What is Otsego Hall?
{{no sources|date=December 2023}} [[File:Appletons' Cooper James Fenimore Otsego Hall.jpg|thumb|300px|Otsego Hall]] '''Otsego Hall''' was a house in [[Cooperstown, New York|Cooperstown]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. It was the ancestral home of [[United States|American]] [[author]] [[James Fenimore Cooper]]. It was built by his father William Cooper, who also founded the [[village]] of Cooperstown. This village was where the Hall was located. Building began in 1796. The Hall was completed in 1799. It was the largest private home in central [[New York (state)|New York]] for a long time. In [[June]] 1834 James Fenimore Cooper decided to reopen the Hall. He had lived in other places for almost sixteen years. The Hall had been closed for a long time. It was falling into decay. Repairs were begun at once, and the Hall was quickly restored. At first, James spent his [[winter]]s in [[New York City]] and his [[summer]]s in Cooperstown. Eventually he made Otsego Hall his forever home. The Hall burned down a few years after he died. The surrounding [[property]] was sold. His daughter and secretary, Susan Fenimore Cooper, built her home in Cooperstown with [[brick]]s and other materials from the [[ruins]] of Otsego Hall. [[Category:Buildings and structures in New York (state)]] {{US-stub}}