Ongoing historical research on a variety of topics.
Views: 3,275 There is a wealth of history to be learned from a map. We have historic maps and interactive maps embedded in many of our stories, and we try to list that research here. If you’re looking for something… Read More »Maps That Share Our Research – Mr. Local History Project Collection
Views: 10,351 Tucked in the northernmost section of Bernards Township, New Jersey, along the Passaic River lies a small historic district. If you drive through it, you’ll notice the area’s rich history, marked by its grist mill and restored barns.… Read More »Franklin Corners and William Childs Williamsburg-esqe Vision
Views: 1,721 The Bernards Township flag, officially adopted in 1960 to commemorate the township’s bicentennial, was designed by resident James Fogelman. The flag features a simple yet meaningful design, quartered into four rectangles of red and gold, representing the township’s… Read More »Bernards Township Flag Needs Clarification
Views: 18,947 Flag Day is celebrated on June 14 to commemorate the adoption of the American flag by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. The flag was immediately couriered to General Washington’s camp in a field just north of… Read More »The American Flag Means Liberty Corner’s Annin Family
Views: 2,499 Coffee? We’re not serving coffee! So why call it a “Coffee House?” In the early 1800s, a “coffee house” was primarily a central gathering place for social, political, and business interactions, rather than a venue for serving coffee.… Read More »Coffee House, Tavern, and History in Bernards Twp. Madisonville Village
Views: 4,446 I walked by this place for years and never thought it was open, until one day I saw the lights on. I decided to investigate. Here’s the deal: that business is the oldest in Somerville, New Jersey, a… Read More »Historic Hotel Somerset – Rev War Tunison’s Tavern in Somerville Still Serves History
Views: 2,775 This story came about after the Mr. Local History Project researchers prepared research on Bernards Township developments in the 20th century. Many residents started asking about the Spencer Road development, one of the first in the township to… Read More »Lt. Austin Spencer – A Basking Ridge MIA Story
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Views: 1,400 Here are a few fun posts to get you ready for those Jersey Summer Dayz! History with a social twist.
Views: 1,990 UPDATE:We have NOT Agreed on a Date yet – Sign Up to receive an update when we have details The Mr. Local History Project is sponsoring the first-ever “Crumb Cake Burger Flat Top Challenge,” which will introduce Jersey’s best-rated… Read More »Crumbcake Burger – Jersey’s B&W Crumb Cake Meets a Krug’s Burger
Views: 8,026 NOTE: The Mr Local History Team was asked by a Bernardsville business owner to weigh in on the controversial Palmer Development project, which jeopardizes a historic home now known as the “Boylan House,” possibly the 2nd oldest standing… Read More »Bernardsville’s Boylan House on New Jersey’s 10 Most Historic Endangered List
Views: 11,269 While you’d think that hurricanes and floods wreak the most havoc, there has been nothing more destructive to properties in the Somerset Hills than fires. The Mr. Local History Project is gathering information regarding large fires in the… Read More »Historic Fires in the Somerset Hills
Views: 3,728 United States Equestrian Team Foundation Headquarters Hamilton Farm – Gladstone, New Jersey You must thank James Cox Brady of Bedminster, Peapack, the Wall Street Financier, for his vision for his “million-dollar coach barn.” Let’s Start with the History… Read More »Grand History of the US Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, New Jersey
Views: 44,018 Many people have asked why you post all this history stuff on the area you’re calling the Somerset Hills. Well, call it passion. Call it intrigue. Call it local awareness. I think the main reason is that the… Read More »Grand Mansions and Historic Estates Mapped in New Jersey’s Somerset Hills
Views: 8,898 Bridgewater is the second largest town by population in Somerset County, with 45,977 residents according to the 2020 Census. Its population boomed in the 1970s-1990s, but has been an important part of the County and State since the… Read More »Remembering 5 Historical Sites in Bridgewater, New Jersey