Mount Holly

Where Old Meets New

BY ERIN McFEETERS

The melodic sound of church bells fills the air as you enter the historic township of Mount Holly. This 2.81 square mile town is home to over 9,500 residents, according to the 2019 U.S. Census population estimates. Even though the township is small, Mount Holly is routed and rich in history.

It’s a really great area to be in,” said Melo Smith, owner of Kitchen 87, an Americana restaurant most known for its daily specials and unique twists on American classics. “I wouldn’t have wanted our kids to grow up anywhere else.

During the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Iron Works Hill happed in Mount Holly. The rebels lost the battle, but it played a strategic role as it diverted British Troops so General Washington and his men could successfully cross the Delaware River. The town honors the battle and the town’s history by putting on a reenactment each year.

Mount Holly held a Salem-style witch trial in October of 1730, and it put them on the map, according to the Founders Online National Archives.

In the article, originally published by The Pennsylvania Gazette, “300 People were gathered together to see an Experiment or two tried on some Persons accused of Witchcraft.”

Today, the Mill Race Village in Mount Holly hosts an annual Witches Ball, but due to a lack of planning time, the next Witches Ball will be in 2022.

The township has come a long way since its iconic witch trial. Now, amongst the town are small businesses that work together to put the town’s best foot forward. Some local shops even give homage to the town’s metaphysical past.

Mount Holly is certainly on the upswing; there’s no doubt about it,” said Audrey Winzinger, who handles social media and marketing for the Robin’s Nest Restaurant on Washington Street in Mount Holly. Winzinger’s sister, Robin, runs the restaurant. “I think our downtown businesses work very well together, and I think that we have a good relationship with all of the residents in town.

As the Burlington County seat, all the court cases occur in town, and it’s busy with county prosecutors and council people during weekdays, which directly impacts how small businesses operate. For instance, when Robin’s Nest first opened its doors more than 30 years ago, it began as a café and bakery. Most restaurants weren’t open for dinner since there was no one to serve, but the town began to shift 10 to 20 years ago. Today, the Robin’s Nest serves dinner with Winzinger’s favorite dish, the honey pecan chicken. “I am a sucker for actually, believe it or not, her [Robin’s] oldest dish, the honey pecan chicken,” said Winzinger. “I love it, and clearly everyone else has because it has absolutely survived the test of time.”

According to Michael Smith, the chef behind the creative creations at Kitchen 87, the town was stagnant due to a lack of involvement from Mount Holly’s local municipal government. In the past 10 to 20 years, newly elected officials took office, and Main Street Mount Holly was formed. The group is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect, promote and enhance historic Mount Holly’s downtown and vicinity, according to mainstreetmountholly.com.

The Main Street Alliance is a supergroup of volunteers,” said Menlo Smith. “They give hundreds of hours a year to this town, and you don’t even know who they are.

Once the alliance formed, the tides of the Rancocas Creek began to turn. Main Street Mount Holly scheduled monthly networking meetings to allow business owners, principals, politicians, and more to come together. They work as a collective group to make Mount Holly a great place to live and visit.

This growing sense of community around Mount Holly is second to none.

Everyone in the town is awesome,” said Aaron Diamond, co-owner of Train Wreck Distillery. Train Wreck distills an array of spirits in an almost 200-year-old train station that was an absolute train wreck before rehabbing the building. “It’s just a great community, and everybody seems to help. We all help each other out, and we want the town to succeed.

Small businesses collaborating is common throughout the town and emphasizes the community feel of Mount Holly. Train Wreck does a small batch of peach whiskey made with peach beer from Spellbound Brewery in Mount Holly, and Kitchen 87 has a burger on the menu with onions caramelized in Spellbound’s porter and a barbecue sauce made from Train Wreck’s bourbon.

Recently, the neighborhood was picked up by the state’s Neighborhood Protection Program, according to Menlo and Michael Smith, which provides financial support through grants and loans to municipalities with revitalization plans. They “take vacant storefronts and turn them and stage them so they look occupied,” said Menlo Smith. “Helping residents keep their properties nice and helping people with mini-grants and loans.”

The grants and loans have only helped the township grow and flourish. Like many towns across the state, home prices and closed sales are on the upswing, and Mount Holly is no different. According to recent housing data from New Jersey Realtors®, the median sales price in Mount Holly year to date is $235,200, a 17.6 percent increase over last year. Closed sales in Mount Holly are up 5.7 percent year to date and homes are receiving 100.9 percent of the listing price. New listings in Mount Holly are on the rise, with 122 new listings year to date, a 27.1 increase over last year.

Closed sales and prices are all on the rise year to date in the neighboring towns of Mount Holly that all attend Rancocas Valley Regional High School, which include Eastampton, Hainesport, Lumberton, and Westampton. Of the five towns, Mount Holly has the current lowest median sales price of $235,200, while Lumberton has the highest at $459,900 year to date.

All five towns are the community,” said Michael Smith. “These are the people that support us. They come here, and these are the people that are our friends. You take those five towns, and it’s really awesome.

From breweries to wineries to unique shops and restaurants, the community of Mount Holly is a remarkable place to explore, raise a family, or retire

The town of Mount Holly is very up and coming,” said Diamond. “Everyone in town, all of the local businesses, everybody, we all work together. I think it’s going to be a big town in the future.