Views: 893 Maps are such a great source of history, and this 1766 map doesn’t disappoint those looking to learn more about Somerset County, New Jersey’s history. Completed in 1766 by surveyors Benjamin Morgan and Joseph Hills, the Morgan–Hills Map… Read More »Five Landowners That Owned Half of Somerset County, New Jersey
Views: 836 As New Jersey commemorates the 250th anniversary of the American experience, the archaeological work at Lord Stirling Manor represents one of Somerset County’s most significant contributions to the America 250 effort. By uncovering the physical remains of William… Read More »Archaeological Dig – America’s Grandest Estate in Basking Ridge
Views: 2,232 Our first comment needs to be “NO, THIS IS NOT AN AI-GENERATED IMAGE.” At first glance, I honestly thought someone had listed Bernards Township’s Town Hall for sale. For a moment, it looked uncannily like the old Astor… Read More »Was Basking Ridge’s Town Hall Abandonded?
Views: 2,067 Word is out that David Burke, Chef and operator at the Red Horse Steakhouse at the Bernards Inn, will be transitioning “The Station” to one of his new restaurant ventures down the street at the historic Clarmont Hotel… Read More »Bernardsville’s Claremont Hotel & The Station History – and a New Chapter
Views: 1,160 Part of our Mr. Local History Train Series….. For years, the Mr. Local History research team has been digging into New Jersey’s railroad history. As we traced old rail lines town by town, something curious began to appear… Read More »Northside or Southside – Train Determines Socio Economic Town Dynamics
Views: 639 A Retrospective The Mr. Local History Project conducted a deep dive into the beginnings of railroads in New Jersey, focusing on east-west corridors that sought to connect Pennsylvania with New York through New Jersey’s crossroads. Long before the… Read More »Passaic Valley & Peapack and the West Line Railroad – What if the West Line Succeeded?
Views: 9,465 April 14 is National Garden Day, so make sure you get out there and enjoy our Garden State’s beauty (and history) While the Mr. Local History Project typically focuses on historical research, stories, and events, we figured one… Read More »Garden State’s Top Historic Gardens and Estates
Views: 6,799 As with all Mr. Local History retrospectives, we often update the post when we learn stories and are sent photos from our community. We will continue to expand this piece as information becomes available. If you have any stories to… Read More »Retrospective: Lost & Torn Down Memories From the Somerset Hills
Views: 4,884 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 Revolutionary War history and played a notable role in the… Read More »The Ross Farm Still Defends Liberty and Independence 250 Years Later
Views: 12,182 The Mr. Local History Project is researching the thesis that another house, known as Stirling Manor in Basking Ridge, was built with similar architecture to the Proprietary House by England’s John Edward Pryor. Let us know what you… Read More »Basking Ridge’s Stirling Manor & Perth Amboy’s Proprietary House- Digging Around
Views: 2,062 Honoring Two Stories – Two Men – Two Estates A key mission statement of the Mr. Local History project is to find new ways to “Share History with a Social Twist,” which means we try to incorporate the… Read More »Gilded Age New Jersey Mansions Honored for Their Historic Design – The Cat’s Meow
Views: 9,790 Mixed inside a Revolutionary War site on a hillside in Bernardsville, New Jersey, is a modest estate with lovely gardens. The Cross Estate encompasses 162 acres and, together with the Jarvis tract, augments the 320-acre New Jersey Brigade… Read More »Bernardsville’s Historic Cross Estate & Gardens
Views: 10,630 In 1977, Waterloo Village opened an open-air concert field about a mile down the road from the historic village to raise funds for restoration. Actually, in Byram Township, New Jersey, locals remember (and I grew up at the… Read More »Remebering the Waterloo Village Concert Series
High Point State Park in Sussex, New Jersey, home to the state’s highest elevation and a monument for veterans, owes its existence to Bernardsville families the Kusars and the Drydens. Businessman and philanthropist Anthony Kusar and his wife Susie donated… Read More »High Point State Park was Donated by Bernardsville Family
Views: 10,121 Somerset County is full of great history almost to a fault. Driving up and down Route 202 we often forget to see the historic beauty right in front of our eyes. Mr. Local History must drive by the… Read More »Traveling Historic Highways – The Van Dorn Mill