Welcome to Holly Hill

Holly Hill is a beautiful small rural town located in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. We’re close to major metropolitan centers such as Charleston and Columbia and near both fresh water Lake Marion and the beaches on the Atlantic coast!

The town’s motto is "Proud Past, Progressive Future."

Founded in 1887, Holly Hill is about 25 miles southeast of the county seat, the City of Orangeburg. According to Census 2010 figures, Holly Hill has 1,281 residents. The total population of Orangeburg County in 2010 was 92,501.

Location

Holly Hill is located in the eastern part of Orangeburg County near interstates I-95 and I-26.

The main highway serving Holly Hill is U.S. Route 176, a spur of US 76 in South Carolina and North Carolina.

Weather

One of Holly Hill’s many appealing attributes is its comfortable weather -- warm summers and mild winters.

According to the U.S. Climate Data website the average annual high temperature in Holly Hill is 76.3 degrees and the average annual low temperature is 53.2 degrees.

The warmest month of the year is July with an average high temperature of 90 degrees. The coldest month of the year is January with an average low temperature of 35 degrees.

The annual average precipitation is 49.3 Inches.

History

The Town of Holly Hill was chartered by the State of South Carolina December 19, 1887.  It’s name is said to have originated from the presence of Holly trees and small hills in the area.  The construction of a state road between Charleston and Columbia is credited as giving birth to the community, but it was not until the entry of the railroad in 1886 that the point of the town was settled at the crossing of the railroad and the state road. Before the railroad was completed, two stores had been built.  A third was erected in 1886, and the original post office relocated therein.  

The community did not receive its first industry until 1890.  A turpentine still was built about where the water tower now stands, and the vast pine forests in the community were tapped for sap to be processed.  The industry was operated by J.M. Owens who had a store building on the corner opposite the factory, where today a cottage stands.  

The Town of Holly Hill has an abundance of historic and culturally significant places. 

• A.B. Bennet Home – Eutaw Road (Hwy. 453)
• B.R. Bennet Home –Eutaw Road (Hwy. 453)
• Bull Home – Camden Road (Hwy 310) Vance, SC
• Camden Fork Plantation – Intersection of Camden Road (Hwy 310) and US 176
• The Holly Tree – In 1886, on the edge of the sidewalk, a young holly tree was growing in front of the general merchandise store.  On January 23, 1957, too frail to remain any longer, it was taken down.  Approximately 50 feet high and 17 inches in diameter, its age was estimated to be about 98 years.  A replacement for this tree was planted as part of South Carolina’s Tri-Centennial celebration in 1970.
• Jeffer’s Home – Old State Road (US 176)
• McCoy Home – McCoy Curve on Boyer Road
• Camellia Manor–Camden Road (Hwy 310). 
• Well’s Home – Peake Street
• Wiggins Home – State Street and Camden Road (Hwy 310)
• Godfrey’s Home – Well’s Crossing
• Lisbon’s Home – Unity Road
• Way’s Home – Gum Street
• Dantzler Plantation – Also known as Four Hole Plantation House.  Constructed circa 1846-50 is a mid-nineteenth-century Greek Revival style. Was added to national register on March 1, 2007.  Located on Vance Road.
• Providence Methodist Church - also known as Providence United Methodist Church. It was designed by architect Charles Coker Wilson and built in 1919-1920. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
• Holly Hill Depot – c. 1921, was built on the sites of two previous depots that date back to 1886.  The railroad defined the location for the town’s business section and it was responsible for the town’s growth and founding in 1887.  Today the historic Depot is used as a community civic center.  Located on the side of the tracks in the middle of Holly Hill on the Old State Road (U.S. 176).

Former NASA Astronaut Frank Culbertson, Jr., former MLB player and manager Willie Randolph, New York Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner, former MLB player Jimmie Coker, former NFL player Adrian Dingle, and groom to U.S. Triple Crown winner Secretariat Eddie Sweat, among others have all called Holly Hill home.