Views: 336 As Americans experience our 250th anniversary, historians are asking how this moment should be understood and remembered. The Mr. Local History Project is preparing an in-depth story that brings together perspectives from respected voices across our region. This… Read More »What America at 250 Means to Me Essay Series Open to All
Views: 744 Long before telegraphs, radios, or cell phones, New Jersey’s mountaintops carried messages by fire. During the Revolutionary War, General William Livingston and Brigadier General William Alexander—better known as Lord Stirling—relied on a chain of signal beacons stretching across… Read More »Igniting New Jersey’s Revolutionary Signal Beacons for America 250 Effort
Views: 483 For centuries, historians have relied on books, letters, artifacts, and exhibits to tell the stories of the past. But what if visitors could do something more? What if they could actually sit down and have a conversation with… Read More »Meet HistOracle AI: New Jersey Team Brings History’s Voices Back to Life
Views: 304 This post is part of a series in which the Mr. Local History Project will document what we believe are the early stages of a new varsity sport across the state. We plan to meet with the New… Read More »Documenting the Ridge High School Sailing Program
Views: 3,139 UPDATE:EXTENSION – Submissions to the program have been extended to give everyone a bit more time to complete and submit their thoughts, as well as to share their experiences over the July 4th period, providing additional retrospective in… Read More »What America at 250 Means To You as A New Jerseyian
Views: 694 What would have happened if General Charles Lee WASN’T captured in Basking Ridge?Join the Mr. Local History Project as we break down the history with this interesting conversation. America250 Update: Presentation – Sacking General Lee in Basking Ridge –… Read More »Speaker Series: Sacking General Lee in Basking Ridge….But What if
Views: 5,766 UPDATE / Donor Special: The 2026 Ambassador Giving Campaign to Support Project Local History Ambassador for 5th Grade Students is underway: five schools and almost 500 Bernards Township official flags to be distributed. See our special offer to… Read More »Project Local History Ambassador Flags for Students in Bernards Township
Views: 2,254 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: 7,455 UPDATE: January 19, 2026 A few researchers at the Mr. Local History Project are looking for a few Chinese and Indian residents interested in tracing the roots of these two growing communities in Bernards Township to the first… Read More »Bernards Township History: The Asian Origins Initiative
Views: 13,734 Researching Local History with Maps As a historian, I believe maps are one of the greatest sources of information, capturing a time and place. We use these maps to research history and find buildings, families, farms, or streets.… Read More »Map Research & Archives: Sharing Local History with Maps
Views: 15,083 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: 1,949 With America’s 250th anniversary just around the corner, there’s no better time to recognize great American history about what we’ve coined “The Greatest Story Never Told” about the American Revolution – The Academy that came 24 years before… Read More »Share Pluckemin Cantonment History With A Pocket Park – America 250 Ideas
Views: 2,867 As of right now, we are UNABLE to bring our programs to the public and the schools because they require insurance. We’re asking for your financial support. All donations are tax deductible as we are a 501c3 charitable… Read More »Year End Giving Really Matters This Year-We Need Your Support
Views: 2,065 Biography Bio courtesy of the Save Ellis Island Foundation, Gladstone, New Jersey Ruth was an octogenarian who lived in historic Gladstone, New Jersey, just down the street from the Save Ellis Island office. In late 2003, Save Ellis Island’s… Read More »Meet The Historians Series – Ruth Thomson Peapack Gladstone
Views: 5,763 A few friends got together and started talking about the fine art of distilling and how much it’s changed (if at all). It seems that due to the efforts of a few Jersey residents, distilling spirits is back… Read More »Moonshining Bootlegging Speakeasies in Somerset County, NJ