Film group researching man who saved Limestone College

Keith Yeager, Zelda Fazaeli (center) and Janet Gardner from the Gardner Documentary Group in New York City are working on a documentary about Peter Cooper, a philanthropist whom historians credit with saving Limestone College after the Civil War.

Peter Cooper’s name is buried among the rich history of Limestone College and Cooper Union College in New York City.

Cooper, an inventor and successful businessman, founded Cooper Union College and is credited with saving Limestone College in a book on the college’s history by retired Limestone professor Dr. Montague McMillan.

Filmmakers Janet Gardner, Keith Yeager and Zelda Fazaeli from the Gardner Documentary Group in New York City arrived in Gaffney on Thursday to spend a week researching Cooper’s work at Limestone College.

The filmmakers are working on a documentary called “Changing Lives: The Peter Cooper Story.”

Cooper was involved in some major technology advancements in the 19th century.

He built the first American locomotive to run on an American railroad and organized Trenton Iron Company, which produced the first wrought iron structural beams that are standard in modern construction techniques.

Cooper made his fortune from popular inventions like glue and flavored gelatin, the early form of what is now known as “Jell-O.”

A self-made man with little formal education, Cooper became intrigued with the idea of making a college education available to the working class so more than one social group could benefit economically. He opened Cooper Union in New York City in 1859, nearly 15 years after William Curtis established Limestone College as an all-women’s college. Curtis later sold the college to Thomas Bomar and Charles Petty.

“Limestone ran into hard times financially after the Civil War. Thomas Bomar and Charles Petty appealed to Peter Cooper for financial backing,” Yeager said. “Without Cooper’s help, Limestone would have closed as a school.”

Cooper Hall on the Limestone College campus is named in honor of Peter Cooper. Despite this honor, little is known about Cooper’s life.

This hidden history is the type of project that the Gardner Documentary Group has focused on bringing to life since its founding in New Jersey in 1990. Gardner and Yeager are graduates of Cooper Union who became interested in finding out more information on their college founder.

“Peter Cooper’s idea that higher education should be available to anyone regardless of race, color, or religion was such a radical idea for that time period,” Yeager said. “We think his life is a great story. We want to make people more aware of his accomplishments.”

Since arriving in Gaffney, the filmmakers have interviewed Cherokee County historian Bobby Moss, Frankie Childers and Knox Blanton about Cooper’s role at Limestone College.

The South Carolina Humanities Council provided support for the filmmakers’ initial research work on the Peter Cooper documentary. The Gardner Documentary Group plans to meet with SCETV and PBS this week as part of ongoing efforts to secure financing for the project.

No release date for the documentary has been set.

The filmmakers have been impressed with the cooperation and interest shown by Gaffney residents in their efforts to tell Peter Cooper’s story.

“We have been very impressed with the Southern hospitality. People have been more than gracious with their time and very supportive of the project,” Fazaeli said. “We feel we are following in the path that Peter Cooper walked when he came down to Limestone College.”