The Holloway Trail provides safe pedestrian access to Unity Park from the Southernside neighborhood.
E.B. Holloway lived from 1867 to 1949. He attended Methodist Clark University in Atlanta and returned to Greenville to teach in public schools before becoming Greenville’s first African American mail carrier. Mayberry Park was once the only park in the city where Black children were allowed to play during segregation. After the City took a large portion of the park in 1938 in order to build a minor league baseball stadium for white spectators, Holloway stood before City Council to advocate for a park where all children could play.
In a letter to the editor of the Greenville Piedmont newspaper in 1939, Holloway advocated for a public park his community’s families could enjoy. "We want the park because we need it. We want the park because our social and recreational life is at stake. Give us a park."
Holloway advocated for education, literacy, economic opportunity and public parks.
Sealevel Systems donated $250,000 to sponsor the pedestrian access trail in Unity Park and named it to honor the legacy of E.B. Holloway.
Holloway Trail connects the Southernside neighborhood to Unity Park, creating a walking path on Nassau Street between Meadow and Welborn streets. The trail is closed to vehicular traffic, creating a safe entry into the park for pedestrians and cyclists. It will also includes a structure with wind chimes and interpretive panels, providing park visitors the opportunity to learn about the history of the park and the people who envisioned it.
