231 West Main Street – Contractor, Mr. A. D. Holler

R&R HISTORY LINK: ANTE-BELLUM CONSTRUCTION

The Herald reported on Feb. 10, 1881 – “A kiln for drying wood was destroyed by fire and Mr. A.D. Holler lost lumber valued at $90.”  Later on Sept. 1,  1881 the Herald stated – “Mr. Holler’s brick yard is very active, and some 60,000 bricks are made there every week.”

The Rock Hill Herald reported on March 24, 1881 – “Mr. A.D. Holler returned from Columbia recently with ten emigrants. Nine men and one women.  They are Germans who arrived in this country only days ago and can not speak English.  They are large and healthy looking and the men will be employed in Holler’s brickyard.”

The RH Herald on March 2, 1882 reported – “Mr. A.D. Holler has opened a good stock of furniture in the storeroom SE of the Methodist Church (Main St), and the same paper has an ad signed by A.D. Holler, Contractor and Builder stating, “I have opened up in my ware rooms, on the Holler Corner, adjoining the lot of the Methodist Church, a first class furniture store.  Mr. G.C. Gill is with me and will take pleasure in waiting on the public.” The same ad offers brick sold at the kiln, delivered to any place in town or laid in the wall by the thousand.

The Rock Hill Herald reported on June 29, 1882 – “A group of businessman in Chester have contracted for a new Cotton Oil Mill with the contractor being Mr. A.D. Holler of Rock Hill who is now at work building the brick.”

The Rock Hill Herald reported on July 23, 1885 – “Mr. A.D. Holler has the contracts for building three new houses.  One is a cottage in the west end for Mr. J.M. Cherry, one is a cottage on West Main Street for Mr. J.G. Anderson and the third is a house in the country for Mr. A.B. Fewell.”

The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Feb. 18, 1886 – “Mr. A.D. Holler has been appointed a school trustee in place of Col. J.M. Ivey, deceased.”

The RH Herald reported on May 3, 1888 – “Mr. A.D. Holler has erected six large sheds at his brickyard to protect the green brick from storms. He is doing business on a large scale.” Later on Sept. 20, 1888 the paper reported – “The storms of last week destroyed about 95,000 green brick at his brickyard.”

The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Nov. 20, 1889 – “The recent rains have destroyed over 150,000 bricks in the yard of Mr. A.D. Holler.  This is not only a loose to Mr. Holler but has also delayed the brickwork on a number of building in the course of erection.”

City Directories and History: 1906 – Mrs. A.D. Holler, J.D. Holler, A.E. Holler, 1908 – A. (Adley) D. Holler, Porter Alexander, clk.

“Let us go now to the West Main Street section of Rock Hill. Probably the largest and finest house there was the residence of Capt. and Mrs. A. D. Holler. Captain Holler was Rock Hill’s leading building contractor for many years. His residence was originally a six- or seven-room dwelling. Captain Holler rolled it back and ·then added a two-story addition in front. In later years the house was known as The Anderson Hotel. This house stood nearly opposite the West Main Street Methodist Church,.· on the south side of West Main Street.”  [Robbins – White Tour History]

The Rock Hill Herald reported on Oct. 25, 1888 – “Mr. A.D. Holler is rolling his dwelling back 20 ft., and will build a four room front of two stories.  When completed, the house will have 14 rooms.”

Early image of the Rock Hill Buggy Company of which A.D. Holler was a principle investor. The buggy company was located just behind Amelie’s French Bakery (2015), on Caldwell Street. Courtesy of the Ratterree Collection

Mr. A.D. Holler was the builder of many of Rock Hill’s earliest structures including many fine home, the Rock Hill Cotton Factory, Winthrop University’s main building, and his own home on West Main Street. He had served as a young man in the Confederacy and moved to Rock Hill shortly thereafter. The house he constructed became the prototype of others in the community including one he constructed for William Jesse Williams Cornwell  in Chester, S.C., where it is reported by his descendants that “A.D.” regularly constructed dwellings. The first of his career was for non other than the Reverend R.W. Brice, one of Chester’s noted ministers. The Brice – Gaston home remains standing on highway 97 near I-77.

The Holler family was one of Rock Hill’s most respected and influential. They were strong supporters of the Methodist Church and when it became clear that their neighborhood needed a church, it was A.D. Holler and his wife who gave the land and constructed West End Methodist Church across from their home.  His own home was constructed in circa 1872 and was later converted into the Anderson Hotel by his daughter and her husband, John Gary Anderson.

Rock Hill architect, Mr. White and contractor A.D. Holler, worked closely together and it was Architect, Hugh Edward White (1869 – 1939), who designed this home for the Hollers. Born in Fort Mill, S.C. he attended Fort Mill Academy and started his practice in about 1894. Remained in Rock Hill until about 1903 and later returned to work. In the 1890’s he worked in an architectural firm in Atlanta. Between 1903-1918 he was a field supervisor of the Supt. Architect Dept. of the Treasury. For about three years 1918-21, he was employed with Charles Coker Wilson in Columbia or Gastonia, N.C.

The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Oct. 24, 1888 – “Mr. A.D. Holler expects to build three dwellings on West Main Street.” (The Herald reported he was building four houses on West Main Street to rent.)

The Rock Hill Herald reported on April 18, 1889 – “reporting from the Winnsboro Herald that a building committee for the Cotton Factory in Winnsboro have had Mr. A.D. Holler of Rock Hill here to examine the soils to see if they are suitable for making bricks for the factory building.  Mr. Holler said, “no better soil could be found anywhere for this purpose.”  (The Herald further reported on April 25, that Mr. Holler has just received a new brick making machine.”

The Herald reported on Sept. 10, 1890 – “Mr. Holler and Mr. Adams have established a brickyard near the Catawba River bridge, the Chester Graded School building and the Town Hall will be built of brick from that point.”   The YV Enquirer on Nov. 12, 1890 reported further -“The engine at the brickyard at the Catawba Bridge of Holler and Adams was badly damaged by a broken belt.”

The Herald reported on June 10, 1896 – “During a storm yesterday, the home of Mr. A.D. Holler on West Main Street was struck by lighting and seriously damaged.  The lightening entered through a chimney on the North side of the house and damaged mantles and planter on the interior.  On the north side the weatherboarding is also ripped from the house.  The Hollers were not at home during the storm.”

The Herald reported on Oct. 21, 1896 – “A. D. Holler fired another brick kiln Monday, the quality of the clay used is getting better with each kiln burn.”

The Herald reported on Jan. 31, 1899 – “A large fire on Jan. 29th in downtown Rock Hill.  Bales of cotton on the Southern Depot Platform caught fire and later flames spread to the building of the RH Construction Company.  The entire building was destroyed.  The flames them spread to the R.T. Fewell Warehouse and the dry kiln of Mr. Holler.

In the Fewell Warehouse 316 bales of cotton were destroyed.  The fire almost spread to the stable and the roller mill.  Mr. S.J. Brown of the Rock Hill Roller Mill and his men managed to stop the fire there.  They also saved Mr. Brown’s House. The Rock Hill Construction Co., was the property of Mr. L.L. Clyburn of Westville.  Mr. Holler lost $1,000. in materials.”

The RH Herald reported on April 15, 1899 – “A.D. Holler and W.G. Adams are arranging to establish a brickyard in the Town of Kershaw.”

The Herald reported on March 21, 1900 – “Mr. A.D. Holler is arranging to remove his brick making plant to the plot of land two hundred yards North of the Winthrop artisan wells.” (The wells were located at the north corner of the Bleachery property near Camden Ave.,) On April 4, 1900 it was reported that – “Holler’s new brickyard is now in full operation and he will add a workshop building measuring 30-30 feet.”

The Herald reported, Aug. 7, 1901 – “That the flood in the branch near the old brickyard of A.D. Holler tore the culvert down on Monday night.”  (Location unknown.)

The Herald reported on Aug. 28, 1901, “that six to eight members of the carpenters Union in the employee of Holler and Clark (believed to be Mr. Benjamin W. Clark), quit work Monday because of the employment of non-union men.  Holler and Clark are both members of the Union.  The men were working on the erection of the home of L.C. Harrison on Main Street.”

On Dec. 14, 1901 the Herald reported, “While engaged in some work at the planing mill of Mr. A. D. Holler a few days ago, Mr. Ben Clark sustained a very bad scald by the bursting of a steam pipe, from which he has been suffering much pain.”

The Rock Hill Herald of April 29, 1903 reported, “Mr. A.D. Holler is leaving soon for Walterboro, S.C., where he has the contract to erect a large oil mill.”

Pictured here in 1898 are a number of Rock Hill’s promising gentleman. The group includes: R.A. Morrison, Marshall, S. Adams, C. McFadden, C. Moore, E. Holler, Campbell, Cline, Tony Lumpkin. Courtesy of the White Family Collection – WU’s Pettus Archives

The Herald reported on April, 9 1902 – “Mr. Eugene M. Holler has determined to remain in Rock Hill and opened a real estate and rental office in the Ratterree Building. ” (The 1908 RH City Directory list him as a traveling salesman.)

The Herald reported on Sept. 22, 1925 – “Mrs. M.N. Brabham is to give up operation of the Anderson Hotel. The city now owns it and needs a new manager.  It was recently purchased for $20,000. and give to the city by Alexander Long Sr., as the

Note the location of West Main Methodist Church in the background of this 1970s image of West Main Street. Courtesy of the C.P. Roddey Collection – 2012

nucleus for a municipal hospital, either on site or to sell and build a hospital on another site.”

The Herald reported, Nov. 8, 1925 – “That J.L. Mickle, operator of the Anderson Hotel, has leased the old Roddey home on the corner of Main and Oakland and will operate a hostelry there.” [The hostelry was never placed in operation and the Andrew Jackson Hotel was later constructed on the site.]

The Herald reported, May 16, 1925 – “That an auction was to be held for the sale of several properties by the Pinnix Land Company, including the Anderson Hotel and all furnishings. The Hotel was described as two blocks from the business district on West Main, consisting of 65 bedrooms.”

Click on Lauelwood Cemetery Tours for his gravesite. Click on the More Information > link found below the picture column for additional data or pictures.

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R&R HISTORY LINK:  WINTHROP UNIVERSITY – BUILDER

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