Brooks Betz

Founder and Chair of the Mr. Local History Project

Diners, Burgers Introduced at 1939 World’s Fair & The White Mana

As with all Mr. Local History retrospectives, we often update the post when we learn stories and are sent photos…

11 hours ago

Retrospective: Newark’s McGovern’s Tavern- An Irish History Tale

Frank McGovern opened his tavern in 1936 selecting 58 New Street right in the central ward of downtown Newark. Whether…

3 weeks ago

Finding New Jersey’s Giant Pizzas

Yes, in New Jersey, there are places making pizzas from 24"to 36" that are very good —we call them Jersey's…

2 months ago

Newark New Jersey’s Incredible Velodrome and Motordrome Racing Venues

PREVIEW RELEASE:Our researchers continue to work with this story as there are several conflicting points of view we want to…

3 months ago

History: The Cranford Hotel That’s NOT a Hotel

UPDATE:After years of work, the Mr. Local History Project committed to five historic wooden keepsakes in Cranford to preserve and…

3 months ago

Remembering and Now Saving The EggOmat in Warren Township, New Jersey

2025 UPDATE: Rembering, YES. But now it's time to SAVE the Warren EggOMat! UPDATE: February 23, 2025 We finally saw…

3 months ago

1928 – Woodbridge Speedway – World’s Fastest 1/2 Mile Track

This is a tale about auto racing legends of the early 1920s, known as daredevils and speed freaks, who traveled…

5 months ago

1926: Atlantic City Opened One of the Greatest Speedways in the World

The year is 1926. Welcome to the "Board Bowl," which had 80,000 fans and was one of the world's greatest…

5 months ago

Remebering the Waterloo Village Concert Series

The Waterloo Fields, home to the Waterloo Music Festival in Byram Township, New Jersey. In 1977, Waterloo Village opened an…

5 months ago

Wildwood History: Boardwalk, Beach, Neon and the Doowop Universe

UPDATE:USA TODAY says Wildwood is Home to One of the Country's Best Pop Culture Museums. The museum received USA Today’s…

5 months ago

Jersey’s Jared Isaacman – Ridge High School Dropout Who Went to Outer Space (AGAIN) Now Tagged to Lead NASA

MORE HUGE JARED NEWS: December 4, 2024 - It was just announced that President-Elect Donald J. Trump has tagged Jared…

7 months ago

Egypt Hill, Brown’s Pond and The Great Loves of My Childhood in Westfield, New Jersey

The Westfield (NJ) Historical Society presented 'My Recollections of Westfield, ' or, as I transcribed it, Frank Betz's recollections of his childhood…

8 months ago

The American Flagman Honors Patriotism Everyday

Basking Ridge, New Jersey UPDATE: Back in 2010, we posted this story on another website. Then, we said people needed…

9 months ago

1905 – New Jersey Automobile Beach Racing Rivaled Florida’s Daytona Beach

Yes, it's true. While motorsports history has been very kind to the Daytona and Ormond Beaches in Florida, historians often…

9 months ago

Wildwood’s Motorcycle Wall of Death is Back in New Jersey

Get yourself a piece of Jersey history - the Mr. Local History Project "Wear Jersey History Collection." Motorsports Collection -…

9 months ago

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