The famous and sometimes not-so-famous people and stories from the Mr. Local History Project researchers. Over 30 stories and counting.
Views: 301 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… Read More »“Janice Meredith” – 1924 Silent Film Showcases American Revolution
Views: 9,395 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… Read More »Meet (Sir) Francis Bernard Esq. – New Jersey’s Royal Governor
Views: 7,095 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… Read More »America’s First Republican Vice President Nominee – Basking Ridge’s William Dayton Beats out Abraham Lincoln
Views: 3,183 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… Read More »Liberty Corner & Bullion’s Tavern
Views: 1,555 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… Read More »Stirling Manor- 13 Colonies’ Most Prestigious Manor Was Right In Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Views: 1,869 This is a fantastic look into the history of the Bernardsville, NJ, mountain colony through the eyes of a wealthy Gilded Age family member at the turn of the 19th century. And we have a digital copy here… Read More »Book Remembering Bernardsville, New Jersey in the Gilded Age
Views: 2,738 Lewis – Boudinot – Southard- Ross Farm in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Twp., New Jersey. The Ross Farm in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, has a rich history of the Revolutionary War and played a notable role… Read More »The Ross Farm Still Defends Liberty and Independence 250 years Later
Views: 47,455 Father of the American Army ArtilleryFather of the American NavyFather of the Military Draft Fate has it often that those who put themselves in constant danger and face death every day are often spared until some freak accident takes… Read More »General Henry Knox – America’s Forgotten General
Views: 991 The Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church was founded in 1837 to serve the growing rural community in the Liberty Corner section of Bernards Township, New Jersey. Its adjacent cemetery, established shortly after, became the final resting place for many… Read More »Retrospective: Liberty Corner – History in the Cemetery
Views: 1,003 This is a story about a widow, a General, and a War for Independence. For over a decade, I’ve been researching the story behind the 1776 capture of one of General Washington’s head generals, but I never really… Read More »Widow White – Mary Jarvis Whitaker Brown White
Views: 13,206 Each Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Bernards Township and Bernardsville honor our military veterans with a banner salute around the Bernards Township Municipal building and in the downtown Bernardsville area. The banners usually stay up between the two… Read More »Honoring our Bernards Township Armed Service Veterans this Veterans Day
Views: 1,410 On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated Thursday, November 26, 1863, as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. While many recognize President Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation, many don’t know that two New Jersey statesmen persuaded President… Read More »Thanksgiving Proclamations Way Before Lincoln Did It -Thanks Jersey Guys
Views: 15,876 Tucked below the Hills on a quiet cul-de-sac in the Liberty Corner section of Bernards Township, New Jersey, sits a turreted French Norman-style castle known to locals as Pharelock Castle. Very few locals remember the sad story about… Read More »Bill Beatty and the Hills Haunted Phareloch Castle
Views: 25,936 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 have also witnessed… Read More »Then & Now: Post 9/11-Somerset Hills Family Friends and Neighbors & Their Legacy
Views: 34,885 70+ 60+ 50+ 40+ 40+ Classic Events and Yes Chris Christie – It just won’t go away 2025 UPDATE: YOU KEEP SENDING… WE’LL KEEP POSTING! It all started when a photographer from the Newark Star-Ledger rented an airplane… Read More »70+ Chris Christie Beach Memes Make You Laugh