Manitowoc County WI Archives History - Schools .....Cooperstown No. 1 - Cooperstown ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/wi/wifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com October 27, 2007, 4:21 pm COOPERSTOWN NO. 1 — COOPERSTOWN Dolores Soukup Cooperstown district No. 1 has always been known as the Cooperstown school because it is located near the village of Cooperstown. The present location of the school is a quarter mile west of Cookle's corner. A man by the name of Cooper registered the land in this area so the township and the village were named in his honor. It is said that Moses Allie, a pioneer settler, purchased much of the land around Cooperstown when he settled here. Cooperstown No. 1 school district was organized about 1850 and included areas now parts of adjacent districts. The first record of a school meeting was for 1857. It was held in the Clifford King home to determine the site of the first school, to elect officers, and to raise money to erect the school and pay other necessary expenses for the year. The first log school was erected in 1857-8 and was located a quarter mile west of the present site. The site selected was then the center of the original district. The land on which the school was built then belonged to John Remark, now Robinson's corner. The log building was about 18 x 24, had pine flooring, and cost about $75, for that was the amount raised at the first school meeting. The crude benches and desks were large enough to seat five pupils each and were placed so that there was an aisle down the middle of the room. Prosper Allie was paid $8 to make and to deliver these benches to the school. The heating plant consisted of a round wood stove. Each family sending children to school in 1862, for instance, had to contribute a half cord of wood or pay more taxes. The tax at that time was $1.50 on every 40 acres. No record is given of the disposition of the old log school. The second schoolhouse was built in 1878 at a cost of about $620 and was located on the first site. It was a frame building 24x36x11 feet and was. patterned after school structures of that early period. Improvements were made to the new structure in the 1880's by purchasing double desks, installing two blackboards, and adding a bookcase. Maps were also purchased about 1890. The total cost of the above additions and improvements was $175.00. About 1890, a well was dug, a new pump purchased, and a new tin cup to hang on the pump was acquired. A teacher's desk was purchased the same year for $6.50 and in 1894 a bell was added. About the same time the district residents decided to beautify the schoolyard by planting trees. After serving the district for 29 years, the school was torn down and the site abandoned. The schoolhouse and equipment brought a total of $54.35 when sold. The third and present schoolhouse was built in 1907 at a cost of about $2,500. The one acre site for this school was purchased from Moses Allie. The new school is 26 x 48 feet with a schoolroom 25 x 40 feet in size. It has a full basement with a basement furnace heating and ventilating system. The main floor consists of an entry, a cloakroom, a library, and a classroom. Five windows along the east and west walls cause cross-lighting. It was not until 1915 that the new school was plastered. At present the walls and ceiling are covered with tin. Today Cooperstown school is a semi-modern building with electric service, a few single desks, but still retaining many of the old double desks, drinking fountain, recitation table and chairs, and plenty of bulletin boards. The schoolyard contains several good pieces of playground equipment. The old outdoor toilets are located to the rear of the schoolyard. Strange as it may seem, the enrollment in this school was never very large until the 1900's, even though the school census reports show that about 100 children of school age lived in the district. In 1870, when winter and summer terms of school were held, the total enrollment for the two terms was 70. After the single term was held, the yearly attendance dropped down to between 30 and 50 pupils. In the 1900's, when the Catholic school was closed, the enrollment rose to 96 pupils! This figure was maintained until the parochial school attendance again affected the size of this school. Today the average daily attendance for the year is about 10, although the year's enrollment has gone down to as low as 8 for several years. By 1948 there were 9 pupils attending although the census shows that about 50 children of school age reside in the district. The first settlers were of various nationalities, so no foreign language was taught in the district school. Among the pioneer residents, the following families were prominent: Allie, Drews, Bartelme, King, Just, Wanish, Richdorf, Elmer, Goessel, Cookle, Schlegelmilich, Steinbrecker, Nachtwey, Bradley, Cenefelt, Pilger, and Zeddies. Many of them were pioneer farmers but others were merchants, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, and businessmen in the village. Carl Steinbrecker and Rose Elmer were two early graduates who became teachers. W. W. and Alfred Just became dentists, while Lawrence and Michael Richdorf became doctors. Recent graduates have become prominent in education, agricultural, and business fields. The first school officers elected in 1857 were Clerk August Hoppe, Treasurer August Gauger, and Director John Arnow. Clifford King, David Goessel, and Prosper Allie were other early leaders of school affairs. The county records also list John Wanish, Richard Drews, Christ Ording, and Fred Zeddies as officers before 1906. The first board members received $4 for the three year term. This was increased so that by 1874 board members were getting $5 yearly. Today the clerk is allowed $25 per year and the other two board members $20 yearly. The first teacher for Cooperstown No. 1 was Louis Hintz who received $22 a month for a three month term. In 1859, the voters decided on a six month term, but that had to be reduced to three months because of insufficient funds. The first teachers were paid their salaries in half cash and half tax certificates. From 1865 to 1873 an extra month of school was voted each year until a total of a six month school term was reached. The list of teachers prior to 1906 is incomplete. Those on record are Eliza Nichols 1861; Mary Sullivan 1872, Dora Kelley 1873-4, Mary Walsh 1875; Nellie O'Connor 1876-7, Jennie Koelzer 1878, C. E. Karnofsky 1879, Otto Drews 1894-5, Katie Finnegan 1896-8, Thos. E. Reddin 1904, and Bridget O'Shea 1905. Others who taught this school before 1906 were Carl Steinbrecker, Lizzie McGinley, and. Maggie Kane. County records show that texts common to the county, such as Sanders readers and spellers, McGuffey's readers, and Ray's arithmetic, were used in the Cooperstown school. The pioneer school had no grades such as we have now for then the divisions were called "forms" — there being a primary, an intermediate, and an upper form. These "forms" replaced the A, B, C classes of old. The adults of the district used the school to attend spelling bees, basket socials, and seasonal programs. Cooperstown was the halfway stopping place on the old Green Bay trail between Manitowoc and Green Bay. The trail was at first an Indian trail, but later on became a military road. Indian relics have been common to this area. The present Cookie hotel became a famous stopping place for the early travelers. Devil's river, a branch of the West Twin river, skirts the southern boundary of the district. Rock Falls on this river is a scenic spot as is the Maribel Caves, a short distance south. Today the four sections which make up Cooperstown district No. 1 is a community of farms and a quiet rural village serving as a trading, religious and educational center. Additional Comments: Extracted from: 1848 - 1948 CENTENNIAL HISTORY of the Manitowoc County School Districts and Public School System EDITED BY JOS. J. RAPPEL, COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS 1948 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/wi/manitowoc/history/schools/cooperst79gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wifiles/ File size: 8.4 Kb