The Cooksville Schoolhouse and the Cooksville Community Center |
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The first schoolhouse built in the Village of Cooksville was a log structure, probably built in the 1840s and possibly located in block 9 of Waucoma, which is the eastern part of the Village. A schoolhouse was an early and vital addition to be built by the first settlers. The log school served until a new brick schoolhouse was erected sometime in the early1860s on the site of the present wood-frame schoolhouse on lot 1, block 11, Waucoma, facing the Public Square The land for the brick schoolhouse was formally deeded to the Town of Porter School District by John and Ann T. Porter on November 2, 1864, and was “to be used for school purposes also to be fenced at the expense of the District.” The distinctive vermillion bricks for the school were made locally in the Village, In 1886, the brick schoolhouse‘s foundation was deemed unsafe and the school too small, so it was replaced with the present wood-frame structure. This new and typical one-room schoolhouse had two front doors, one for boys and one for girls, with a small bell-tower to summon the children to class and undoubtedly to announce other important occasions in the village. The Cooksville Schoolhouse has served many important community functions in addition to its primary role in the children’s education. It housed church services, with Thomas Morgan, a neighbor, bringing his little melodeon pump organ across the street from his house for the musical portion of the services. And the School was the scene of many social functions and other types of entertainments and meetings. In 1950, an addition was built to the east to accommodate boys and girls indoor toilets, with a new second entry way. Also, the front entry stairs and the two entry doors were removed, and a new main entrance door was placed near the southwestern corner of the building. The rear school yard became a playground with added swings, teeter-totters and a merry-go-round. The Schoolhouse and the nearby Cooksville Public Square were the locations for many popular “School Days,” to which other area schools were invited and which featured sports events and parties, And the Cooksville Women’s Club provided important local support and services to the school and the community. Eventually, in 1961, the local rural schools in the Town of Porter and elsewhere were consolidated into nearby cities and the one-room school buildings were no longer needed. However, Cooksville citizens gathered together in 1962 to preserve the Village’s school building, forming the “Cooksville Community Center,” to which the local school district authorized the sale of the school property on July 23, 1962, for the appraised price of $2,150. The Cooksville Community Center, Inc., was incorporated on August 22, 1962, as a corporation “without stock and not for profit” with one class of members entitled as “Voting Members.” And the Cooksville Schoolhouse began its new life as a center for community activities, including the continuation of educational programs and other events. In 1980, the historic Schoolhouse was listed in the National Register and the State Register of Historic Places, as part of the Cooksville Historic District, and it is also included in the Town of Porter’s Historic District, as well. In 1985, the original western front entrances and the porch and stairs were restored, and the southwestern corner entrance was removed. The historic Schoolhouse once again faces the Village’s historic Public Square or Commons. The historic Schoolhouse continues to serve the Village and the greater area as the Cooksville Community Center, providing space to members and others for various events—music, lectures, weddings, plays, and meetings. Larry Reed, Local Historian |
The Cooksville Schoolhouse and the Cooksville Community Center |
|
The first schoolhouse built in the Village of Cooksville was a log structure, probably built in the 1840s and possibly located in block 9 of Waucoma, which is the eastern part of the Village. A schoolhouse was an early and vital addition to be built by the first settlers. The log school served until a new brick schoolhouse was erected sometime in the early1860s on the site of the present wood-frame schoolhouse on lot 1, block 11, Waucoma, facing the Public Square The land for the brick schoolhouse was formally deeded to the Town of Porter School District by John and Ann T. Porter on November 2, 1864, and was “to be used for school purposes also to be fenced at the expense of the District.” The distinctive vermillion bricks for the school were made locally in the Village, In 1886, the brick schoolhouse‘s foundation was deemed unsafe and the school too small, so it was replaced with the present wood-frame structure. This new and typical one-room schoolhouse had two front doors, one for boys and one for girls, with a small bell-tower to summon the children to class and undoubtedly to announce other important occasions in the village. The Cooksville Schoolhouse has served many important community functions in addition to its primary role in the children’s education. It housed church services, with Thomas Morgan, a neighbor, bringing his little melodeon pump organ across the street from his house for the musical portion of the services. And the School was the scene of many social functions and other types of entertainments and meetings. In 1950, an addition was built to the east to accommodate boys and girls indoor toilets, with a new second entry way. Also, the front entry stairs and the two entry doors were removed, and a new main entrance door was placed near the southwestern corner of the building. The rear school yard became a playground with added swings, teeter-totters and a merry-go-round. The Schoolhouse and the nearby Cooksville Public Square were the locations for many popular “School Days,” to which other area schools were invited and which featured sports events and parties, And the Cooksville Women’s Club provided important local support and services to the school and the community. Eventually, in 1961, the local rural schools in the Town of Porter and elsewhere were consolidated into nearby cities and the one-room school buildings were no longer needed. However, Cooksville citizens gathered together in 1962 to preserve the Village’s school building, forming the “Cooksville Community Center,” to which the local school district authorized the sale of the school property on July 23, 1962, for the appraised price of $2,150. The Cooksville Community Center, Inc., was incorporated on August 22, 1962, as a corporation “without stock and not for profit” with one class of members entitled as “Voting Members.” And the Cooksville Schoolhouse began its new life as a center for community activities, including the continuation of educational programs and other events. In 1980, the historic Schoolhouse was listed in the National Register and the State Register of Historic Places, as part of the Cooksville Historic District, and it is also included in the Town of Porter’s Historic District, as well. In 1985, the original western front entrances and the porch and stairs were restored, and the southwestern corner entrance was removed. The historic Schoolhouse once again faces the Village’s historic Public Square or Commons. The historic Schoolhouse continues to serve the Village and the greater area as the Cooksville Community Center, providing space to members and others for various events—music, lectures, weddings, plays, and meetings. Larry Reed, Local Historian |
