Views: 869In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, we’ve been on the road, attending many great speeches and presentations on our country’s history. But one speaker gave an interesting twist, asking the audience about some commonly stated facts that have since… Read More »America250 History Debunked: Separating Myth from Fact
Views: 935As Americans experience our 250th anniversary, historians are asking how this moment should be understood and remembered. The Mr. Local History Project is preparing an in-depth story that brings together perspectives from respected voices across our region. This collection… Read More »What America at 250 Means to Me Essay Series Open to All
Views: 818America’s 250th birthday is a once-in-a-generation celebration, and there’s no better time to proudly display what America means to you. Whether it’s a porch draped in flags, a family dressed in red, white, and blue, a neighborhood gathering, or… Read More »Show us Your Red, White, and Blue Contest – Celebrating America 250
Views: 1,716Military protocol in the eighteenth century generally called for armies to suspend major campaigning during the winter months. Harsh weather, poor roads, limited food supplies, and the difficulty of moving men, horses, artillery, and wagons made large-scale operations impractical.… Read More »Middlebrook’s 1778-1779 Encampment – 10,000 Troops and Bridgewater’s Legacy
Views: 1,663Long before telegraphs, radios, or cell phones, New Jersey’s mountaintops carried messages by fire. During the Revolutionary War, General William Livingston and Brigadier General William Alexander—better known as Lord Stirling—relied on a chain of signal beacons stretching across the… Read More »Igniting New Jersey’s Revolutionary Signal Beacons for America 250 Effort
Views: 8,925Communicating Life Stories and Digital Storytelling For generations, family stories and personal memories were preserved through handwritten letters, photo albums, and conversations around the kitchen table. Today, those same stories can be recorded with a smartphone, shared across continents… Read More »Communicating Life Stories – Digital Storytelling Oral History
Views: 4,345This Special Issue of Mr. Local History Magazine celebrates America’s SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL, the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence, by bringing New Jersey’s Revolutionary past to life. From historic battlefields and museum exhibits to community events and… Read More »New Jersey’s America 250 Commemorative Magazine
Views: 1,812As New Jersey commemorates the 250th anniversary of the American experience, the archaeological work at Lord Stirling Manor represents one of Somerset County’s most significant contributions to the America 250 effort. By uncovering the physical remains of William Alexander’s… Read More »Archaeological Dig – America’s Grandest Estate in Basking Ridge
Views: 2,950At first glance, the Great Swamp seems peaceful, a quiet stretch of reeds, willows, and winding creeks lying between Basking Ridge, Harding, and Chatham. Yet beneath its still surface lies a story that spans thousands of years, from the… Read More »The Great Swamp: Ice Age, Giant Lakes, Airports, Swampers, Raptors, Fireworks & Horror Tales
Views: 2,142One of the things we enjoy most about the Mr. Local History Project is discovering how seemingly unrelated stories eventually connect. Over the years, we’ve crossed paths with Perth Amboy through the lives of New Jersey’s Royal Governors, the… Read More »Perth Amboy’s Great Jersey History
Views: 1,799Everyone knows the story of Valley Forge. But it’s Jockey Hollow you need to remember. For generations, Americans have learned about George Washington’s Army suffering through the winter of 1777–1778 in Pennsylvania. Valley Forge has become synonymous with sacrifice,… Read More »That 1779/1780 Winter at Jockey Hollow and a Hut City
Views: 443If you didn’t feel old, you might start feeling old if you read on. Where did time go? It wasn’t that long ago, was it? Boy, do I feel old. And it’s not that I really feel that old,… Read More »America 250 – Who Remembers 200? This Jersey Guy Does…
Views: 611Part of the Mr. Local History Rev War and Lord Stirling Series As we were researching another story, we came across this really interesting piece published in 1914 about one of the Revolutionary War’s greatest generals, William Alexander, also… Read More »Overlooked Heroines of the Revolutionary War – Sarah Livingston Alexander
Views: 1,722Perhaps you’ve heard that the US President wants an arch for Washington, DC, to honor America’s 250th anniversary. The Mr. Local History Project has another proposal: how about a nationally recognized monument for Morristown, New Jersey, America’s first National… Read More »Why Morristown Deserves a Monument to Honor its Legacy
Views: 2,217National Burger Day is Thursday, May 28, 2026For Us – It’s EVERYDAY! If you live in New Jersey, there is no doubt you are in one of the best burger environments in America. Join Mr. Local History as we’ve… Read More »Burger Series – LOVE Jersey Burger History and National Burger Day
