In 1841, the Second Presbyterian Church of Nankin was organized at the Cooper School House, located on Ann Arbor Trial and Middlebelt Road. (today this is the Garden City and Dearborn Heights border). Rev. Joshua Clayton, was pastor, John Lathers and Lawson VanAkin were elders. R.J. Lathers, son of John Lathers was baptisted here in 1854.
A special meeting of School Inspectors was held at the home of D. McFarlan, of Livonia on September 17, 1849, to vote on a petition from the inhabitants in this area. The site was bordering also at that time, School District No. 6 of Livonia, the northern half of sections 35 and 36 to remain Livonia, while the southern half of those sections, purposed to be designated District No 1 of Nankin.
Samuel A. Cady was chosen Chairman; R.L. Alexander, Town Clerk; and T. Heywood, was chosen Clerk of the meeting. The motion was carried and districts were designated as purposed in November 1849. It wasn't until September 5, 1863, that a second site for this same school was purposed and established on the Northwest corner of Loren Cooper's farm, witnessed by Cooper family members, Loren J. Cooper, Maria Ann Cooper, the wife of Loren, George W. Cooper. The third living Cooper brother, William was serving in the Civil War, and therefore not present to sign deed papers.

Teachers of the Cooper School

"The little country school slightly in need of paint, surrounded by giant soft maples and accompanied by the usual woodshed and the two little buildings in the back corners of the school yard was an impressive sight to the newly-certificated city girl who was to begin teaching there in September, 1926.
Inside the entry was a bench with basin and water pail. (The new health laws demanded individual cups.) Along the opposite wall was a neat pile of split stove wood. Best of all was the sturdy bell rope hanging temptingly from the hole in the center of the celing. The bell-rope tempted more than the inexperienced teacher, and twice eager boys rang it so hard the bell turned over. It was quite embarassing to ask Mr. Badelt to bring his ladder over to restore the bell to its normal position. "Teacher" was responsible to pupils and neighbors to ring the bell at accurate intervals-an indication that all was in order in the corner school.
The big Round Oak stove stood just inside the room between the two entry doors-another new experience for the teacher. With help from the bigger children fires were built and maintained. Some will remember a boring afternoon when gum on the hot stove provided entertainment to a couple of rascals and unhappiness to the others. The long stovepipe reached the long distance to the chimney at the opposite end of the building. This arrangement also carried heat to the far reach.
Three rows of double-desks were fastened to long boards. On the front desk the recitation bench graced the corner row. Kerosene lamps hung from little iron brackets beside the windows on each side. The two windows beside the chimney were in complete disregard of the eyes of the poor pupils facing them and the lamps highly inadequate on dark stormy days.
Marvelous black boards adorned all walls between the windows. Literally BLACK BOARDS they were simply the same horizontally placed boards that covered the ceiling and sidewalls well painted with "flat black" from hip height upwards to the extent of the tallest teacher's reach.
A tall double-doored cupboard held the library books and a well worn globe completed the instructional material. Teacher as well as pupils supplied their own text-all equipped with an answer section.
New wall maps and a new, if well-worn piano were added during the year.
To be a "standard school" was a goal to be achieved if possible. Five community attended events were one of the requirements. Traditional in country schools but long outgrown by big-city schools they were obstacles confronting the city raised 18 year old teacher. The fall-box social with children's pieces and simple songs came first. Five year old Johnny Kovacs recital of "Come wittle weaves said the wind on day" delights my memory these 48 years later. Then Xmas-the days of rehearsal, (What was happening to reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic and Santa Claus whose pillow slipped) February held a Zone-Meeting with a lunch contributed by kind parents on a Saturday for 25 neighboring teachers in zone B. And a Valentine party whose sole entertainment was Valentines and candy. A simple Mother's Day program in the afternoon in May. A last-day-of-school picnic in Perrin's woods was well-attended-all problems forgotten-but some how we missed the sought after certificate.
Twenty-eight classes a day with justice to all; preparation for seventh and eighth grade exams in early May were new and unknown adventures in teaching. One hundred-twenty-five dollars a month-do your own sweeping and fire keeping. ( I sometimes wrote my own check for old Mr. Tom Losie to sign.)
Memories of a first year of teaching in the old Cooper School written by a 34 year veteran. BUT WHERE did they get that James Fenimore Cooper name ??" property of the Westland Historical Museum

Student Attendence Cooper School

13 yrs

Contributed by Linda Ball