Property Record
12101 W OKLAHOMA AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Marion and John Cooper Farm |
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| Reference Number: | 9273 |
| Location (Address): | 12101 W OKLAHOMA AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | West Allis |
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| Year Built: | 1844 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 20071980 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Gabled Ell |
| Structural System: | Timber Frame |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | This building is believed to be the oldest extant building in town. The northern part of the house is the original portion. Building has had several additions and all porches have been enclosed. James Cooper lived here from 1844-1888. He was the first known settler in this area of the county and served as Territorial Justice and Postmaster for the Town of Greenfield which is present day West Allis. He also was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1846 that resulted in Wisconsin's statehood. His wife, Marion nee Johnson, was a teacher and ran the post office while James operated the farm. She continued living in this house until 1898. Besides serving as the post office, this building also served as a way station for stagecoach passengers and as a boarding house for teachers at the Greenfield School. John Cooper lived here from 1898-1932 and James Cooper lived here from 1932 until at least 1980. His wife, Betty, passed away in 1993. Their daughter, Roxane, has owned the house until at least 2019. The house has been in the Cooper family for at least 175 years. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Interview with James Cooper, great grandson of the original builder, by Thomas Holleman in March of 1980. James Cooper passed away in 1984. Milwaukee County Atlas, 1876. Brown, Victoria, Uncommon Lives of Common Women, pp. 6-7. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |