© Prospect Historical Society, 2013
Prospect Depot
Built in the early 1850’s by the
South Side Rail Road, the Depot
saw travelers, soldiers,
salesmen, the U. S. mail, and
freight come and go from the
village of Prospect. The
Prospect Historical Society is in
the process of restoring the depot
to its early appearance.
Post Office / Lewis Law Office
Local attorney Jimmy Lewis
practiced law in the two-room
brick office from the 1940’s into
the 1960’s. When the political
winds were favorable, Lewis was
the post master and his wife Miss
Ruby was the postal clerk in the
wood-framed post office.
E. S. Taylor & Co. Store
This former tobacco warehouse,
became the E. S. Taylor & Co
store in the 1890’s. The general
store traded “Taylor money” for
eggs, butter, produce, etc. from
the farmers. The company
reorganized in 1938 under the
name Taylor Bros. and dissolved
in 1943. Crawley Supply Co.
followed. Glenn-Carson Store
was the final occupant, closing in
the 1950’s.
Prospect High School 1924-1946
Prospect High School, grades 1
through 11, was one of three schools
that stood on the school yard site. A
wood-framed two-room school was
replaced by this brick structure, which
burned in 1946. The third school,
which opened in 1947, was a smaller
brick elementary which closed in
1959 and was demolished in the
early 1970’s.
Three Mansions
The three handsome homes on
Railroad Avenue in Prospect
were built in the early 1900’s.
Extensive gardens surrounded
the first home, once owned by
Claude and Ora Chick. Ray
Glenn, service station owner and
operator, built the second home.
R. L. (Bob) Taylor and his
daughter were longtime residents
of the third home.
The Allen Hotel
Charles Arthur Allen and first wife
Ellen Allen operated the Allen
Hotel in the early 1900’s for
travelers and salesmen stopping
in Prospect. Allen’s second wife
Ethel Love Allen continued to
operate the Hotel as a boarding
house into the 1950’s.
