By Rodney Hays

Editor

"A chance remark, overheard by a Prosper Garden Club member, was the basis for the club program in October. When the program, "Our Town -- Prosper," was presented to the ladies of the club, they each remarked of their own personal pride in their town, Prosper. They said, "I wish that everyone could have heard this history of Prosper and know that we are still prospering."

This quote was the opening paragraph from a story in the McKinney Examiner dated Oct. 29, 1970. The story was written by lifelong Prosper resident Juanice Stanton.

Those ladies will soon see their wish come true as the Prosper Historical Museum is set for its grand opening this Thursday.

Stanton has kept up with the history of Prosper through the years as a Society Page writer for the McKinney newspaper and a member of the Prosper Historical Society.

Now for a look back at the history of Prosper that will be on display this week.

According to Stanton's story, in the late 19th century the residents of Prosper had to travel two miles south to Rock Hill to get their mail. The people wanted to establish their own post office. They looked at a sight one mile north of Prosper, in a community then known as Richland. When postal officials realized there was already a Richland post office in Navarro county, the post office was then established in what is now Prosper.

Residents arrived at the name, according to the story, when a group of meet held a meeting one spring. Some of the men were talking about how pretty the crops looked that year. "They [farmers] should have prosperity, as it looked like a prosperous year," as the newspaper account goes. J.C. Slaughter then suggested they name their post office, Prosper. On July 22, 1893 the Prosper post office opened it's doors and "five postage stamps were sold the first day."

In 1902, the railroad came through Prosper and the community that we know of today got it's real start. The first bank opened its doors in 1903.

Prosper had two hotels and a hardware store in the early 20th century. Other businesses included "two blacksmiths, three cafe; three dry goods stores; three grocery stores and a livery stable," according to the newspaper story.

One of the first large industries to come to Prosper was the flour mill. The flour was sold under the name "Prosper Maid." A old flour sack with the Prosper Maid logo is on display at the museum.

The first school was also built in 1902. It was located at the corners of Church Street, Third Street and Broadway Street.

Sometime later, the Prosper ISD merged with the White Elephant School District and "the White Elephant School building was moved to Prosper and became the school gymnasium."

In 1963, the school built a new building for a grand total of $315,000. There were 237 students enrolled that fall. There were 14 teachers.

By 1970, the school had 18 teachers and 340 students.

The Great Depression ravaged the town in the 1930s and left Prosper mostly just a farming community.

Even then the community produced 4,000 to 6,500 bales of cotton annually, in addition to oats, milo and wheat.

During the downturn many residents still found a way to prosper in Prosper, including the family of Joyce Kincaid. Kincaid's family owned the first cotton gin in Prosper. The family held onto the business until the 1970s, when the cost of operation just didn't make sense any more.

Kincaid was also the first woman elected to the Prosper City Council in the early 1970s. There were actually two women who were elected that year, but because Kincaid received 49 votes to 47 for Vera Clary, Kincaid was considered the town's first official female council member. She said she ran because the garden club of Prosper "needed some representation with the town."

The population explosion began in the early part of the 21st century, but there was a trickle of new residents even in 1970.

According to the paper account, "The trend of today - to get out of the big city and into a small country town is more apparent with each passing day. Within the past month, four new brick homes have gone up and four more are beginning construction."

The Clary family built the first brick home in 1927, but by 1970 there were a total of 56 brick homes in Prosper.

According to the 1970 Census, the population of Prosper was 499. In 2010, the population could reach 10,000.

The Prosper Historical Museum will have on display the first 50 years of Prosper. The grand opening for the museum is set for Thursday evening. Doors open at 6 p.m. with a presentation at 7 p.m. The interactive presentation is called "Texas: Fact or Fiction," presented by Susan Boone, a renowned Texas storyteller. Admission to the event is free. Donations are welcome to help the museum to find a permanent home.