The Jacobus Vanderveer House in Bedminster, New Jersey, is celebrating its 22nd Colonial Christmas, an annual fundraiser event that combines history, tourism, tradition, and Christmas spirit. It offers an array of activities including music, reenactments, crafts, and holiday shopping. The event typically takes place on the last weekend of November and the first week of December.
The Mr. Local History Project has created a fun, interactive quiz to test your knowledge about Bedminster, New Jersey’s local history. The quiz includes corresponding answers and ancillary local history resources.
Often, Mr. Local History doesn’t search for stories as those stories find us. Case in point is this weird little story about a man who comes to America only to find that his life is remembered after Basking Ridge’s Jack… Read More »Remembering Willie Howard and Bedminster’s Willie’s Tavern
Bedminster, New Jersey is situated just 45 miles west of New York City but you are right int the middle of one of the most populated equine areas in the United States. The United States Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters is… Read More »Bedminster Has A Tavern Serving Over 200 years of History
If you live in the Somerset Hills area around Bedminster and Tewksbury you hopefully have heard the name Mellick. The Mellick name goes back to one of the founding family names in the area. In fact, the name Mellick acquired… Read More »Bedminster History – Look To the Old Mellick Farmhouses
Preserving Bedminster’s History – The Mr. Local History Project (MLH) has been preserving and promoting local history since our non-profit organization was established in 2019. The all-volunteer group started a wooden miniature keepsake program to share history and artwork in… Read More »Collectible: Preserving Bedminster’s History #summerwhitehouse
UPDATE: While we wrote this piece years ago, the Bedminster Charter came back in the news on October 21, 2019, when it was announced that the Forbes family was donating the charter back to Bedminster Township. The story continues! This… Read More »The Lost Charters of Bernards Township & Bedminster
Hey, Bedminster, we’d love your opinion. We’re looking to hear what you think are the most historic icons in Bedminster, New Jersey. Loading… Vote in the Series:Know Bernardsville? Vote for their most historic Click HereKnow Bernards Township? Vote for their most… Read More »Vote for Bedminster’s Most Historic Icons
The J. Geils Band was an American rock band formed in 1968 in Worcester, Massachusetts, while John Geils was attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute. It was led by guitarist John “J.” Geils. But did you know that it all started when… Read More »J. Geils Was From Bedminster -Cut his Chops at Bernards High
So we’re over at the Bedminster Farmers Market and while meeting a few of the locals, one of the patrons mentioned “why don’t you research what’s going on over at the slave burial grounds in Bedminster. Here we are. We… Read More »A Unique Bedminster Cemetery-“God’s Acre”
Sister Towns in New Jersey and England Share a Common Bond – and a Name How fun was it when we were contacted by our friends across the pond who were inquiring about what they were calling a “sister town”… Read More »The Tale of Two Bedminsters
Map Identifies Historic Properties, Owners, Building Locations, Local History Including the Often Ignored Pluckemin Artillery Park With over 2,000 hours of painstaking research and countless renderings, the landscaping firm of John Charles Smith & Associates of Far Hills is preparing… Read More »Bedminster Map Project Reveals Historic Pluckemin Artillery Park
Did you know that US Route 206 actually used to be Route 31 and what is US Route 202 was actually Route 32?
So now you tell your friend “Take Route 31 North Thru Bedminster
and Turn Right onto Route 32 straight into Bernardsville.” Huh. “Route 31 goes to Clinton right? Left? WRONG! Confused?
Travel back to 1935 and you definitely would have been.
Maybe you could travel down Mine Brook Road to Bernardsville and the directions read take Route 32 south to Bville and stop at the dairy. Or maybe you’re coming down from Chester and you wanted to visit the Brady’s Hamilton Farm in Peapack/Bedminster and you actually have to go down Route 31. Well that was actually the case right up until 1935 when the transition began to change these two crossroads across the Somerset Hills to Routes 202 and 206.
How Confusing?
Have you ever had such a major roadway change names in your lifetime? Your whole psychic changes. Think about how much confusion there is when the Department of Transportation changes highway exits and how long it takes you to forget the old ones and replace it with the new numbers. Geeze, I think there’s still exit signs on the southern end of Route 202 South that still say Old Exit 2B.