I’m Coming Home

One Man’s Quest To Restore History, Legacy and Community

After falling out of the family for nearly 50 years, the Edson farmhouse was finally returned to family hands. Now, it was up to Jeff to restore it to what it once was.

By BILL BELLEN
MILFORD

It’s a misty morning on Dorr Edson Road. Water trickles down a rocky creek as chirping birds arrive home from winter travels. Headlights suddenly pierce the fog, revealing a new gray Subaru Forester. Pulling off the road, it slows to a stop in a worn gravel driveway. A tall man in a gray Ralph Lauren sweatshirt steps out of the driver side door. Beyond him, a hill rises. On it lies seven generations of community history and family legacy—a farmhouse. Jeff Edson has returned home, and home he’s going to stay.

Built in 1872, the Edson farmhouse was just the latest development in the Edson family legacy. Arriving in the late 1700s, the Edsons settled five miles east of what would become the Village of Milford, where many have stayed since. Members of the family have influenced Milford and Otsego County for generations—from John Edson’s construction of the Milford Center Baptist Church in 1828, to Frank Edson’s role in the 1907 construction of the Colliersville Dam, which formed Goodyear Lake.

By the 1970s, fortunes had changed. Across the country, family farms faced headwinds from rising costs and shifting markets. Dairy farms across the United States—numbering more than 640,000 in 1970—rapidly began shuttering operations, contributing to a 93 percent decline to around 40,000 remaining by 2018. Unable to weather the storm, the Edson farm was foreclosed in 1978, leaving the family for the first time in over a century.

It was with this legacy that Jeff Edson approached a neglected and largely-ruined farmhouse in 2017. At the time, he had been working in New Jersey for nearly 40 years in the healthcare sector. After getting his start at Bassett hospital in Cooperstown, Jeff ventured to Saint Joseph’s University to pursue a graduate program in healthcare. During these studies he attained a human resources management position at Lourdes Health System, building his reputation and an understanding of organizational and people needs. By the time Jeff purchased the farmhouse, he was an industry veteran and human resources director at Saint Francis Medical Center. He finally returned to the crest of Edson Hill full-time in 2022.

Jeff began restoration work in 2023, hiring local contractors and prescribing an attention-to-detail fitting of his character. He invested nearly quadruple the $85,000.00 property valuation into the restoration, spending $350,000.00 installing modern electric, plumbing and heating systems that complimented meticulously-restored original antique doors, floor boards, and furniture.

“Years of neglect, trash and forgotten furniture filled every inch of the 2,874-square-foot farmhouse,” Jeff said. He attributed much of the restoration’s success to “deep prayers from family and friends.”

Frank Antonucci, Milford town historian, took an interest in researching the footprint of the Edson family. Working with Jeff, he pieced together the Edson lineage, finding notable historic footnotes along the way.

Antonucci emphasized the importance of the farmhouse’s preservation. Numerous historically-significant structures have disappeared across Milford in recent years. Fires ravaged the old Milford United Methodist Church and historic Milford Corner Store in 2017 and 2025, respectively, while the long-abandoned Culley’s Tavern was demolished only months ago following decades of disrepair. As natural decay continues creeping through old barns and farmhouses throughout Otsego County, Antonucci said Jeff’s restoration represents more than just a service to his family.

“With this renovation, Jeff has brought to life his family’s history for other generations and the Milford community,” Antonucci stated. “This is something to be acknowledged and celebrated.”

With a population of only roughly 3,000, few Milford residents are unfamiliar with Jeff and his work. Tucked between the college town of Oneonta and tourist hub of Cooperstown, Milford is composed of multi-generational families like the Edsons and newcomers seeking a taste of quiet rural life. This small and tight-knit nature lends itself to a community that values its history—something apparent in the public reaction to Jeff’s efforts to preserve it.

Peter Paffenroth, president of the Goodyear Lake Association, spoke admiringly of Jeff’s commitment to restoring the farmhouse, acknowledging the importance of preserving the town’s rich history.

“I think it’s fantastic because there are so many of these old farms and farmhouses that they just let go,” Paffenroth remarked. Jeff “has history with this town, and he loves it.”

Paffenroth had faith Jeff could get the restoration done right, stating, “I know he’ll do that because he really cares about where he lives.”

That faith paid off in 2025 when Jeff finally completed his grand project. Sleek white clapboard sidings now compliment large windows and pale blue trims, invoking a Greek revival style. All nine bedrooms have received new furnishings, including period-accurate bedframes and nightstands. Rooms like the kitchen and living quarters retain an antique air, despite the presence of electric stoves and flat screen TVs. Generations of Edson family legacy now live again through the restored home—an ethereal notion not lost on Jeff.

A deeply religious man, this labor of love became a spiritual journey for Jeff, who recalled writing scripture on the home’s walls before applying the final coat of paint. Despite seemingly-limitless time, resources and discipline being dedicated to the farmhouse, Jeff retains an impassioned humbleness regarding his role in the restoration process.

“According to biblical principles, land is not truly owned by humans but entrusted to them,” Jeff said. “By restoring the farm, I am acting as a steward or caretaker of God’s earth, reversing the neglect that fell upon it.”

This caretaker status continues to be embodied by Jeff across the community. Reflecting his knowledge of the needs of the healthcare system, the Edson farmhouse now serves as a residency for traveling nurses servicing the local Bassett Healthcare Network. Housing is otherwise hard to come by, with Bassett executives acknowledging disruptions to housing as a primary contributor to the network’s poor recruitment and retention rates.

Jeff and Antonucci are continuing a multi-year push to place the farmhouse on the New York State Historical Registry. Registry status would grant the Edson farm a formal recognition of historical importance from the state, providing potential tax credits and grant opportunities while limiting future alterations to the property, preserving it for years to come.

“Standing in the hallway today, the house feels less like a project and more like a person who has finally returned home,” Jeff said. “After years in the hands of strangers, these walls once again belong to the family that first raised them. By placing it on the Historical Registry, I’m not just preserving a building; I’m ensuring that for the next seven generations, this piece of Otsego County history will never be lost again.”