Letter from Dave Petri

Otsego County Loses Landmark

On February 28, Otsego County’s Town of Hartwick lost one of its most important historic landmarks.

On March 14, 1780, Joshua Cook, son of Silas and Phebe Phetteplace, daughter of Jonathan, were married in Glocester, Rhode Island. A couple of decades later, they decided to head west to make themselves a new start in the Susquehanna Valley of New York State. Their location was just a few miles south of Cooperstown in what is now referred to as Hyde Park in the township of Hartwick.

There they chose to build a large, commodious home considered at that time, in the days of log homes, to be a mansion house. It was built as a tavern or small inn, with very spacious rooms. No corners were cut in the construction of this large, spacious structure either on the in or outside. It boasted three large chimneys, each containing two fireplaces.

It was decorated in the Georgian federal transition period, with a wonderful fluted door surround with fanned-shaped transom. There were four quarter fans, two in each front peak on each side of the chimney stack. The formal end to the north had beautifully decorative mantels, the south end a little less ornate. The back chimney stack with the cooking hearth was removed, so our knowledge of that is bleak. We do know from ownership there was a simple mantel in an outbuilding that probably was upstairs in the back wing over the cooking hearth.

The house was built with carved chair rails in the hall and formal rooms upstairs and down. The central entry hall had a Georgian stairway with dentils and carving that turned to the south two thirds the way up. The bannister of the formal stairway was of native cherry wood. The house had the unique quality in that each room had its own different, delicate-edge molding on the window and door surrounds, with the door panel moldings reflecting the same. In the dearly days, for the most part, the latches were ball end spring back plate latches, probably from Birmingham, England. There was also a unique back stairway by an exterior door with transom that turned at the bottom and again at the top. Originally, the front porch of Greek style was not there, but was probably added around 1850.

The ownership of the house changed several times upon the death of Joshua in 1823. Cornelius Teachout, whose son ran a carriage and wagon shop up the road, torn down in 2023, lived in the Cook house until 1866, when his daughter married a Winsor. Then from Winsor it went to the Jarvis family. Around 1929, it was bought by a Kilts family whose daughter married a Collier. The last 20 or so years, it has been owned by the Hickey family.

I had high hopes that this historic home would someday be restored. After all, it is located in almost the exact center of Otsego County and has been a historic landmark on State Route 28, the main artery to Cooperstown, for more than 200 years.

It was located in such a spot on the curve that you saw it going north or south. All the exterior clapboard and trim on the front was original and totally correct. The interior of all the front rooms, other than some added closets, was original, true and correct. The 12 over 12 window sash was replaced sometime after 1866 with a large glass sash of the same size as the originals. Usually, in most cases today, you have a good interior or exterior—rarely both. This house was much more original in all its fabric than the More house or the Lippitt house at The Farmers’ Museum. It was truly of museum quality and without doubt the best formal interior and exterior of the 1800-1810 period in the township of Hartwick.

Dave Petri
Hartwick