Views: 1,150 Railroads did more than move people and freight. They shaped towns, determined where businesses grew, and influenced where people chose to live. Across New Jersey and throughout the Northeast, the arrival of the railroad in the nineteenth century… Read More »Railroad and Train History Series – Mr Local History Project
Views: 116 While researching the rich history of the West Line to Bernardsville, New Jersey, here are just some of the images from the series, gathered from various sources, to share as an online local photo collection that spans from… Read More »Railroad Photo Collection – The West Line of Central New Jersey
Views: 739 Most people think they know New Jersey. They picture highways, traffic, and a place you pass through on the way to somewhere else. But if you could step back into the mid 1800s, you’d see a very different… Read More »Why are We Called “The Garden State?” Spring Gardens- History and Happenings
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: 824 Railroad service into the Somerset Hills began in 1872 when the Passaic Valley and Peapack Railroad opened a new line running west from Summit into northern Somerset County. The original route established stations at New Providence, Berkeley Heights,… Read More »Looking Back at Train Stations Along the Peapack Gladstone Line
Views: 966 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: 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: 9,622 An annual tradition for the Essex Fox Hounds of Peapack, New Jersey Blessing of the Hounds Back in 2007, before there was a Mr. Local History, there was just a local looking for fun historic events to go… Read More »The Blessing of the Hounds – A Countryside Tradition
Views: 20,684 It’s 2025, and the US Open is at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, but the ties to New Jersey and the USGA are significant. MOVE RUMORS UPDATE:OK, now the story is getting better! Janeen Driscoll, USGA director of… Read More »History of the US Golf Association Headquarters, Museum and the US Open
Views: 9,083 Celebrating over 100 years of New Jersey’s fall classic, the Far Hills Race Meeting, with this beautiful wooden painted collectible as part of the New Jersey Historic Village Cat’s Meow wooden keepsake collection. Beautifully handcrafted wood, hand-painted edges,… Read More »Far Hills Race Meeting Collectible & Century Old History of this Fall Jersey Classic
Views: 9,701 NOTE: The Borough of Far Hills celebrated its 100th anniversary #farhills100, with Council President Karner and the mayor’s wife, Janis Vallone, spearheading “what will be a great community event on May 15, 2021, with a parade and picnic… Read More »Honoring Grant Schley and His Far Hills, New Jersey History
Views: 25,717 UPDATE: The Mr. Local History Project is SOOOO excited to introduce the expansion of our Historic New Jersey Historic Cat’s Meow Village, the Natirar Estate in Peapack and Far Hills, New Jersey. Only a limited number will be… Read More »The Gilded Age: Natirar Estate in Peapack/Far Hills, New Jersey
Views: 2,936 The Far Hills Inn along Route 31 (Now Route 202) was in Bridgewater, not Far Hills, and not Somerville. While researching the history of Far Hills, New Jersey, we found this former treasure, the Far Hills Inn. While… Read More »The Far Hills Inn – Remembering Dining Elegance