Holly Pond

Holly Pond is located in Cullman County, in the north-central part of the state. Former governor Guy Hunt and renowned instrument maker Arlin Moon were born and grew up in Holly Pond.

The area that became Holly Pond was first settled in the early 1840s. It was attractive to settlers because of two natural ponds surrounded by holly trees, from which the town derived its name. Settlers began to make formal land claims in the mid-1850s after the North and South Railroad (later bought by the Louisville and Nashville line) was awarded several sections of land along its line, while other sections were opened to settlement. By 1888, the town had grown enough to warrant its own post office, and by 1896 the area boasted two doctors, several stores, and its own school. A phone system was installed in 1904, and the town was incorporated in 1906. The high school became the first in Cullman County to have its own library in 1908. The town built a new high school in 1928, which burned in 1951 and was replaced in 1953. A new post office was constructed in 1969.

Holly Pond's population according to the 2010 Census was 798. Of that number, 98.5 percent identified themselves as white, 1.4 percent as Hispanic or Latino, 0.8 percent as Native American, 0.8 percent as two or more races, and 0.3 percent as black. The city's median household income was $31,696, and per capita income was $13,731.

Holly Pond's work force in 2010, according to Census estimates, was divided among the following industrial categories:

· Educational services, and health care and social assistance (18.7   percent)
· Manufacturing (16.1 percent)
· Retail trade (11.2 percent)
· Construction (10.0 percent)
· Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services   (7.8 percent)
· Transportation and warehousing and utilities (6.9 percent)
· Finance, insurance, and real estate, rental, and leasing (6.4 percent)
· Professional, scientific, management, and administrative and waste   management services (5.4 percent)
· Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (5.1 percent)
· Public administration (5.1 percent)
· Information (2.9 percent)
· Wholesale trade (2.6 percent)

Schools in Holly Pond are part of the Cullman County School District; the town has approximately 1,045 students and 65 teachers in one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school.

U.S. Highway 278 runs east-west through Holly Pond, State Road 91 runs south from the city, and County Road 55/1669 runs southeast.

Holly Pond holds a Founders Day celebration the final weekend in August. Events include a produce show, baked goods contest, traditional games such as a pie-eating contest and a hog-calling contest, a parade, arts, crafts, and food vendors, and arcade games. It is held at Lions Club Park.

Additional Resources

Cullman County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Cullman County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 1999.

Nuss, Jewell Tanner. Calendar Memories: Holly Pond, Alabama, 1870-1869. New York: Exposition Press, 1969.

Scott, Dan J., Brenda H. Scott, Michael B. Wisener, and Amelia Wisener. A History of Holly Pond and Its People. Holly Pond, Ala.: S&W Publications, 1989.