Cooksville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in the Town of Porter,

Rock County, Wisconsin Rock County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 163,687. Its county seat is Janesville. Rock County comprises the Janesville- Beloit, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the M ...

, United States.

History

The land where Cooksville lies was originally purchased by the New Hampshire lawyer and statesman,

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...

, for $1.25 an acre. Webster also represented other investors in the land purchase. Early pioneers were established by 1837. Many of the original settlers of the village were from New England and left their imprint on the town and village architecture. Brick homes stand on three sides of a common or square, typical of the New England village tradition. By 1976 there were only 80 residents, half the population of the town in 1850. "Traditional Cooksville has remained the same, untouched by progress. Cooksville residents hope it will continue to be known as a town that time forgot."

Community

Cooksville is home to the Cooksville Store, one of the oldest continuously operating general stores in the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. The Miller House, located in the community, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Notable people

Peter Egan Peter Joseph Egan (born 28 September 1946) is a British actor and animal rights activist. He is known for his television roles, including Hogarth in ''Big Breadwinner Hog'', the future George IV of the United Kingdom in ''Prince Regent'' (1979 ...

, ''Road & Track'' and ''Cycle World'' columnist * Gideon Ellis Newman, Wisconsin State Representative *

John L. Savage John Lucian Savage (December 25, 1879 – December 28, 1967) was an American civil engineer. Among the 60 major dams he supervised the designs for, he is best known for the Hoover Dam, Shasta Dam, Parker Dam and Grand Coulee Dam in the Unit ...

, engineer *

John Wilde John Wilde (December 12, 1919 – March 9, 2006, pronounced "WILL-dee") was a painter, draughtsman and printmaker of fantastic imagery. Born near Milwaukee, Wilde lived most of his life in Wisconsin, save for service in the U.S. Army during Wor ...

, painter

References

External links

History of Cooksville
Unincorporated communities in Wisconsin Unincorporated communities in Rock County, Wisconsin {{RockCountyWI-geo-stub