Join me as I venture into Sigel Township and share information provided by students from Cooper School.

Sigel Fractional No. 1, also known as Cooper School, was located six and one-quarter miles west of Harbor Beach on Sand Beach Road in Sigel Township. One former student recalls reading Cooper's old ledger books many years ago. In it, an entry documented the original school was located on the south side of Sand Beach Road. It is thought Cooper School was probably built and organized in the early 1880s. Alexander Ramsey was one of the school board members at the time of the construction of the building. Eventually the school was either moved or rebuilt directly across the road at its present location. The ledger also indicated a second parcel east of the school (on the north side of the road) was purchased for the sole purpose of having a play area for the children.

Fractional schools meant the school district encompassed two townships. Cooper School served residents living on the west side of Ruth Road, as far north as Learman Road, as far south as the last farms before Maurer Road, and as far west on M-142 to include property bordering the abandoned gravel pits, approximately where the Sigel Fire Hall is today.

Three long windows were located on both the east and west sides of the schoolhouse. Two windows faced the south, one in each of the cloak rooms. The wood siding on the schoolhouse was painted white, and two cement steps led up to the front entry door, located in the center of the south side of the building. Sigel Fr. No. 1 was on a sign over the front door. In later years, another single door was located on the east side of the building at the north end of the school and was intended for emergency use only. The bell tower was also located on the south end of the roof, above the front door.

When the children weren't studying, they had great fun outdoors. There was a small cemented area in front of the steps - the perfect size for playing four square or hopscotch in the early spring weather. A well with a hand pump was located southwest of the front door. A blue and white-flecked enameled cup hung on a hook on the hand pump. An apple tree grew near the well, and many a child throughout the years tasted its juicy fruit. Also in the front of the schoolyard and in the same vicinity as the well, there was a merry-go-round and a teeter-totter, along with the swings. The flagpole was also located in the front yard southeast of the schoolhouse.

The children played ball on a diamond located on the east side of the building with home plate positioned right under the southern-most window. In later years, wire was installed over the windows on the east side of school to prevent the glass from breaking due to a misguided ball or a wild throw at the plate. One building contained the outdoor multi-seater toilets (Cooper privies had three holes!), and they were located on the north end of the lot, or the back side of the school behind the wood shed. One entrance was designated for the boys and the other for the girls.

Recess activities included playing Ante I Over, Kick Ball, and Red Rover. In the winter, snowball fights were prevalent, along with digging tunnels in the snow and playing Fox and the Goose. In the good old days during the 1940s, there was much more ice formation in the non-tiled fields. The children enjoyed sliding back and forth on the ice, and with all good fun, there is an occasional mishap. One young boy slipped and fell, jamming his thumb through the ice. From that day forward his thumb has been double-jointed!

Over the decades, the students found adventure just getting to school. The children always took a shortcut to school if one was to be had. Students living on Duda Road decided to cut through the woods one wintry morning. Protected from the wind, they were hoping for a warmer route than what the roads or even across the fields provided. They soon found their new route was not without problems. The snow was so deep; they struggled to drag one foot in front of the other. In the end, they realized their shortcut through the woods took them longer than any previous route!

In the 1940s, a young lad living only ¼ mile from the school allotted himself five minutes of traveling time. School began each day at 9 AM, and he promptly left his home at 8:55 AM. He rode his trusty bike no matter what the weather. He wasn't about to let a little snow or ice deter him either. In an attempt to avoid slipping and crashing his bike, the ingenious boy tied string around his back tire, giving him the added traction he so desired. The boy soon found the string didn't last long, so he resorted to using wire on his tires!

Sand Beach Road was well traveled, and the children had to take great care getting to and from school. In the 1940s one young lady proudly rode her brand new bicycle to school. Perhaps distracted, she forgot to check for traffic and turned directly into the path of an oncoming car. While the girl walked away from the incident, her highly coveted bike laid in a mangled heap of iron.

Getting back home again proved to be just as challenging. On a stormy day in January in the early 1920s, one lad had his work cut out for him. That morning it almost felt spring-like, but right after lunch a snowstorm set in. The teacher instructed the students to follow the road home, but some of the children soon found out the snow was too deep on the road. One young man decided to try his luck crossing the field, and carrying his sister on his back, he battled the wind and blowing snow. When the boy started his trek, he was headed for his family's farm buildings. Due to the poor visibility, he eventually found himself by the woods instead. With his sister still riding on his back, he could finally see he had another half mile to travel. After much exertion, he safely delivered himself and his sister home!

As the children gathered in the schoolyard, the children played until the teacher pulled the bell rope, signaling the beginning of the school day. Upon entering the front door of the school, the bell-ringing rope, with a big knot tied at the end, hung in the entry hall. A second door led into the classroom. To the right was the girls' cloak room, and the boys' was located on the left, although at one point throughout the years the children switched sides. A lower row of coat hooks was used to accommodate the younger students, while the older children hung their coats above. A variety of styles and sizes of metal lunch boxes were placed on a shelf above the coat hooks. Many lunch boxes had a separate top with two handles, which folded down. In the later years, the factory-worker-style lunch pail became popular, which contained a glass thermos bottle. These new-fangled lunch boxes enabled mothers to pack a variety of lunches including warm soup. From time to time, the children would get careless and accidentally drop their lunch pails, inadvertently breaking their thermos bottle and ruining their lunch!

In the early days there was no refrigeration, so most of the children brought peanut butter or jam and butter sandwiched between homemade bread and eventually the ever-popular Wonder bread. The sandwiches were carefully wrapped in waxed paper to keep them fresh. Lunch would also include apples, pears, bananas, or oranges and most always homemade cake, doughnuts or cookies. Students also brought pickle sandwiches and mustard sandwiches.

During the mid-1950s, the country school districts instituted a subsidized milk program. A refrigerator was purchased and placed at the back of the room between the door of the boys' cloak room and a shelf which held a white-enameled pail with a red stripe around the top and the matching metal basin used for washing hands. The milk was stored in the new refrigerator, and children were allowed to choose chocolate or white milk for the day.

Also during the 1950s, the teacher brought a hot plate to school, allowing the Cooper students to enjoy a bowl of hot, steaming Campbell's Tomato or Chicken Noodle soup, and each Friday the children heartily ate Vegetable Vegetarian. This was the beginning of a hot lunch program. Because there was no kitchen in the school, the dishes were washed in a dishpan.
Join me next month in the continuation of Cooper School Memories where I will describe the interior of the school as well as share details about one young lady's punishment for misbehavior.

If you would like to see your schoolhouse featured in this series and are willing to share your experiences, please email Janis at janis@lakeshoreguardian.com or write to Janis at The Lakeshore Guardian, 9697 Purdy Rd., Harbor Beach, MI 48441.

Copyright © 2004 Janis Stein