The Forest Hill Civic Club was organized on May 14, 1951; this meeting was held at the home of A. E. Spillman, 3905 North Cherry Street. Mr. Spillman was elected President; J. B. Steelman, Vice-President; W. C. Chambers, Secretary Treasurer; and Board of Directors elected were Zeno Groce, Roy Lee Latham, C. H. Dymott, P. J. Boose and T. A. Parks, Jr. Twenty-two Charter Members were present for this meeting.  

On June 14, 1951 initial ideas for neighborhood projects were discussed. These included a playground for the Community, railroad signal lights on East Polo Road, and firefighting. It was voted at this meeting to make the regular Club Meeting the Third Thursday each month. On June 21, 1951, the Constitution and By-Laws were adopted. The Club was chartered as a corporation under the State Law of North Carolina by Attorneys W. P. Hatfield and James M. Hayes.  

The Club met at the Marvin Methodist Church Scout Hut until a permanent meeting place could be found. The Club supported the Marvin Church Building Fund with donations and also donated to help the Church move the Scout Hut.  

On November 15, 1951 Harold Hancock from the Mineral Springs Civic Club explained the Mineral Springs School District Fire Department. He requested that the Club join the Fire Protective Association composed of several Civic Clubs, but on December 8th the Club voted not to join this Association.  

On January 17, 1952 the immediate need for signal lights at the railraod crossing at East Polo Road and Indiana Avenue was discussed. It was also decided to work with the Highway Commission to get street markers put up where needed.  

At the regular meeting on March 22, 1952 there were fifty-two applications for membership who were all accepted in a body. For the program, County Commissioner W. G. (Wally) Dunham demonstrated the County Fire Truck and spoke to the group concerning the methods used by other Civic Clubs to organize Volunteer Fire Departments in their Communities. This meeting was the impetus that from that time on made Fire Protection the Club's key project for many years to come. No project could have been more worthy of so much hard work since the Community was completely without Fire Protection.   

Harold Garner served as General Chairman to develop plans for raising funds for the proposed Fire Department. The Board of Directors and Officers of the Club met May 6, 1952 and approved a plan to organize a Fire Department under a Trust Agreement, drawn by Attorneys Hatfield and Hayes and administered by a Board of Trustees. Five Trustees would be required and would be elected from the club; they would run the Fire Department and handle all funds tanken in by the Department. At this same meeting Jack Gough discussed a meeting he had attended earlier in the evening pertaining to the school playground. The Club later donated to this project since three bus stops were arranged for our Community.  

On May 15, 1952 a motion was made and passed to amend the Charter to include a Trust Agreement as recommended by the Board of Directors. Harold Garner, Kermit Alspaugh, Elbert Randleman, Jewell Wilkinson and Howard Somers made up the first Board of Trustees. At this meeting, B. E. Dockery presented a map of the Club area with 965 homes. On June 19, 1952 the Club approved the board of Trustee's request to include two more trustees. Fred Moore and Robert. Bryant were elected making a total of seven members.  

At the July 11th meeting Zeno Groce read a letter from the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco company in which they agreed to donate $5000 towards the cost of a $17,000 Fire Engine, proveded our Community could raise the other $12,000 by December, 1952. This goal was met and the donation was received from R. J. Reynolds.  

In August, 1952 the Club voted to purchase four dozen Presto Fire Extinguishers to be sold to raise money for upcoming projects. On October 16th the Club approved the Fire Department's purchase of a new Mack Fire Engine. Several members drove the truck in from Allentown, Pennsylvania in May, 1953.  

A ham supper was prepared by the ladies of Marvin Church for the January 1953 meeting. A total of 147 members and visitors were present for this meeting. By this time organization of the Fire Department was well undr way under the leadership of Chief Bayless E. Dockery. Once delivered, the Fire Truck was housed in the Johnson Farm Supply Company on North Cherry Street until a permanent site could be found for a Fire Station. On July 16, 1953, the Club voted tp purchase a lot on Cherry Street from R. E. Hunter of Westfield at a cost of $2000. On September 19th a Building Committee was elected composed of nine members. The building was completed in January, 1955.  

During the Fall of 1953, the Club pushed for extended bus service into the Forest Hill area; negotiations with the City Transportation Company enginers resulted in extended bus routes on a trial basis by August, 1955.  

In April, 1954 the Club made a donation to the Mineral Springs High School Band Award Fund. On May 17, 1956 the Club made a donation to support the School Bus Rodeo sponsored by the Highway Patrol. At this meeting the Club also discussed needed improvements at the intersection of cherry Street and Indiana Avenue. This was the first of many such discussions which finally resulted in a stop light being installed years later. In June of 1956 the Club cooperated with the Citizens Advisory Council for Traffic Safety in giving them information requested about the Community. And in November of 1958 attention was focused on the intersection of Patterson Avenue and Motor Road. The Club worked with the Highway Department in a successful effort to slow down traffic by lowering the speed limit on Patterson Avenue to 45 MPH.  

The Club contacted the Forsyth County Health Department in May, 1959 concerning several illegal dumps in the community. "NO DUMPING" signs were erected and the Club worked with residents to clean up the existing trash dumps. Funds were raised for Club activities by means of a paper drive conducted November, 1959.  

A combination dining hall, meeting room and kitchen was built on to the rear of the Fire Station and completed early in 1960. Most of this work was done by members under the leadership of Raymond R. Holder, Sr. The addition was named Holder Hall in his honor at a meeting on February 18, 1960.  

End of Early History, Forest Hill Civic Club