History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

397

ing good. The present plant was erected in 1909 and is operated under
the Harris air lift system. The pumping capacity amounts to two hundlred thousand gallons every twenty-four hours, and the supply goes
both to village consumers and the railroads. The waterworks had a
narrow escape -at the fire of December 17, I910, when the plants of the
milling and electric companies were destroyed at a loss of $5o,ooo. Many
of the pipes were melted and the supply was shut off for several hours,
but the pumps and walls were saved after a desperate fight by the firemen.
H LL Y NEWSPAPERS
The first newspaper published at Holly was the Register, established
by a Mr. Crawford in I865. E. Frank Blair, Henry Jenkins and others
were successive editors and proprietors previous to its disappearance
from newspaperdom. It is said to have been the first in the county to
adopt "patent" print.
In 1875 Thomas V. Perkins founded the Holly Times, a home print,
which hardly survived its infancy.
The third paper to be established still exists-the Oakland Adzvertiser-and was founded by Fred Slocum on the Ist of May, I877. It
was established as a monthly folio and, greatly improved in appearance
and expanded in scope, was continued by Mr. Slocum until March.
i897, when it was purchased by E. & F. Patterson. Patterson brothers
continued to conduct it until September, 1907, at which time Fred Patterson became sole editor and proprietor, as at present.
INDUSTRIES
The Michigan Manufacturing & Lumber Company was organized
in 1894 as the successor of the old Holly Manufacturing Company. At
that time the capital stock of the company was $15,0oo, which has been
increased to $55,00ooo common and $20,000 preferred. The firm is engaged in the manufacture of box shooks, wood specialties, floor trucks,
etc., and the annual output of the factory is something like $250,000.
They employ seventy-five people and the pay roll aggregates $3,000 a
month. The main building is a one-story frame, while a later addition
is a two-story brick affair. F. J. Barrett is secretary and general manager of the company, and it is to his careful and conservative direction
of the affairs of the concern that its continuous advancement and solid
financial status is due.
The Patterson Manufacturing Company of Holly, had its origin in
the Holly Wagon Company, organized in 1902, the latter named company being practically the founders of the village. The plant was not a
success from a financial viewpoint, and in 1904 it was sold at forced
sale, James W. Patterson, one of the original stockholders, buying. Mr.
Patterson interested the Brown Brothers of Detroit in the project, and
thereafter the business continued until I909 under the firm name of the
Patterson & Brown Brothers Manufacturing Company, Mr. Patterson
having personal supervision of the factory. In T909 he came into control of the entire stock of $50o,oo000 all of which is now owned bv him