History of Holly Ridge Community of Richland Parish, Louisiana submitted by Dot Golliher ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** History of Holly Ridge as written in the first annual published at Holly Ridge High School in 1951. The article was not signed to indicate writer. However the submitter will here list the Annual Staff of Holly Ridge High School in 1951: Thomas McAllister-Editor Franklin Stockton-Assistant Editor Zena Bell Sams-,Art Editor Frances Pickett- Activity Editor Bobbie Pee- Activity editor Garath Methvin- Sports Editor LaFoy Russell- Class Reporter Mrs. Curtis Toney-Typist HISTORY OF HOLLY RIDGE IN 1908 CHESS AND WYMOND COMPANY OF LOUISIANA PURCHASED six THOUSAND ACRES OFWHITE OAK TIMBER FROM THE CALHOUN INTEREST. THIS COVERED THE AREA WHICH IS NOW THE PRESENT SITE OF HOLLY RIDGE. THEY STARTED A PORTABLE SAWMILL ABOUT ONE MILE EAST OF HOLLY RIDGE WHERE WHITE OAK HEADING WAS CUT FOR USE IN MAKING WHISKEY BARRELS. IN 1910 CHESS AND WYMOND PURCHASED ABOUT'IHIRTY THOUSAND MORE ACRES OF LAND. MR.C.M. PATE WHO WORKED FOR THEM NAMED HOLLY RIDGE BECAUSE OF THE MANY RIDGES AND SO MUCH HOLLY.MR. PATE ALSO ASKED THE VICKSBURG, SHREVEPORT AND PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY FOR AND GOT A RAIL STATION AND POST OFFICE WITH THE NAME OF HOLLY RIDGE.CHESS AND WYMOND MOVED THEIR MILL TO HOLLY RIDGE AND IT BECAME A PERMANENT ONE. THE NORMAN LUMBER COMPANY SET UP A SAWMILL CUTTING ALL TIMBER THAT CHESS AND WYMOND DIDN'T AND HAD A CONTRACT WITH THEM. LATER CHESS AND WYMOND BOUGHT OUT THIS LUMBER COMPANY AND CALLED IT THE HOLLY RIDGE LUMBER CO. THERE WAS NO TRANSPORTATION IN HOLLY RIDGE THEN. THE PRESENT HIGHWAY 80 WAS ONLY A DIRT TRAIL. AFTER WORLD WAR 1 MR. GEORGE B. FRANKLIN AND MR. JESSE E. COCHRAN BOUGHT THE COMMISSARY FROM CHESS AND WYMOND AND STARTED BUSINESS. THEN THEY STARTED A MILL IN WHICH LOGS WERE CUT, ON CONTRACT. COCHRAN AND FRANKLIN LATER BOUGHT OUT CHESS AND WYMOND. FOLLOWING IN THE TRADITION OF SAWMILL TOWNS HOLLY RIDGE WAS STRICTLY A ROUGH SPOT IN THE EARLY DAYS. ONE OF THE FIRST COMERS TELLS THE FOLLOWING STORY: WHEN THE MILL FIRST OPENED A GROUP OF LABORERS CAME DOWN FROM AN ARKANSAS MILL. IN THOSE DAYS EVERYONE STAYED AT AN OLD HOTEL AND IN ORDER TO PROTECT THEM SELVES THEY CARRIED TWO GUNS. THESE MEN GOT DRUNK ONE NIGHT AND CAUSED A GOOD DEAL OF EXCITEMENT IN THE HOTEL, SO THEY WERE PUT IN AN EMPTY BOXCAR AND WERE LEFT THERE WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER UNTIL THE TRAIN RAN THE NEXT DAY. THEN THEY WERE CARRIED TO VICKSBURG AND LET OUT. 1927 BROUGHT AN OVERFLOW. HOLLY RIDGE WASN'T COMPLETELY COVERED BUT THE SURROUNDING TERRITORY WAS. DRAINAGE DITCHES ARE BEING DUG IN ORDER TO KEEP WATER OFF HOLLY RIDGE. CHESS AND WYMOND BEGAN TO SELL THEIR FARM LAND IN SMALL TRACTS TO INDIVIDUAL FARMERS IN 1930. THIS CAUSED A RAPID INCREASE IN POPULATION. A GRAMMAR SCHOOL BUILDING WAS CONSTRUCTED AND ON THE FIRST DAY THE BUlLDING WAS FULL OF CHILDREN. THE POPULATION INCREASED SO MUCH THAT TWO MORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BUILDINGS WERE ERECTED. MR. FRANKLIN BOUGHT OUT MR. COCHRAN'S INTEREST IN 1945 AND HAS OPERATED UNDER THE NAME OF GEORGE B. FRANKLIN AND SON SINCE THEN.TODAY CHESS~AND WYMOND OWN VERY LITTLE LAND IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY. THEY ARE CONNECTED WITH A LUMBER COMPANY IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY. THE COOPERAGE INDUSTRY HAS SLACKED OFF SO MUCH IN THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SALE FOR BARRELS AND STAVES. GEORGE B.FRANKLIN AND SON CONSTRUCTED A LARGE BAND-MILL WITH WHICH THEY MANUFACTURE LUMBER, THIS BEING THE ONLY INDUSTRY TODAY. DUE TO SUCH A GREAT INCREASE IN POPULATION A MODERN HIGH SCHOOL HAS RECENTLY BEEN OPENED. APPROXIMATELY SEVEN-HUNDREID FIFTY STUDENTS ATTEND BOTH GRAMMAR AND HIGH SCHOOL NOW. NO ONE PERSON HAS HAD AS MUCH TO DO WITH THE BUILDING OF THE COMMUNITY AND SCHOOL AS HAS MR. FRANKLIN. FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS HE HAS FAVORED THE COMMUNITY WITH A HUGE CHRISTMAS TREE. HERE THE SMALL CHILDREN RECEIVE PACKAGES OF CANDY AND FRUIT FROM SANTA CLAUS. REFRESHMENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ARE ENJOYED BY BOTH WHITE AND COLORED, ON SEPARATE NIGHTS. STATE HIGHWAY 550 HAS RECENTLY BEEN BLACKTOPPED ABOUT THREE MILES. THEY ARE MAKING PLANS TO EXTEND THE BLACKTOP SEVEN MORE MILES. A MODERN MARKET AND STORE WERE RECENTLY BUILT IN HOLLY RIDGE. THIS PAST FALL MR. FRANKLIN HAS OPENED A VERY MODERN BUS AND FILLING STATION. SINCE THE MARKET HAS DROPPED,OR SINCE MR. FRANKLIN NO LONGER MANUFACTURERS BARRELS AND STAVES THE DEPOT HAS BEEN CLOSED, BUT THE POST OFFICE IS STILL BEING OPERATED. A NEW METHODIST CHURCH IS BEING ERECTED IN HOLLY RIDGE AND THERE ARE SIX OTHER VARIOUS OHURCHES SERVING THE COMMUNITY. IN COMPARISON WITH THE TYPICAL ROUGH SAW MILL TOWN OF THIRTY YEARS AGO, TODAY HOLLY RIDGE IS A PEACEFUL AND GROWING COMMUNITY WITH A POPULATION OF ABOUT FOUR THOUSAND PEOPLE. ~;:' 4/ 4, 11<11