Yesterday, the Prosperity Business Association donated $2,500 to the “Save the Prosperity Depot“ efforts.

Just $1,000 more in donations is needed to move the process of saving the Prosperity Depot down the tracks.

Norfolk Southern donated the Prosperity depot to The Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation in July. The depot is the last standing depot in the county.

But the railroad company has set a time cap of two years for the depot to remain within the 100-foot wide portion of its 200 foot-wide right-of-way.

New depot owners must agree to move the old building 50 feet away from the railway within the next two years. That is, if the surrounding property owners agree that the depot can sit on their property, or to deed the property to the depot. If not, the depot must be moved to a new home.

The depot group, which is a sub-committee of the Newberry County Historical and Museum Society, got one step closer to its goal this fall when The National Trust pledged a matching $5,000 grant to the project.

The Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation applied for the grant on behalf of the group. The $5,000 grant is a 50/50 matching grant and the money will not be released until the local Save the Prosperity Depot group raises the matching $5,000.

But Palmetto Trust Director and Prosperity resident Mike Bedenbaugh believes the study can be done for $7,500, bringing the matching money required down to $3,500.

The National Trust earmarked this starter grant for an engineering study to determine if the Prosperity Depot can be moved, and what would need to be done to stabilize the building for the move.

The study should begin within a few weeks of the group raising the remaining $1,000.

A public forum to report results and discuss the next steps will be scheduled at the completion of the study.

“Anything we can do to preserve the things about Prosperity that make it unique and appealing to visitors and locals alike is something that the local businesses need to be behind,“ Prosperity Business Association President and Piggly Wiggly Manager Tommy Easterby said at the presentation.

“We have people from all over visit our antique store, and every week I have people asking me about the old depot across the square,“ said association member Rhonda Lindler of Towne Square Antiques. “They all hope that we can do something with it. It definitely has the potential to be of interest to visitors.“

“Our committee has been very lucky to have formed great partnerships,“ said Save the Prosperity Depot Committee Chair Andy Hawkins, “First with the Palmetto Trust, then with the Newberry County Historical and Museum Society, and now with the Prosperity Business Association. There is still a ways to go to complete our task and a lot of decisions still to make, but this donation from the Prosperity Business Association is a great beginning. It gives us all confidence that we can reach our goal of saving the Prosperity Depot so that it can contribute to the prosperity of Prosperity once again.“

The Prosperity Business Association challenged other individuals and organizations to donate to the Save the Prosperity Depot fund at www.palmettotrust.org or by mailing a check to Save the Prosperity Depot c/o Andy Hawkins at 501 McNeary St. Prosperity, SC 29127. Checks should be made out to Palmetto Trust and marked for the Prosperity Depot.

Donation forms are also available at Prosperity Drug, Towne Square Antiques and other business alliance stores.

Prosperity Drug has on display Joe Welborn’s stained glass rendition of the Prosperity Depot.