The Paula Grossman Story – 50+ Years Later Forever in Basking Ridge History
Views: 503 Paula Grossman’s dismissal from the Bernards Township school system in the early 1970s is widely regarded as one of the first public cases of transgender discrimination in American public employment. A tenured music teacher removed not for misconduct…
America 250: The Flag Design & Jersey’s Involvement
Views: 198 Mr. Local History finds itself back partnering with a New Jersey iconic business that has been one of the most historic in American History. As we expanded our Gift Shop collection with America 250 flags, it’s no surprise…
Basking Ridge’s Rushmore 5 Females of the Modern Era
Views: 601 MLH Mini-Series: The Basking Ridge Rushmore 5 of the Modern Era in our Community Now It’s Time to Recognize the Basking Ridge Ladies Rushmore 5 Okay, so I live in Basking Ridge, which is part of Bernards Township,…
Cockfighting in the Somerset Hills – How Times Have Changed
Views: 392 Picture a country barn set back from the road. Cars parked along a tree line, never too close together. Men arriving quietly, some local, others from out of town. Inside, cages line the walls and a small pit…
The Missing Marlboro Man From Basking Ridge
Yes folks there was a Marlboro Man who lived atop Schley Mountain in Bernards Township (Basking Ridge) Now we need the community’s help.
Top 25 of 2025 – Mr. Local History Year in Review
Views: 297 2025 Research in Review 2025 was a big year for the Mr. Local History Project. It marked our 5th year in operation and a milestone we’re incredibly proud of reaching our one millionth visitor. What started as a…
Happenings On Christmas Eve: Our Hometown of Basking Ridge is Buzzing!
So much is going on around our beautiful home base in the Somerset Hills of New Jersey, especially in Basking Ridge. Come check it out.
The Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Carol Sing – Black River Journal
Views: 533 The editors of the Black River Journal recently reached out to the Mr Local History Project with a simple request. They wanted to help tell the story of one of the region’s most cherished holiday traditions, the Basking…
“Janice Meredith” – 1924 Silent Film Showcases American Revolution
Views: 604 Back in 1924, silent films were all the rage. Bernardsville was just becoming a borough and separating from Bernards Township, but there was still only one movie theater, The Liberty Theater. How fortunate was the theater to feature…
Meet (Sir) Francis Bernard Esq. – New Jersey’s Royal Governor
Views: 9,910 Our curiosity started with a round-table discussion: Who is Francis Bernard, and should there be a statue to recognize his service to New Jersey? Read the story and tell us what you think at the end. It is…
America’s First Republican Vice President Nominee – Basking Ridge’s William Dayton Beats out Abraham Lincoln
Views: 7,453 Americans think the Biden/Trump election was one for the ages, exposing huge ideological beliefs, highly charged politics, and a fight for American values. Looking back at history, most people know the presidential challenges as the country tore apart…
Sir Francis Bernard Honored With American Town Names
Views: 5,694 Sir Francis Bernard’s Legacy Carries On as Towns Honor the Royal Governor of New Jersey and Massachusetts In 1758, Francis Bernard, originally from Lincolnshire, England, was appointed Governor of the province of Nova Caesarea (New Jersey). He packed…
Retrospective: Lost & Torn Down Memories From the Somerset Hills
Views: 5,319 As with all Mr. Local History retrospectives, we often update the post when we learn stories and are sent photos from our community. We will continue to expand this piece as information becomes available. If you have any stories to…
Liberty Corner & Bullion’s Tavern
Views: 3,515 Every great historical story starts with something like, “So we were at this tavern and……” This is one of those stories. America was in the final stages of the Revolutionary war. After an agreement with the French was…
Stirling Manor- 13 Colonies’ Most Prestigious Manor Was Right In Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Views: 1,768 Is William Alexander, aka The Earl & Lord of Stirling, Basking Ridge’s Most Famous Resident? Our researchers think so. Let’s see if we can answer that question. William Alexander (1726 – Jan 15, 1783) was the son of…
1930 – Lyons Glider Field: Where New Jersey’s Soaring Story Began
Views: 1,868 Before the Schley Glider Field rose to fame in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, a quiet field in the Lyons section of Bernards Township launched the state’s first glider site for a generation of aviators. Lyons Glider Field The…
The Bernardsville Basking Ridge Speedway of 1907
Views: 2,370 Mr. Local History took a ride down Washington Avenue in Bernardsville & Basking Ridge as we uncovered a story that we wanted to check out. Now if you know Washington Avenue and Washington Street, it’s really known as…
Resolution Needed for the Bernards Township Flag
Views: 1,854 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…
‘Beautiful Bernards’ Honors Bernards Township History and Community
Views: 3,831 “Beautiful Bernards” is a perfect example of “sharing local history with a social twist!” Mr. Local History Project’s mission – the red and gold have a tie to Bernards Township history. Two years ago, Mr. Local History donated…
Quicklinks – Tracking History From Selected Jersey Towns
Views: 3,538 Want a quick way to search for articles about the history of one of the towns we love to cover?The Mr. Local History Project has created a few quick searches to give you a head start. Our researchers…