The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-03-21
PETER CO0PER's PROJECT.
Tho Institute Mt Limestone Springs, South
Carolina-Educatonnl Plans.

Carolina, to be of somewhat similar
character 10 the Cooper Institute. Itwas
regarded as mistake. But it now ap-
pears, however, that, although the news
was premature, Mr.. Cooper does enter
tain design of the kind, and that it is
more than probable that he will shortly
put it in execution. Mr.. Cooper, some
time stree, advanced the sum of $4,000
to Mr.. G. II. Bomar, who owns a large
property at Limestone Springs, South
Carolina, taking mortgage on the prop
erty, with the privilege of purchasing it
at any time within a year for $4,000.
He subsequently advanced $4,000 more
for the purpose of developing some OF
the natural resources of the land, which
leaves a balance of $4,000, by the pay
ment of which the property will become
bis. Limestone Springs is near Spar
tanburg, on the line of the Air Line
Railroad, and was in ante bellua days a
fayorite summer resort for Southerners
and winter resort for Northerners. The
elevation above the sea is about 1000
feet and the air and water are said to be
exceptionally fine. When the place was
prosperous it supported young ladies'
college, q hotel, large church, &C., but
during the war it fell into decay, and
after the war Mr.. Bomar, after purchas.
ing the property for mere song, tried
to re-establish the school. Owing to the
depression of affairs in the South he was
unsuccessful in his enterprise, and find
ing it impossible to carry on the school
and keep the property, he endeayored to
sell it to Mr. Cooper.
Mr.. Cooper told the rest of the story
himself to areporter yesterday. BE was
sitting in his parlor reading newspaper
when the reporter called, and dropping
his paper he began at once talking en-
Enthusiastically Of his new project, saying
that if he found everything about the
place to be as it was represented to him
to be, and if he was able to carry out
such arrangements as he had in mind,
he thought that Limestone Springs
would become a sort of new Arcadia in
the South. he referred to the great sue
cess of the Cooper Institute and the
good done to hundreds of young men
and women through its instrumentality,
and said that in many respects the new
establishment would probably be made
to resemble the Cooper Institute. "I
have got that going" he said, $50 that
it will support itself when I am gone, I
think. 1t has an income now of about
$5O,OO0 year. and I want to make the
new institution, if it is started, a self.
sunnortinp one. don't think much of
these institutions that have to be sup
ported by begging" He told of q mum.
ber of instances of persons who had
achieved good positions, and of some
who had saved themselves from distress
by the use of knowledge acquired in the
Cooper Union schools, and, said that he
intended to make the South Carolina
school one of science and art, applicable
and applied to every day life. "That's
nv idea of q useful education" he said
with q smile. Speaking further of the
way in which he became interested in
the matter, he said: "The place was
once q famous water place, and there
was there college for young ladies.
The head of the college, forget his
name, conducted it for sixteen years and
educated some 1000 young ladies and
had only one death among them in all
that time. he accumulated a fortune,
but when the rebel war broke out he
lent the rebels some $4,000. They used
him up, and when the war was over Mr..
Bomar bought the place for a song and
undertook TO carry on school there,
but everything was depressed as it is,
suppose, all through the South, and he
was pressed by his creditors and finally
became anxious to sell for S27, 900, al
though suppose the buildings on the
property could not be put up for $780,
900. He came to me and | advanced
him $4,000. The first advance vas
only $13,O 600, but I lent him $4,000 after
ward to build some new lime kilns. You
see the only place on the mountain
where the limestone appears on she sur
face is on this property, and they have
had some old-fashioned kilns at work
there, but now-s days they make very
different kilns from what they used to and
he wanted to develop the mine"
1T have never seen the place" con-
tinued Mr.. Cooper, "but what know of
it 1 learned from pamphlet about it
which was shown to me, and from what
a number Of persons have told me who
have been there. They say it is most
delightful spot, and the most desirable
site for anything of the kind in all che
country around. The climate is most
healthful, and the grounds themselves
are beautiful, with a great number of
trees of fine growth, large fruit orchards,
&c. Then there is q large building
erected for hotel and brick church
capable of seating 500 persons, and ten
other smaller buildings. Then it is
thought that by establishing an attrac-
ton there people will be induced to buy
villa sites and erect residences there, to
which the Southern people will 60 to
escape the malaria of the lower country
in the summer sime, while the Northern
people will 90 there in the winter as
they used to do"
"Have you then decided fully to
establish this institution" asked the
reporter. :. -,
..'Well, it is too soon to say that" said
Mr.. Cooper, "but I am going down to
see the place very soon. Pm going to
take my daughter and some others of the
fomily with me, and I shall 60 down and
find out what the place really looks like,
aad what is necessary to be done. Of
course you know the buildings must be
very much out of repair. and will need
d quantity of painting and other work.
A building will get out of repair when
it is neglected for fifteen years, as they
have been."
"What do you propose to call the in; n;
stitution, or is it too soon to ask that T.
said the reporter. ;.
"Oh, I can't tell that yet. haven't
got as far as that" said Mr.. Cooper. II
am going down there, first to decide
whether shall do anything more about
it, and then to arrange the details OF it
in case determine to 60 on"
at is said that there will be normal
school established in addition to the reg.
ular academic course for the benefit OF
those who intend to become teachers. is
that an 9U asked the reDorter