Prosper, Texas, Collin & Denton Counties. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

One of the last towns in Collin County to be established, Prosper came into being as a stop on the St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railroad in 1902. A post office was granted the following year. The auspicious name is credited to railroad officials. With every new railroad town (at least in East, Central and Northern Texas) another town or two disappeared. In Prosper�s case the disappearing community was Rock Hill. Prosper incorporated in 1914 when their were 500 reported residents. Prosper is included in the famed rich Blackland Prairie, and thrived as a cotton producing and shipping point.

Although the population dropped to 400 in the early 1920s, the town was complete with paved roads, electricity and a water works. The Great Depression took its toll on Prosper and by 1940 the population reached a low of 271. It wasn�t until 1970 when the town broke the 1914 population figure. The population explosion of Dallas and Collin Counties in the 1990s included Prosper and the 2000 Census reported

2,097 residents.

Prosper United Methodist Church
Photo courtesy Mike Price, December 2007

Prosper old car dealership?
Photo courtesy Mike Price, December 2007

Prosper, Texas Forum

Subject: Prosper Texas

My G-G-Great Grandfather Benjamin Naugle was awarded land in an area just north of Prosper for his service with the Texas Rangers during the Mexican War. Over the years, the town of Prosper would grow around his farm.

My grandfather, Chester Hays married the granddaughter of Benjamin Naugle and through marriage acquired large portions of the holdings. At one time the homestead consisted of several hundred acres. Today the land is covered with subdivisions. My cousin and her husband currently live on four acres that is all of the original land still in the hands of the family.

Chester Hays was married to Leta Robinson. They had two boys, Bill Hays and Dennie Hays. Dennie Hays was my father. Uncle Bill became the unofficial historian of Prosper, Texas and wrote several books detailing the history of the town and its families. Bill Hays Middle School in the Prosper ISD is named for him.

Chester Hays served as Mayor, School Board President and owned several businesses in the city. In the early 1930s the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde would occasionally stop in Prosper and buy gas from his gas station.

As a child I remember the Prosper city limit sign showing a population of 495 (in the 1970s) Last time I checked the population was near 100,000 with a 6A high school with two more being planned.

Fortunately the center of Prosper has remained unchanged from my childhood as the growth has been mainly towards the expressway. - Donald Hays, August 18, 2020

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