Views: 3,177 “Pluck-em-in” and America 250 – Perfect Together. Get to know this Great American History Story. Pluckemin, New Jersey, pronounced “PLUCK um in“, carries three enduring name stories. Some trace it to a Lenape word for persimmon tied to… Read More »Pluckemin/Middlebrook Historic Series – Tell America
Views: 537 Historic archeologist drops a verbal bombshell announcement at a New Jersey conference: The Rev War Pluckemin Cantonment WAS America’s first military academy, confirming the construction was done 24 years before the United States Military Academy at West Point.Dr.… Read More »Was Pluckemin America’s First Military Academy? Expert Breaks Silence & Takes Position
Views: 601 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: 851 Pluckemin, New Jersey, pronounced “PLUCK um in“, carries three enduring name stories. Some trace it to a Lenape word for persimmon tied to early Algonquian place terms. Others repeat the roadside tale of tavern keeper Jacob Eoff, who… Read More »Middlebrook Symposium – Pluckemin’s Rev War Academy Analysis with Dr. John Seidel
Views: 957 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: 438 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: 201,294 America’s First Military Academy, the Pluckemin Academy (Dec.1778), was 24 Years BEFORE West Point (March 16, 1802). One of the greatest untold stories of the American Revolution.The Pluckemin Winter Cantonment, part of the overall Middlebrook Encampment of 1778-1779.… Read More »Twenty-Four Years Before America’s West Point Military Academy (USMA) There was Pluckemin
Views: 1,286 Picture a country barn set back from the road. Cars parked along a tree line, never too close together. Men arriving quietly, some local, others from out of town. Inside, cages line the walls and a small pit… Read More »Cockfighting in the Somerset Hills – How Times Have Changed
Views: 12,459 The anniversary of America’s Alliance with France was celebrated on February 18, 1779, at Pluckemin, New Jersey, at a very elegant entertainment and display of fireworks given by General Knox and the officers of artillery. It was postponed… Read More »The 13 Paintings at the 1779 Pluckemin Academy’s French Alliance Ball Grand Pavillon
Views: 15,046 New Jersey is known as the “Cockpit of the American Revolution” for a reason – because it was. More battles, more encampments, more strategies took place in New Jersey than in any other colony of the original thirteen.… Read More »New Jersey Rev War Series Mr. Local History Project
Views: 6,337 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: 4,376 Want a quick way to search for articles about the history of one of the towns we love to cover?The Mr. Local History Project has created a few quick searches to give you a head start. Our researchers… Read More »Quicklinks – Tracking History From Selected Jersey Towns
Views: 19,565 Sister Towns in New Jersey and England Share a Common Bond – and a Name How fun was it when our friends across the pond contacted us, inquiring about what they were calling a “sister town” in New… Read More »The Tale of Two Bedminsters
Views: 1,201 The wind that swept across the Somerset Hills in the bitter winter of 1779 carried more than snow and smoke. It carried the sound of hammers striking timber, the commands of officers echoing across the ridges, and the… Read More »The Stolen Lillie Drawing of Pluckemin Artillery Park
The Jacobus Vanderveer House in Bedminster, New Jersey, is celebrating Colonial Christmas, an annual fundraiser event that combines history, tourism, tradition, and Christmas spirit. It offers an array of activities including music, reenactments, crafts, and holiday shopping.