"Including the head of Sampson Holland's Spring Branch." That line comes from an old land record, and the town quotes it on its own 150th anniversary site. When nearby land was surveyed in 1779, according to the town's Fact or Fiction page on the name, the branch was written down as "Holley Spring Branch." If that change in spelling is where the name came from, the spring behind it is in the woods of Mims Park, a short walk from the trailhead near the Holly Springs Cultural Center.
That location matters this fall. Holly Springs became a town when the North Carolina General Assembly ratified its incorporation on January 26, 1877. The 150th celebration opened at the July fireworks festival and runs through May 2027. Between now and mid-December, many of the anniversary's dates sit on the same stretch of West Ballentine Street as that spring.
The other candidate is a park still under construction
The town's anniversary history gives two theories for where the original spring was. One account comes from Hubert Collins, who lived in Holly Springs in the late 1800s. He placed the spring near what is now the future Eagles Landing Park, close to Avent Ferry and Cass Holt Roads. In a letter to Carl P. Holleman, he wrote:
"In 1896 there were two very large holly trees about 40 feet high and 30 feet apart, with the closest tree about 25-feet from the spring. ... As a child I was told that this spring was near the site where the first Holly Springs Baptist Church was built."
That is the story most people picture: holly trees beside a spring. The site is not open yet. The town bought 56 acres on Cass Holt Road, across from Holly Springs High School, in 2020, and Eagles Landing Park is now under construction. Plans include a recreation center, a splash pad, lighted pickleball and basketball courts, turf fields and a skatepark. Holly Springs Daily's parks guide puts completion in late 2027, though the fields could open sooner.
The 150th celebration ends in May 2027, and the park's expected completion comes months after that. The surveyor's-spelling spring is the one with a trail to it today.
The spring you can visit sits behind the Cultural Center
Mims Park is at 350 W. Ballentine St. It covers 17 wooded acres a short walk from downtown and holds natural springs and the grave of G.B. Alford, whom the town calls its founder. A paved path runs from the West Earp Street trailhead to the springs. A separate 0.8-mile natural-surface loop starts on West Ballentine Street. Bikes are not allowed on either trail, and both are best skipped after heavy rain. The park is open sunrise to sunset, and Alford's grave is on the natural-surface loop.
The Cultural Center at 300 W. Ballentine St. sits right next to the park, and starting this Saturday, Nov. 7, the Holly Springs Farmers Market runs there on winter hours, 9 a.m. to noon. The market keeps that schedule through April, with some exceptions in November and December. That gives Saturday mornings an easy order:
- Shop the market at 300 W. Ballentine St. once it opens at 9 a.m.
- Walk to the trailhead on West Ballentine Street for the 0.8-mile natural-surface loop, which passes G.B. Alford's grave.
- For a stroller or a smoother surface, use the paved path from the West Earp Street trailhead, which goes straight to the springs.
- Check the forecast first. After a heavy rain, plan for another Saturday.
The 1779 record is on the town's anniversary history page. The spring it describes is in these woods.
November's anniversary dates, mapped by address
Not every November date is on Ballentine Street. The calendar moves around town for three events and comes back downtown by the end of the month:
- Wednesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m.: The town's Veterans Day Ceremony at the Veterans Memorial in Veterans Park, 600 Bikram Drive. It's free, and snacks are available.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 11 a.m.: The 150th Commemorative Tree Planting Ceremony at Sugg Farm near the RC field, 2401 Grigsby Ave. The town is planting an American sycamore more than 14 feet tall. Attendees can write a message to the future and pose for a community photo, and both could go into a time capsule the town plans to bury nearby next year.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, from 7:15 a.m.: The 10th annual Holly Springs Half Marathon, 10K and 5K starts at North Main Athletic Complex, 1151 N. Main St.
- Monday, Nov. 23, through Sunday, Dec. 13: Santa's Mailbox stands outside Town Hall, 128 S. Main St.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, through Saturday, Dec. 12: Shop the Springs, the downtown stamp card, starts on Small Business Saturday.
The sycamore matters for the downtown spring. Sugg Farm gets the new tree, but the time capsule's messages go back to the town's oldest story. Pace Yourself Running Company has also said it will add race-themed elements to this fall's half marathon for the anniversary.
Race morning, block by block
The race is the one 150th date this month that affects your drive more than your weekend plans. The race-day road closure page lists these plans for Saturday, Nov. 21:
| Road | What's planned | Approximate time |
|---|---|---|
| Main Street, Center Avenue to Rogers Street | Full closure | 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. |
| Grigsby Avenue, Rogers Street to Stinson Avenue | Closed in both directions | 7:00 to about 9:30 a.m. |
| Raleigh Street from Earp Street | Closed to southbound vehicles | Race morning |
| Earp Street at Raleigh Street | Crossing between runners only, no turns | About 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. |
| Holly Springs Road | Not closed; police move traffic through gaps in runners | Race morning |
The same page tells residents of Collins Street and Raleigh Street to exit by way of Earp Street between 7:15 and about 10 a.m. Earp Street is also where the paved path into Mims Park begins. If you plan to walk to the springs that morning, go after the course clears. The race page describes the half-marathon route as a mix of neighborhoods, roads, greenways and trails, with a new finish this year.
The anniversary on a menu
Several local businesses have joined in with anniversary items, listed on the town's Shop Local page. A few of them tie back to the same name-and-history thread as the spring:
- Bombshell Beer Company named its limited Hidden Springs Hazy IPA after the town's "long-forgotten natural springs." Bombshell has brewed in Holly Springs since 2013, and the can's label hides symbols from the town's past. Hidden Springs IPA is on the brewery's beer list. Because it's a limited release, call ahead before making a trip just for it.
- Pimiento Tea Room is in the historic Brown-Holloway House, which dates to the 1800s. Its bourbon cocktail, The Widow Nichols, is named for Ginny Nichols, a former resident who ran the town's post office from that address with her husband. It's made with bourbon, red rooibos tea, grapefruit juice, rose syrup and grenadine.
- Bep Vietnamese Kitchen serves a green-and-red milk drink with fresh boba, inspired by the holly leaf on the town seal.
- Smashed Burgers & Cocktails has an Old Fashioned made just for the 150th.
For something newer than 150 years, Limra Mediterranean Restaurant opened at 3109 McChesney Hill Loop in Peterson Station in early October. The Raleigh Local reports that it started as a food truck run by chefs Can and Elif Engin, serves 100% halal food, and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
December comes back to West Ballentine Street
After the sycamore planting and the race, the anniversary returns to the block next to Mims Park. Light the Springs is Saturday, Dec. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Cultural Center, 300 W. Ballentine St., and the town calendar lists it "with Special 150th Anniversary Elements." The evening opens with a menorah lighting and ends with Santa and the mayor lighting the town tree. Live music, holiday food and drinks, and free crafts fill the time in between. Earlier that week, on Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 4 to 7 p.m., the Cultural Center hosts Santa Cares, a free sensory-friendly visit with Santa.
The Cultural Center is also where you pick up anniversary merchandise from the town's 150th shop: a Holly Springs mug for $15, a 1,000-piece puzzle for $20 and a tote bag for $12. The Happy Holly Days Parade follows at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, on Main Street.
The anniversary continues into 2027 with a Black Expressions exhibition through February and a 150th-themed performance on Feb. 19, a Spring Fling at North Main Athletic Complex, and a downtown birthday bash the town promises will end with a show in the night sky. The town is also collecting residents' photos and stories for its 150 Stories Collection.
When I market a home in Holly Springs, local detail like a walk to Mims Park or a December evening at the Cultural Center is part of the story I tell buyers. If you're thinking about what your place in town is worth during its 150th year, Keith O'Hare can start you with a free home valuation built on local detail like this.
