The famous and sometimes not-so-famous people and stories from the Mr. Local History Project researchers. Over 30 stories and counting.
Views: 42 Part of the Mr. Local History Rev War and Lord Stirling Series As we were researching another story, we came across this really interesting piece published in 1914 about one of the Revolutionary War’s greatest generals, William Alexander,… Read More »Overlooked Heroines of the Revolutionary War – Sarah Livingston Alexander
Views: 10,877 UPDATE: We published this story a while back, and we said people needed to see it again. It is a classic American tale that goes unnoticed, but we continue to root out these great American tales. Stop by… Read More »The American Flagman Honors Patriotism Every Day
Views: 977 Did you see that another Basking Ridge resident hit the silver screen, sharing the screen with Basking Ridge’s Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada 2? Meet Basking Ridge’s HelenJ. Shen. On the Devil Wears Prada 2 set, Shen… Read More »Helen Shen of Basking Ridge, NJ Shines in Breakout Film Devil Wears Prada 2
Views: 368 “Every day, thousands of drivers wind their way up Anderson Hill Road, one of Bernardsville, New Jersey’s defining roads, without ever stopping to ask who Anderson was or why the hill carries his name. Yet behind that familiar… Read More »Bernardsville’s Anderson Hill Road and Judge John Anderson, Esq.
Views: 603 If you live in Basking Ridge and you went to Brush’s Deli, you were bound to see Jimmy DeCoste holding court with his friends at the table by the window. They would meet just about every day, shoot… Read More »Jimmy DeCoste – Mr Local History Honors a Friend
Views: 1,886 At a recent Somerset County 250th Celebration gathering at the Grain House Restaurant, a simple sign pointed visitors toward the Hunt Room. It was an ordinary moment, but it captured something bigger, the quiet buildup of a once-in-a-generation… Read More »NJ 250 Idea – Build a Rev War Signal Beacon – Then Burn It
Views: 602 From Rev War Soldiers to Gliders to Gun & Rod Clubs: The Transition on Schley Mountain There is no well-documented evidence of a formal, dedicated police or public shooting range in the “The Hills” development itself. But we’re… Read More »Remembering Gun and Rod Clubs Around Schley Mountain in the Somerset Hills
Views: 4,785 Participating in the Olympics is a great accomplishment. Winning an Olympic medal is the pinnacle for some. With the 2026 Winter Olympics underway, who from New Jersey is going, and who has a chance to win or place?… Read More »New Jersey’s Historic Olympians – Who Shined in 2026?
Views: 3,528 MLH Mini-Series: The Basking Ridge Rushmore 5 Series Now It’s the Ladies Turn…The Basking Ridge Ladies Rushmore 5 Okay, so I live in Basking Ridge, which is part of Bernards Township, but we all refer to it as… Read More »Basking Ridge’s “Rushmore 5” Ladies Honored
Views: 3,107 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… Read More »The Paula Grossman Story – 50+ Years Later Forever in Basking Ridge History
Views: 1,608 MLH Mini-Series: The Basking Ridge Rushmore 5 in our Community UPDATE:Our researchers have been watching this post carefully and have finally made the decision and create the Basking Ridge Rushmore 5 for five women that made and continue… Read More »Basking Ridge’s Rushmore 5 Ladies Deserving Recognition
Yes folks there was a Marlboro Man who lived atop Schley Mountain in Bernards Township (Basking Ridge) Now we need the community’s help.
Views: 1,450 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: 13,327 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: 9,231 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