Views: 2,789 An annual tradition for the Essex Fox Hounds of Peapack, New Jersey Blessing of the Hounds Back in 2007, before there was a Mr. Local History, there was just a local looking for fun historic events to go… Read More »The Blessing of the Hounds – A Countryside Tradition
Views: 3,883 RETROSPECTIVE:MLHP often releases retrospectives, which are stories about our research that may change as new research is uncovered. Our search now takes us to the Princeton University archives. We are still looking at where Abraham Southard settled from around… Read More »The Southard Family of Basking Ridge and A Historic Finding
Views: 6,055 President George Washington proclaimed Nov. 26, 1789, the last Thursday of November that year, to be a “day of public thanksgiving.” What is known as the “Gentry”, in New Jersey they held fox hunts on Thanksgiving Day. Fox… Read More »Thanksgiving Meet – Horses, Hounds and Foxes Before Turkey – A Countryside Tradition
Views: 1,305 For over 60 years Bernards Township has had an official flag. The four colored rectangles recognized the four hamlets inside Bernards Township. In the 80s, a vote was made in West Millington to join the nearby Basking Ridge… Read More »Resolution Needed for the Bernards Township Flag
The phrase “cold as balls” reportedly comes from the contraction of metal on ship’s cannons, causing the iron balls to fall. The expression “cold as a witch’s tit” originated from the belief that witches, portrayed as cold-blooded in the 1600s, had an ‘unholy’ body part feeding familiars or the devil.
Views: 2,294 John Morton was a Colonel in the Continental Army. Still, he gave up his commission in 1761 to become a highly successful merchant, specializing in the trade of flax back home to his native Ulster in Northern Ireland… Read More »John Morton – General Washington’s Rebel Banker Hid in Basking Ridge
Views: 1,629 Maps have historically been a great way to tell stories about local history. Mr. Local History Project congratulates William (Liam) Murphy of Basking Ridge’s Patriots Path Council Boy Scout Troop 351, who created his interactive Basking Ridge Historical… Read More »Eagle Scout Maps Historic Basking Ridge
Views: 6,541 Make a Tax Deductible Donation – Get a Frameable Map Finding New Ways to Share Local History.We call it “Maps for a Cause” supporting Our Ridge and Bernards High Scholarship Funds The Mr. Local History Project continues its… Read More »Make a Donation – Get a Historic Map as our Gift
Views: 6,981 Researching Local History with Maps As a historian, I believe maps are one of the greatest sources of information, capturing a time and place. We use these maps to research history and find buildings, families, farms, or streets.… Read More »Sharing Local History with Maps – How to Read Into Them
Views: 2,318 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… Read More »Remembering Willie Howard and Bedminster’s Willie’s Tavern
Views: 12,931 Urban Legends, Ghosts, Murder, Nuns gone insane, the Devil and other horror stories we’ve dug up from Central New Jersey’s past. May be urban legends, but they’re OUR stories! When the leaves start turning and the nights get… Read More »Horror Tales and Ghost Stories from Central New Jersey
Views: 1,183 You can learn a lot of history by looking at a cemetery! NOTE: A quick reminder: Warren was part of Bernards Township until the 19th century, while Far Hills and Bernardsville were still part of Bernards Township up… Read More »Basking Ridge Evergreen Cemetery is a Living History Lesson
Views: 741 Vol.5 Issue 3 – Fall 2023The fall is one of our favorite seasons in New Jersey as the kids go back to school, the warm days follow crisp nights, and the leaves begin to change. Mr Local History… Read More »Mr. Local History 2023 Fall Back to School Magazine Vol 5. Issue 3
Views: 9,325 Believe it or not, the dead is alive in central New Jersey especially in northern Somerset County. The question is not whether they are real or not, but more like are they disturbing or friendly? As we share,… Read More »10 More Haunted Tales From Central New Jersey
Views: 4,821 Change or Die! That’s the battle cry. This article examines why people are no longer signing up and supporting historical societies across America. They are a dying institution, but they’re not alone. No one can deny that Amazon… Read More »Transforming Historical Societies and Museums