Since before the establishment of the Town of Prosper, when it was still a loosely defined community of farmers known as Richland, the distinctive grain silos that border the western edge of downtown served as the community’s landmark.
The iconic silos were an integral part of the bustling farming economy of the early days, providing a way for the grain and corn farmers of the area to store their crops. Because they were built in close proximity to the railroad tracks, the silos also served as a launching point for the sale and distribution of the crops grown in Richland to all points north and south.
The farmers of yesteryear have all gone, ending generations of families toiling on the land’s rich soil for the prolific crops that led to the naming of the Town with its current moniker – Prosper.
While the silos have sat empty for many years, their presence gave residents and visitors a sense of the Town’s roots, a set of identifying symbols unmatched by any other.
But, like the farmers that made profitable use of them, the Prosper silos will become fewer as plans call for the demolition of four of the eight silos along with the structures that accompany them.
Blue Star Corporation, the new owners of the land on which the two largest silos on the westernmost edge of the grouping of silos, has decided to remove them as well as the two smaller silos on the northernmost edge of the grouping.
The three smaller silos on the southernmost edge of the grouping will remain in place, as well as the larger one on the east side of the tracks. The Town of Prosper is hoping to purchase or otherwise obtain the three silos which will remain and make them a permanent part of the downtown revitalization effort.
The larger silo on the east side of the tracks is privately owned and there are currently no plans to remove it.
Phased demolition of the four silos sitting on the property owned by Blue Star Corporation is set to begin as early as this week. The company plans to build a mixed-use development on that land sometime in the future.
