Collection: Holly Sugar Plant Huntington Beach

From the city of Huntington Beach’s Historic Context & Survey Report, describing the growth of sugar beets and the Holly Sugar Factory:

“There were three principal crops that played important roles in the development of the area: celery, sugar beets and chili peppers. Orange County, and Wintersburg in particular, were known for their celery production, due in part to the efforts of Henry Winters. In 1902, there were over two thousand acres of celery being raised in the peatlands of Wintersburg. Around the turn of the century, farmers began raising sugar beets. The sugar beet crops thrived and farmers were shipping full trains of beets to sugar refineries in Anaheim and Santa Ana daily.  At least 1,000 acres were planted in Wintersburg alone.  By 1909, the Colorado-based Holly Sugar Company began negotiations to build a sugar refinery in Huntington Beach, which was completed in 1911. The refining plant was a huge draw for new residents seeking jobs and the population of Huntington Beach essentially doubled as a result.”

 The plant, located near Main and Garfield today, process sugar until 1920, when oil was first discovered in Huntington Beach. With a new primary industry, Holly Sugar left Huntington Beach (though the original factory smokestack still looms over a sugar factory, in Wyoming).

Our collection design was inspired by the original Holly Sugar logo, which featured holly leaves.