Holly Hill had come into existence by 1848 near the Camden fork of the Old State Road. It was chartered in 1887 in Berkeley County after the railroad arrived in 1886, and the town was annexed to Orangeburg County in 1910. Its post office was established in 1848, the public school dates from the 1880s, and the oldest church from 1890. Near this site grew the grove of holly trees around which Holly Hill was built. The last tree from the original grove was removed in January 1957; its age was estimated at 98 years by the State Forestry Department. In April 1970, a replacement for this tree was planted during South Carolina's Tricentennial celebration.