The village of Holland is located at the south corner of Northampton Township, Bucks County. Holland is centered on Mill Creek, which bisects the village in a west to east direction and eventually empties into the Neshaminy Creek two miles downstream at Playwicki Park. Buck Road (PA 532) is the main road through the village, connecting the Newtown area to the north with Street Road traffic and northeast Philadelphia to the south. Intersecting Buck Road are Holland and Chinquapin roads (in the north part of the village) and Bristol Road (in the south part of the village).
Holland is a village with well-defined borders. The Churchville Park and Reservoir is located northwest of the village, while the Mill Creek stream valley lies to the west. The village's southern border is defined by the West Trenton Cutoff railroad line, an active freight line. Just east of Holland are lands held in conservation and owned by the Heritage Conservancy.
Holland was first known as Rocksville because of Mill Creek's rocky banks, but was often called New Holland because of the many Dutch settlers that arrived in the late 1600s. In 1870 a post office called Holland was established and the village's name was soon changed to follow suit. Holland is known for having the earliest mill in the township.[‡]
Many changes have occurred since the founding of Holland. During the 20th century, lower Bucks County developed into a mature community with fully-developed infrastructure and robust economy. As development pressures moved upland from the Delaware River and Philadelphia, Northampton Township began its rapid rise as an idyllic bedroom community, gaining 20,000 new residents from 1970 to 1990. More recently, development has significantly abated due to a lull in the national economy and housing market, as well as the success of local open space preservation programs.
But while the township has transformed from a rural farming economy to modern suburb, Holland has still struggled to fully adapt itself to its new circumstances. Its location in the sloping, rocky Mill Creek stream valley and its few remaining historic buildings has allowed Holland to maintain an identity as a functioning commercial village. However, its mix of strip shopping centers and highway commercial uses, congested roadways, and lack of fully-integrated infrastructure has held the village back from reaching its full economic potential.
‡ Areas north of the village also go by the name of Holland. During the years the Newtown Rail Line was open to commuter service (and earlier), a station by the name of Holland Station was located at the corner of Holland Road and Elm Avenue. Holland has long been an acceptable name for the 18966 zip code (now Southampton).
Holland as described in 1942 [2]
A Village in southwestern Northampton Township on the road from Newtown to Feasterville. It was first known as Finneys Mill from the Finney family who owned a grist mill there. It was next called Rocksville, so named because of the rocky creek banks nearby. The station on the Trenton Cut-off Railroad near the village is named Roxton, and the village itself is marked Rocksville on the State Highway Department's Map of Bucks County, 1940. Holland has been a post office since July 11, 1870, and the name of the village was then changed from Rocksville to that of the pioneer Dutch settlers' fatherland. At this time the village had twenty dwelling houses, two flouring mills and several shops. Holland is also the name of a railroad station in the same township on the Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad between St. Leonard and Churchville stations.
Northampton Board of Supervisors, Northampton Planning Commission, prepared by Bucks County Planning Commission, Holland Village Master Plan, 2014, www.northamptontownship.com, accessed January, 2017.
MacReynolds, George, Place Names in Bucks County, 1942, Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, PA.