Welcome to the Mr. Local History Project
“A 501c3 Non-Profit Dedicated to Preserving and Promoting Jersey History with a Social Twist”
The Mr. Local History Project starts here with our story from New Jersey’s Vailsburg section of Newark
and a fascinating story featuring 1900s bicycle and motorcycle racing in a big wooden bowl!
Speed Kings, Daredevils, an Electric Park, and The Olmsted Brothers.
Reader Question of the Day
This Week’s Top 10 Posts
Latest Research
- That Stone Wall Around the Bernards Township Town Hall
Views: 27 The Objective:How many stones make up the Town Hall Wall in Bernards Township? Follow along…… Where does that stone wall go? Let’s start at the main entrance to the town hall just off Collyer Lane in Basking Ridge. There are two large pillars. We started by looking at an old survey of the… Read More »That Stone Wall Around the Bernards Township Town Hall - Bernards Township Origins
Views: 4,080 UPDATE: March 12, 2025 –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 families to become Basking Ridge residents. Strong ties to the local community will be important.… Read More »Bernards Township Origins - Art and History – Looking for Artists To Interpret History to Celebrate NJ250
Views: 7,488 UPDATE: We are looking for art programs, non-profits, and elder program coordinators to consider programs where an entire art class works to create their own collection with ties to our collective local history. MLHP Education Coordinator The Mr. Local History Project is looking for any artists to interpret our local history boards to… Read More »Art and History – Looking for Artists To Interpret History to Celebrate NJ250 - Gotta Love the Irish in Jersey – The History and All the Parades
Views: 380 Quick History – Irish Immigration to New Jersey By the mid-19th century, Irish immigration from Ireland to the United States surged, mainly due to the Great Irish Famine (1845-1852), which drove hundreds of thousands of Irish people to America. Many of these immigrants landed in cities like Newark, Jersey City, and Paterson, where… Read More »Gotta Love the Irish in Jersey – The History and All the Parades - International Women’s Day Honors Trailblazers from the Somerset Hills in New Jersey
Views: 13,516 Honoring International Women’s Day, we thought it would be an honor to research and share the stories of inspirational trailblazing women from our area that have made a difference. Each of these women either grew up or lived in the Somerset Hills. The Somerset Hills is the region of northern Somerset County, New… Read More »International Women’s Day Honors Trailblazers from the Somerset Hills in New Jersey - Retrospective: Newark’s McGovern’s Tavern- An Irish History Tale
Views: 23,068 Frank McGovern opened his tavern in 1936 selecting 58 New Street right in the central ward of downtown Newark. Whether by coincidence or not, McGovern’s also opened around the same time Newark’s St. Patrick’s Day parade was reborn (Sunday, March 15, 1936) after a long hiatus. Call it the luck of the Irish… Read More »Retrospective: Newark’s McGovern’s Tavern- An Irish History Tale - Preserving Cranford’s History – Five Limited Iconic Collectibles
Views: 6,650 Congratulations, Cranford, on the five collectibles now part of the New Jersey Historical Wooden Village collection, a group of over 40 Jersey collectibles. Each keepsake brings awareness to historic Cranford icons. The Mr. Local History Project group is a non-profit 501c that relies on fundraisers like this to expand our history programs, so… Read More »Preserving Cranford’s History – Five Limited Iconic Collectibles - Top 10 Trending Posts Right Now Mr. Local History
Views: 1,458 500+ Posts Honoring Jersey History “We keep researchin’ “ Top Weekly MLH Reads Top History All Time #5 Post – All Time #4 Post – All Time #3 Post All Time #2 Post – All Time #1 Post – All Time Additional Stories: Mr. Local History’s #growlocalhistory Project December 13, 1776 – The… Read More »Top 10 Trending Posts Right Now Mr. Local History - Mr. Local History 2025 Spring Magazine Vol 7. Issue 1
Views: 302 Spring Vol.7 Issue 1 2025 Edition —Join the Mr. Local History Project as you start to venture outside in the spring air to witness the beautiful history of the Garden State! Great stories about the history and how you can get out there and take it in. Spring Edition Articles: and much, much… Read More »Mr. Local History 2025 Spring Magazine Vol 7. Issue 1 - KMS Farmstead in Basking Ridge Honored with Painted Wooden Keepsake
Views: 170 Release Party: March 1, 2025 Celebrating the rich history of the Kennedy Martin Stelle Farmstead, this iconic Basking Ridge farm is honored with this beautiful wooden hand-painted collectible as part of the New Jersey Historic Village Cat’s Meow wooden keepsake collection. Beautifully handcrafted wood, hand-painted edges, and a beautifully hand-painted rendering. The back… Read More »KMS Farmstead in Basking Ridge Honored with Painted Wooden Keepsake - Garden State’s Top Historic Gardens and Estates
Views: 3,661 April 14th is National Garden Day every year, so make sure you get out there and enjoy observing nature’s beauty! While the Mr. Local History Project typically focuses on historical research, stories, and events, we figured one great tour might be how to get out there and see some of the greatest spring… Read More »Garden State’s Top Historic Gardens and Estates - Project Local History Ambassador Flags for Students
Views: 2,970 UPDATE: March 2025 Connecting Bernards Township students to their local history, the Mr. Local History Project kicked off its 3rd year of our Project Local History Ambassador program for 5th-grade students thanks to the financial support of many notable people in the township. The program provides an official Annin & Company Bernards Township… Read More »Project Local History Ambassador Flags for Students - The Riverside Inn – History of Cranford’s (and New Jersey’s) #1 Dive Bar
Views: 1,128 Our researchers continued to dig and have finally found ALL of the deeds / owners of the Riverside Inn property. It took us back to the late 1800s. If you have additional information about any of the owners, we’d love to hear from you. We keep digging. (click here). UPDATE: The Riverside Inn… Read More »The Riverside Inn – History of Cranford’s (and New Jersey’s) #1 Dive Bar - Does Your Preservation Work Deserve to Be Part of the New Jersey Historical Wooden Village?
Views: 118 Want to be part of the New Jersey Historic Keepsake Village Collection? It all starts with a nomination! The MLH Project is proud to be the exclusive organizer of the New Jersey Historic Wooden Keepsake Collection, partnering with the world-famous Cat’s Meow Village. Made in the USA!!! The collection is looking to grow… Read More »Does Your Preservation Work Deserve to Be Part of the New Jersey Historical Wooden Village? - The Riverside Inn – Cranford, New Jersey’s Community Online Photo Album
Views: 550 Our history of the Riverside Inn has really come a long way. There seems to be such love for Cranford, New Jersey’s Riverside Inn, aka “The Dive,” that we had to create a dedicated page separate from the history of the Riverside just to show your submitted photos. Keep ’em coming. Our journey… Read More »The Riverside Inn – Cranford, New Jersey’s Community Online Photo Album - Cranford Canoe Club – Honoring the History
Views: 7,012 UPDATE: The Mr. Local History Project is determining interest in nominating the Cranford Canoe Club to the New Jersey Historic Registry. If you believe this should be done, please consider signing our petition to let Cranford local officials know that this should be done. Click Here. The Cranford Canoe Club is one of… Read More »Cranford Canoe Club – Honoring the History - 2025 Bernards Township Charter Day Streetfair
Views: 76 #btchartday is ON! Rain or Shine Get ready for a fun filled street fair and festival on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in the Historic Basking Ridge Village. Weather Forecast Stop by the Mr. Local History Project Booth #91 on Henry Street just outside the Washington House! Learn about our Basking Ridge Flags for… Read More »2025 Bernards Township Charter Day Streetfair - Honoring New Jersey’s Cranford High School History
Views: 1,218 Cranford High School – Cranford, New Jersey – Three Locations – Three Icons 1st CHS – Cranford High School at Grant School Established in 1902, Cranford’s first High School in Cranford, New Jersey, began as a four-year institution at Grant School on the corner of Holly Street and Springfield Avenue. Initially, the school,… Read More »Honoring New Jersey’s Cranford High School History
Recent Comments
Interested in speaking with someone about diners at the 1939 Worlds Fair
My father was a bartender there in the 60’s. Friends with Steve Redzinak, A/k/a the Russian. He was the owner…
My uncle and cousin owned the Texaco next door.
Owner at one time Don the lifeguard taught me how to swim at the Roselle Swim Club. When I was…
Played hockey for The Dive, back in the day!
My Grandfather had his own bar stool there.
After Paul Cusano passed away my father, Nicholas Melone, was the general manager of American Shuffleboard for over 50 years.…
That was special and brought back many memories. I am 86 and graduated from Westfield Senior High School in 1956,…
I want to share my experience with this place, Blairsden. I’m getting chills now, FYI. This was about 40 years…
People need to get up in arms and protest visually and vocally about this. Bernardsville is already insane to drive…
Later, a 1948 Chevy truck engine powered the tow. 🙂 Also a car guy 🙂
Peapack’s Ski Hill had a Ford Model A motor for the tow line up the hill. I’m a car guy…
Hello Bedminster, New Jersey. I spent my early life in Bedminster, Bristol (UK). It’s interesting that yours is in the…
Lovely article My parents (Thomas & Margaret Fahy ) new McGovern’s Tavern very well . I miss all the old…
I have a catechism published in 1789 which has a note attached that it is property of the Bricks School,…
We did retrieve it, and it’s sitting in the barn at the Wagner Farm Arboretum. Mayor Lisa Lontai has made…
When I was 11 or 12, Bobby Thomson came to the Little League fields for opening day. I think he…
I had the honor of being an usher in a wedding where Bobby Thomson was a guest. All the Groomsmen…
My dad and his brother worked at the Clark White Diamond location in 1960-1962. They farmed with their dad in…
Jersey History Posts
Jersey history – over 500+ researched stories.
From Fort Lee to Cape May and everywhere in between.
Take a look.
“Wear Lost Local History” Collection
Brings Back Memories
MLH has digitally recreated lost businesses from the 1900s to the 1980s, producing over 250 designs of iconic vintage logos.
Click Here
Stories, Stories, and More Stories
Researched by Mr. Local History himself, see over ten years of research on the internet to share the history.
The Mr. Local History 2025 Spring History Magazine
See our quarterly digital magazine for FREE. Full of great local Jersey History.
Events Calendar
Signature Events, Tours, Fundraisers, and Speaking engagements.
The New Jersey Historic Village Wooden Collection
35 iconic local Jersey Collectibles made exclusively for the Mr. Local History Project by the world famous “Cat’s Meow Village” of Wooster, Ohio. Once they sell out, they’re usually gone forever.
Like Historic Photos?
Over the years our researchers have gathered some great historic photos. Take a look as we “Dig In the Archives”
“I love sharing stories about the history of Jersey food. If one thing people miss when they leave Jersey, it’s the food. We dig in!”
Brooks Betz aka Mr. Local History
“What is the point of being alive if you don’t know history?”
Meg Wastie – Education Team Lead
“The Mr. Local History Project covers some really unique stuff. I mean who digs into the history of Jersey Food? MLH does”
Ms. Paula Axt – Tour Guide and Education
Frequently Asked Questions
The Mr. Local History Project is a 100% volunteer organization. Want to join us? No problem. There are no membership fees, and you only need to support one of our efforts. Programs include education, research, guided tours, or one of our many events.. You can even start something of your own. Visit our Contact Us page and drop us a note to get involved.
No, but we are a 501c3 registered charity non-profit, meaning you can donate to the Mr. Local History Project, and your donation is 100% tax deductible. Every penny goes back into our programs.
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I served my apprenticeship as a Carpenter for local #455 UBC. It was quite experience working with older Carpenters of…