Hesse Home in Otego: a Virtual 18th-century House and Home Museum

By TERESA WINCHESTEROTEGO

For 33 years, Buzz Hesse, a trained archeologist and former owner of the auction house Hesse Galleries, has lived with his wife, Jackie, in a house built in the late 18th century. He loves to tell the story of how he first spotted the structure in Laurens, later purchased it, then disassembled it, and ultimately found an ideal site for the house in Otego.The moment he saw the “unpretentious-looking” two-story house, he wanted it, despite the horse standing in the doorway and the chickens running in and out.

Hesse is convinced that greater forces were at work in the whole restoration process, which he described at the April meeting of the Otego Historical Association.