Strides 2020

Page 9

Strides 2020 | Suffolk News-Herald

BY TRACY AGNEW Editor

The village of Holland shares its name with a low-lying European country known for its tulips. But while the village has embraced the connection, with street names like Netherland Drive and Windmill Lane, Holland is actually named after a person, not the country. According to “Suffolk: A Celebration of History,” by Kermit Hobbs and William A. Paquette, the path to settlement of Holland began in 1621, when a supply ship for Jamestown brought London Company promoter Gabriel Holland to Virginia. It is one of his sons, John Holland, and his descendants for whom Holland is named. John Holland received a land patent for paying passage for Englishmen to settle in the area, and it was his descendants believed to be the ones who settled the Holland area. The Holland family prospered, and their success encouraged many more families to move to Holland, according to Hobbs and Paquette. The area developed quickly. During the Civil War, many Holland residents fled to the other side of

February 28, 2020 | Page 9

the Blackwater River, but they returned following the war. Then came the peanut, making Holland a commercial center. The town was incorporated in 1900, and more than half of the first council representatives had the surname Holland. Holland suffered a fire on New Year’s Day 1910 that destroyed half of the homes and all but two businesses. Holland’s slow rebuilding got a boost when the agricultural research station was established in 1914. Nationwide, those who have heard of the little village of Holland most likely have done so in the context of its role as the founding place of the Ruritan Club. About 35 charter members formed the Holland Ruritan Club on May 21, 1928, at the Holland School Gymnasium after a meeting the previous month at the Holland Hotel. Its purpose was to bring together business leaders and the agricultural community. In 1972, Holland became part of the city of Nansemond, which merged with Suffolk two years later. However, Holland remains a village with a strong sense of place, community and pride, owing in the beginning to John Holland.

John Holland

At top, the Holland Hotel; above, Holland High School; background image, 1917 view of Holland’s Main Street after rebuilding from the 1910 fire. (All courtesy “Suffolk: A Pictorial History”)

SATURDAY MORNING BREAKFAST BUFFET & ALL YOU CAN EAT FISH Mon. - Sat. 5:30 am - 10 pm • Sunday Brunch 7 am - 11 am

562-2919


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.