What Our Mr. Local History Readers Are Commenting About

Hi, great event. A reporter took pic of my wife and I.. I had on a tyrolean hat with gamsbart... I was hoping to locate. Thanks, Tom

Stopped Wednesday October 21 hoping to see the new visitors center and advertised new painting of the Crossing. Disappointed as were the couple with Kansas plates who arrived at the same time. Unhelpful signage and internet postings. Too bad y'all weren't more forthcoming about the delays, etc. Bill Antheil Oro Valley, AZ

I played solo acoustic there almost every Tuesday night from 1983-89. Loved the intimate setting, and had a lot of friends, co-workers, regulars, and FDU & Drew students from playing at their rathskellers all showing up. I even have some live recordings on cassette I'm in the process of digitizing. Always had a great time!

Loved this story and the success of a longtime business. I myself gave up my windsurfing career to work in NYC banking. I had to grow up sometime.

Very interesting story on the mill. Well done. Hope to visit in the near future. My father was Charles Petty Van Doren

David… here she comes to life. I’m going to paint her exactly as you remember her — the energy, the hands, the warmth, the personality that filled that little stucco storefront on Bernards Avenue. **Great‑Aunt Mary DeFilippis, wife of Andrew DeFilippis— The Woman Whose Hands Spoke First** Great‑Aunt Mary DeFilippis didn’t just *talk* — she *expressed*. When she spoke, her hands moved faster than her words, slicing through the air, fluttering, pointing, shaping her thoughts like a conductor guiding an orchestra. Her fingers danced with meaning, her palms opened with warmth, and her gestures carried entire sentences long before her voice caught up. She didn’t speak English well — not in the way Americans expected — but she didn’t need to. Her language was the language of **motion**, **emotion**, and **presence**. You understood her perfectly because she communicated with her whole being. She had **energy**, real energy — the kind...

Dan Smith did not work for Max Spann, he was an AT&T employee who entered a sandwich contest Emily, the original owner had. The winner got the sandwich named after them.

A Visit to Great‑Aunt Mary — 1975 In the summer of 1975, my family and I visited Great‑Aunt Mary DeFilippis at her little cream‑yellow stucco store on Bernards Avenue — the same store that had once been part of Bernardsville’s “Little Italy,” where she lived in the back of the store and Great Aunt Mary DeFilippis greeted everyone with kindness. Beside the store was the empty parking lot I remember so clearly, the landmark that places her home and business at 52–54 Bernards Avenue. Even though the building had changed over the years, Aunt Mary’s presence made it feel timeless. During that visit, Aunt Mary treated us to Good Humor ice cream from the Good Humor truck that used to come down Bernards Avenue. She always made sure the kids felt special — she would give each of us a crisp new dollar bill and a Hershey’s chocolate bar, her...

I cant thank you enough for this article ! My late Dad was one of the rebels who raced down rt 22 in the 1950s - he spoke of how fun it was !!! His one friend is still alive who participated, Ill find out if he has any photos.

It was great to meet you at Buffy's today, especially since I was capturing footage of myself playing pool and darts for my upcoming video "That Ain't Luck." Now I think I need to study up on shuffleboard and get a bit of that into the video, since it's such a rare historic element at this point. Check out the movie Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, available for streaming. I think you're in a special position to enjoy that one.

Facebook Post 2019 - BINGEN BART'S WIND REPORT - conversation #53, recorded in Bart's Vervloet's office. Columbia Gorge Wind & Water Assoc. Hood River, OR "The pleasure of wind forecasting. Remember the first rule: don't leave wind to find wind… The Wind Ranch, that was a whole subculture unto itself. There was a whole pile of people at the Wind Ranch that used to camp out up there. They're still around here, decades later. A whole series of crazy people. Carl Meinberg. Pink Car Bob. Chris Anderson. I remember owning The Gorge Surf Shop we used to do board repairs, fix booms, or re-grip booms for people at the shop in Bingen. We always had tools out for use. The sales counter was a work bench. Lot's of time I'd deliver stuff to people up at the Wind Ranch, "I'm gonna be going sailing tomorrow, early. I'll swing by your...

Thanks for writing. All of our magazines have been in a "digital-only" format since we started creating the online magazine series. It is only available online. We do certainly appreciate your financial support, as we couldn't do it without the financial support of our readers and supporters. Thank you very much and keep reading and writing.

I've spent some recent hours reading your Middlebrook and Morristown sections. I enjoyed them very much and would like to obtain a copy of your Mr Local History Magazine, vol 8. I sent you a $25 donation in June. Does that qualify me for a copy? If so, how do I receive it? Thanks very much.

Meryl Streep indeed also lived in Madison, New Jersey on Valley Rd, as shown by the 1950 census, for apparently a couple of years. Her father was a very active real estate agent in town. So Madison has a tiny claim to her also.

Good morning! On the Westfield lost businesses list there seem to be two missing 🙂 same building next to team car wash..... KFC (still miss there bowls) Bohemian Rhapsody (yogurt and ice cream...huge selection) Great job!

Thanks for sharing this. I always pass that Cemetery and didn't realize someone was actually buried there. I thought it was just headstones marking someone who died on the property

The Vail family was scattered all around the Morristown/Plainfield/Somerville area, and we are all related. When I was a kid, there used to be a Vail picnic every summer in Cedarbrook Park in Plainfield.

My grandfather set the stone for Schmid Park on Pond Hill Road. He worked at the quarry when they had steam shovels until he passed away in 1985. Lots of memories there.

I grew up in Summit. We went to the Springfield WD. I graduated Summit HS in 1975. Before they tore down the WD I interviewed the owner and wrote an article about it in our HS newspaper. I might have it in storage or not. If I find it I'll send you a PDF. The owner gave me a hat and one of the metal signs. Unfortunately I stored the sign under my bed in Manhattan and the rollers took off paint on the corners. I framed the hat and hung it on the wall with prints of the Clark (I think) WD and the Summit Diner. Photos attached. The Springfield WD had a huge outdoor blue light bug zapper that people threw french fries into. They zapped good. We called them french flies. Keep up the good work.

All Saints' Episcopal Church in Millington was built from Millington Quarry trap rock, donated by Frederick Schmidt. Until the quarry closed we could hear and feel the blasting at the Church whenever it occurred.

Gary is one hell of man I had the opportunity to work for Gary for a short time when I was there I worked on the Mack M-100 SX it was the best experience I ever had Thank you Gary!

Back in the 1930s, there was a fair-sized wooden box for the drop-off of bread at the entrance to the Cerino brothers' grocery store across the street (Finley & W. Oak). One night, a group of teenagers brought the "Bread Box" over to Cerino's (owned) island, connected it to the flag pole rope, and hoisted it up to the top of the pole. Cerino's eventually transferred their island to the town. (As told by my father).

Preservation NJ named the site of the former Lord Stirling School as one of the state's most endangered due to its significance as the garden of the Lord Stirling mansion and the current threat by developer Jon Rocker, who is threatening to have it bulldozed for a condo development.

Thank you for this research. I grew up in The Hills on the Bedminster side, in an affordable unit (that is no longer affordable). In the 90s we used to play in an abandoned house at the top of Mt. Prospect Rd, before they finished building out all the housing on the Bernads side. The house was still there when the school was new. The house was very cool, upscale midcentury, but it seemed to have foundation settlement issues; it was sinking, and the floors weren't level, which is why we assumed it was abandoned, but there was all kinds of stuff left behind, like the people just disappeared one day. Based on the graffiti and other evidence, we weren't the first generation of kids to find it, and we werent the last either, I'm pretty sure it burned down years later, which is no surprise. I always wondered what...

Hi: Abraham Southard the son of Thomas and Annica Southard had no record of having been married. He left a will in 1725 where he left his estate to his nephew and namesake, Abraham Southard II son of Isaac Southard, the brother of Abraham Southard I. Isaac was named executor of the will. Abraham Southard II married Cornelia Barnes 28 Jan 1738 in St. Georges Episcopal Church. They had several children, Amos, Elizabeth, Isaac, and Henry before moving to Basking Ridge NJ in 1750. The last record of Abraham Southard II in Hempstead was June 9, 1750 where he took a 50 lb bond. A 1752 Town record said that that bond was satisfied without penalty. Your genealogy appears to have skipped a generation with Abraham. If he were the son of Thomas and Annica Southard as you suggested he would have been in his 70s when he first married...

What was the name of the restaurant that was destroyed by Sandy which was across the street from Keyport Fishery?

Yes, not sure how it got confused so we've updated the piece. How did you remember?

The Mount Prospect School shown in the picture was built in approximately 1998, not 1968. It was indeed named after the road.

Laird & Company in Colt's Neck is considered America's oldest distillery, renowned for producing Applejack and apple brandy. William Laird arrived in Colonial New Jersey from Scotland in 1698 and began distilling apple-based spirits using the region's abundant apple supply. The family initially operated behind the Colts Neck Inn. Legend holds that George Washington was a patron and requested the family's secret recipe. To survive Prohibition (1920–1933), the company shifted entirely to producing non-alcoholic apple products like applesauce and sweet cider before obtaining one of the nation's first medicinal distilling licenses in 1933. While Laird & Company is headquartered in Scobeyville, actual distilling operations were moved to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley in 1972. The New Jersey facility continues to operate as a rectifier, blender, and aging/bottling plant. Historic District: The historic Scobeyville property and homestead are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

We used to walk to joralemons after school. We would get our root beer popsicles. My dad used to send me over there with a note to buy his cigarettes. The good old days. I can't imagine Bernardsville without this beautiful little Country Store. I have some fabulous memories there. I saw a picture of a lady named Beth. I believe she was my friend who lived up the street. I would love to reconnect with her.

We are a historical organization. If you wish to talk with them, contact them directly. Thank you.

Following up to previously sent e-mail to ensure I did it properly. Please respond at your earliest convenience if you received. I am interested in getting restored as a welcome member of Sky Farm.

Can I visit Sky Farm? I was a member 22+ years age with my wife who passed away 18 years age?

Funny about this - we just saw Teddy Roosevelt talking with President Trump at the opening of his new library - Pretty cool - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWKFiUICLZE

We held my youngest son’s baptism reception there in 1988. Very happy atmosphere and memories. When did it close?

Lord Stirling is my 6th great-grandfather. I'd like to keep on top of the research you do about him!

I worked for AT&T IMS from '88 to '92 on the first floor of building 7. Our organization was responsible for all of the telephone, networking plant and computer support at the site and dozens of Unix servers. My desk was right outside of the telephone equipment room. As a result of my work, I had been in just about every space in the building except the kitchen and some maintenance spaces. If anyone I worked with reads this (you know who you are), AT&T people were some of the best coworkers I ever had in four decades plus IT career.

As history buffs (particularly Revolutionary War), we were excited to visit Eagles's Nest at Washington Valley Park today. From the video we saw online (posted in 2023) and other things we read, it sounded like Somerset County had plans to upgrade the site with better access, trails and interpretive features in time for the 250th celebration. Unfortunately, the roads leading to Washington Valley Park are poorly marked and once you are in the park, there is no signage, so Eagle's Nest is hard to find. Once we did find it, we were dismayed to see Mr. Patullo's home/buildings had been torn down, the area was overgrown with weeds and shrubs and the lookout and cannons were broken and appeared to be vandalized, with garbage strewn all around. Very disappointing. Is there any update on the County's plans for the site?

My Grandfather, Boyd Happe, was a proud member. Raised pheasants on Prospect behind 148 Maple. Those houses had trouble with landscaping for many years. Evidently, pheasant crap isn't great for growing anything.

When I moved to Martinsville section of Bridgewater 44 yrs. ago, the western side of Shley Mtn. was a huge field of standing corn now occupied by the Kings / Shopping Center. Before that the "Red Ball Hunting Club" had Shley Mtn. posted for quite a few years until development of "The Hills" began.