The trust has initiated, supported, or assisted the following undertakings with generous donations, funds, and volunteer efforts of the board, donors, and friends of Cooksville.
Supported Projects
Cooksville Lutheran Church: to replace the modern steeple with a reconstructed historic steeple.
Blackman-Woodbury House: to rehabilitate the property exterior.
Graves Blacksmith Shop: to reconstruct the blacksmith shop.
Cooksville Community Center Schoolhouse: to replace the property’s roof.
Cooksville Lutheran Church: to build an addition.
Masonic Lodge and General Store: to install water lines and a restroom for the first-floor general store and to cosponsor the celebration event for this installation with the Cooksville Community Center.
Danky-Schelshorn Farm: to support the “Lights on the Prairie” event.
Carving on the Commons Event: cosponsored with the Cooksville Community Center.
Town of Porter’s Tree Restoration Committee: to conserve woodland on the Cooksville Commons.
Publications
The trust has financed, produced, or edited various educational and informational brochures, booklets, and newsletters as well as a walking tour guide.
“Blackman-Graves House & Blacksmith Shop: Architectural Documentation,” by Michael Bolster for Historic Cooksville Trust, 2006.
“Cooksville: Living History in Wisconsin,” by Historic Cooksville Trust, 2010.
“The Story of the Cooksville General Store,” by Larry Reed, 2013.
“Historic Cooksville – A Guide,” by Larry Reed for publication by the Cooksville Community Center, 2014.
Since 2010, the trust has written a series of brief historical stories and vignettes about Cooksville on the Cooksville News blog describing nineteenth- and twentieth-century life, history, and architecture in the village and announcing current local events and happenings in the community. The trust has also distributed occasional news releases to the media.