Ongoing historical research on a variety of topics.
Views: 11,820 UPDATE:What could the West African nation of Liberia possibly have to do with Basking Ridge, New Jersey? Liberia has recently returned to American headlines after agreeing to accept certain people deported from the United States who are citizens… Read More »Dr. Robert Finley, Founder of Brick Academy, American Colonization Society, and Liberia
Views: 234 The “Ten Crucial Days” of the American Revolution began with Washington’s crossing of the Delaware on Christmas night, 1776, and continued through the victories at Trenton, the Battle of the Assunpink and Princeton on January 3, 1777. In… Read More »Time To Honor Jersey’s 1776 March to the Crucial Delaware Christmas Crossing
Views: 183 Your History Tour Guide to Basking Ridge, and Yes, We Know It’s Bernards Township (officially). Let’s start with the elephant in the room. Although the municipality’s official name is Bernards Township, most people have embraced Basking Ridge as… Read More »Greetings From Historic Basking Ridge
Views: 172 September 9, 1776 Two months after approving the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress took another important step in defining the new nation. On September 9, 1776, Congress ordered that the term “United Colonies” be replaced by “The… Read More »Congress Declares A New Nation: Call Us “United States” Not “United Colonies” September 9, 1776
Views: 252 Raised above the ruins of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, this one American flag became an immediate symbol of courage, unity, and a nation that refused to surrender. Yet within hours of inspiring millions, the… Read More »THE 9.11 Ground Zero American Flag That Vanished for 13 Years
Views: 10,840 Twenty-five years ago, on the clear, crisp morning at 8:46 am on September 11, 2001, the first plane hit the North Tower, and our community was changed forever. Please take a moment to remember those 21 residents from… Read More »#911neverforget in the Somerset Hills
Views: 437 Long before Walgreens occupied the busy corner of Route 202 and North Finley Avenue, the property was home to one of Bernardsville’s more unusual redevelopment stories. What began as a large furniture showroom sat vacant for nearly a… Read More »Bernardsville’s Huffman-Koos and Finley Manor Hotel Memories
Views: 384 Eating Your Way Through New Jersey History Long before New Jersey had diners, highways, turnpikes, or even became a state, the local tavern often served as the center of community life. These were places where a traveler could… Read More »25 of New Jersey’s Oldest Taverns & Inns Still Serving Today
Views: 285 Long before anyone divided North and Central Jersey, Native American people lived, hunted, farmed, and traveled throughout the region. Archaeological evidence shows an Indigenous presence in New Jersey extending back more than 10,000 years. When Europeans arrived during… Read More »Native American Trails History In Northern New Jersey
Views: 9,944 The 2026 Fall Foliage Map is the ultimate visual planning guide to the annual progression of leaf change. While no tool can be 100% accurate, this tool is designed to help travelers better time their trips to maximize their chances… Read More »Day Trips – Four Historic New Jersey Fall Locations You Must See
Views: 534 Fall in New Jersey is more than colorful leaves, crisp mornings, and roadside farm stands; it is a season filled with great history and stories. In this issue, the Mr. Local History research team travels from the historic… Read More »Fall Is In the Air – So Much to Do and See in Mr. Local History’s 2026 Fall Magazine
Views: 488 Certainly, everyone knows when they’re in Peapack and when they’re in Gladstone, right? First off, a little clarification: the “Established 1701” on the borough’s sign date refers to the Peapack Patent, when the land encompassing present-day Peapack-Gladstone was… Read More »So What Defines Peapack Village from Gladstone’s Village
Views: 290 Just when you think you know everything about New Jersey, the state pulls another surprise from its seemingly bottomless bag of tricks. We already have ocean beaches, mountains, waterfalls, sprawling farms, colonial villages, busy cities, and some of… Read More »A Historic Boardwalk on Jersey’s Lake Mohawk
Views: 970 Walk into Bardy Farms on Washington Valley Road in Warren Township, and you are entering one of New Jersey’s increasingly rare family farm businesses. Fresh produce still fills the market, plants crowd the greenhouses in Spring, pumpkins arrive… Read More »Bardy Farms: From a Russian Immigrant’s Fields to a Somerset County Farming Dynasty
Views: 35,839 Twenty-five years ago on September 11, 2001, we lost friends, family, neighbors, and loved ones in a tragedy that changed our nation forever. Their absence is felt every day, yet in the years since that heartbreaking morning, we… Read More »Then & Now: Post 9/11-Somerset Hills Family, Friends and Neighbors & Their Legacy