Charles Holly Descendants Raise Funds for Sign

Charles and Theodore Holly, trading as Holly Bros. Cheese Corp. since 1884, moved their cheese-making business to Souderton, Pennsylvania, in 1892. Their father, Adam Holly, emigrated from Germany and introduced Handkäse to the region in the early 1870s. Once a beloved local industry, Holly Bros. shipped their hand-shaped cheeses to major cities across the Northeast and Midwest.

The Holly Bros. Hand Cheese factory faded from memory sometime after the Great Depression. In 1997, Souderton Borough demolished the adjacent Holly House, where Charles and Elizabeth Holly once lived, to create a permanently preserved public park. They honored the site's historical significance by naming the park Holly's Hill.

The descendants of Charles Holly have organized this fundraiser to support the design, fabrication, and installation of an interpretive sign that tells the story of Holly Bros. Hand Cheese and Holly House. The sign will be placed at Holly’s Hill Park to honor and preserve these memories.

Your donation of $25, $50, $100, or more will help parkgoers rediscover this rich local history. Every contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference. To make this sign a reality, help us reach $1,500 or 50% of the funding goal by May 21, 2025, and $3,000 or 100% by June 18, 2025.

Thank you for your contribution on behalf of Charles Holly's descendants.

Photos:

View of the Holly Bros. Hand Cheese factory from Diamond Street.

Courtesy of Souderton-Telford Historical Society

Holly House made an imposing appearance upon its completion.

Courtesy of Dolores Schiffer, granddaughter of Charles Holly

Holly Bros. provided buyers with instructions on properly caring for their cheese products.

Courtesy of Theodore Smith, grandson of Charles Holly