Holly Springs dates to 1800, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 42% of U.S. towns · #149 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Holly Springs was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2008. Its Register listings are the Leslie-Alford-Mims House and the Holly Springs Masonic Lodge. Below: the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1833.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Holly Springs’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Holly Springs is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #149 of 290 in North Carolina. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Holly Springs’ overall grade.
North Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical North Carolina town has 12.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Holly Springs’ 0.4 sits near the middle of its state (38% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1800.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Holly Springs’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town's name refers to the free-flowing springs that merge into a stream and small lake surrounded by large, mature holly trees.
The Tuscarora Indians used the area around Holly Springs as a hunting ground prior to colonial settlement. This tribe fled North Carolina around 1720 to escape the influx of Europeans, and eventually became the sixth nation of the Iroquois.
The town of Holly Springs grew around freshwater springs, believed to be the original "holly springs", near the intersection of what is now Avent Ferry Road and Cass Holt Road. These roads linked Raleigh to the Cape Fear River and ultimately to Fayetteville, as well as linking Hillsborough to Smithfield.
In 1800, according to Wikidata. Holly Springs’ post office opened in 1833, and the census of 1890 counted 218 people here.
How does Holly Springs rank for history?
Holly Springs is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #149 of 290 in North Carolina. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Holly Springs?
Two places: the Leslie-Alford-Mims House (listed 1997) and the Holly Springs Masonic Lodge (2010).
How old are the homes in Holly Springs?
0.6% of Holly Springs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 2008.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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