ties for the railroad. Holly Grove boomed for the next few years.
	By 1917 it had a newspaper, by 1920 a theater, in 1927 a gas station. The downtown
	district experienced its growth during this period of prosperity.
	  Architecturally the Holly Grove Historic District is a good example of vernacular
	commercial design. The present day Holly Grove reflects its beginnings. Old family
	names are found on the structures and signs; names associated as strongly with the
	past as with the present of Holly Grove.
	Old Depot, Now Bent Rail (from photo caption)
	  Perhaps the most important structure to the town, the Railroad Depot, was built in
	1889 by the Arkansas Midland Railroad Company. A.J.M. Smith donated the lot for the
	depot. The exterior of the building was originally of one-inch cypress boards. In
	1928 the depot was stuccoed. Originally the depot was painted yellow with brown trim.
	The color scheme has been maintained since its construction. The depot served as an
	office for the Wells Fargo and Company Expresses. Priotal in historic significance,
	the depot served as the central outlet for all travel in the area. The railroad
	offered a mode of transportation for moving farm products to market. All goods coming
	into Holly Grove came in the train. The railroad tracks have been taken out in recent
	years and the depot sold to local interests. Since 1974 the depot has been owned by
	the Holly Grove Depot Development Corporation. It is a major adaptive reuse, as it
	now serves as the "Bent Rail Restaurant".
	Franks Grocery (from photo caption
	  The Franks Grocery Building is a single story brick structure with a dentified
	metal cornice supported by metal brackets at each end. The store front is wooden 
	and the chamfered entrance contains double doors. This is just one of the many
	buildings in Holly Grove listed in the National Register of Historic Places.