News and articles of historic interest from the official Bernards Township historian.
Views: 8,819 Lord Stirling, Rev War Buildings, First Airmail, Tuskegee Airmen, the VA, a proposed Super Airport and more historic moments tie back to this small strip of land in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. If you were driving around the… Read More »The Lost Somerset Hills Airport in Basking Ridge
Views: 19,756 NOTE: Remember that Far Hills and Bernardsville were part of Bernards Township until the 1920 so these names do cover those areas as well History showcases some of the greatest reminders of where we came from. Many people… Read More »The Founding Families of Bernards Township (Basking Ridge)
Views: 1,795 As the Bernards Township Historian, I’ve learned a great deal about the families that founded Bernards Township. I’ve presented this list to the Bernards Township Committee for consideration. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to let… Read More »Bernards Township – Need a New Street Name?
Views: 7,549 NOTE: While I sit in the house under self distancing work from home for the COVID 19 virus, we take a look back at a hospital in Basking Ridge, New Jersey that very few people knew. And the… Read More »History Dig: The Army Hospital was in Basking Ridge and NOT Jockey Hollow
Views: 6,071 James Monroe was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat and “Founding Father” who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was the last president of the… Read More »Retrospect: President James Monroe Had Ties to Basking Ridge
Views: 5,828 Dr. Robert Finley’s Work To Help Blacks, Defeat Slavery and Colonize Liberia Many remember that Dr. and Reverend Robert Finley was a pastor for 20 years at a Presbyterian church in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Finley and also… Read More »Dr. Robert Finley, Founder of the American Colonization Society
Views: 5,081 For many the downtown village of Basking Ridge is a bucolic vision of a Rockwell American town. Dotted with small shops, churches, and eateries, you don’t have to travel back in time too far when one of the… Read More »Looking Back – Werring Chevrolet-Olds in Basking Ridge
Views: 6,784 The Mr. Local History project got a request the other day asking why is the Ridge High School sports program called the Red Devils and why are they using the color green? It’s a history thing. Lets take… Read More »Why is Basking Ridge Called the Red Devils and Why are They Green?
Views: 11,874 In a sleepy little section in the northern end of Bernards Township lies the Olde Mill Inn. Once just a small restaurant and former grain house barn, it has become a quiet getaway for Hollywood elite and social… Read More »They Stayed In Basking Ridge
Views: 3,869 Films Document Basking Ridge and Surrounding Area History If you’re a fan of local history, two area film makers have created documentary films showcasing two of the most regarded historic stories in Bernards Township. While many people don’t… Read More »Films Document A Defeated Jetport and the Mightiest Oak
Views: 6,935 Bernards Township has had a long history of being a sleepy rural town. Then the US built the Lyons VA and everything changed as the population grew. Then AT&T came to town in the 70’s and everything AGAIN… Read More »History of Housing Developments in Bernards Township
Views: 3,891 Bernards Township has been a charted township going all the way back to 1760. With the early Dutch and Scottish settlers, the origin of the area belongs to the famed Lenni-Lenape Native American tribe.But what about the other… Read More »Bernards Township Origins
Views: 11,049 General Washington, the Continental Army, and General Lord Stirling of Basking Ridge took a page from the history books and created a sophisticated communications network to highlight the British movement. They were called the “Beacons.” You never know… Read More »Lord Stirling’s Rev War Beacon Signal Towers
Views: 8,525 Before we get started: The Methodist Church in the United States is 94% white, 92% third-generation American, 60% married, 69% believe in God absolutely, 42% attend church weekly, and 62% believe in hell. Several attempts were made in… Read More »Bishop Edmund S. Janes – His Somerset Hills Story
