There is something different about sports in New Jersey. It is not just about scores or championships. It is about place, people, and the stories that quietly shape communities over time.
At Mr. Local History, we did not set out to build a collection around sporting history. But as the stories grew, a pattern started to emerge. Cricket grounds tucked into the Somerset Hills. Early baseball clubs were forming in small towns. Horse racing traditions that brought entire communities together. Boxing, rowing, sailing, and even local pickup games meant more than anyone realized at the time. Piece by piece, these moments formed a category of their own.
What makes New Jersey’s sporting history special to us is how close it sits to everyday life. These are not distant legends. They happened on fields you can still walk, in towns you know, often involving people whose names still echo locally. The line between community and competition is thin here, and that is where the best stories live.
This archive is a reflection of that discovery. A growing collection of moments where sport intersects with local identity, culture, and history. Some are well known. Many are not. But all of them help tell the story of New Jersey in a way that feels immediate and real. Take a look through. You will start to see it the same way we did.
Collection of MLH Sports Related History Posts around New Jersey
Somerville Bike Race – The Oldest Race in America & a Jersey Memorial Day Staple
Views: 6,257 It’s the oldest cycling race in America – right in Somerville, New Jersey, every Memorial Day for 85 years! It’s the “Kentucky Derby of Cycling.” I laid on the ground at turn two and thought all would be…
Cricket in the Somerset Hills isn’t New – But it’s New Again
Views: 744 HELP NEEDED: CROWDSOURCING HISTORYBERNARDSVILLE CRICKET CLUBSWe’re on a mission to locate any families or someone who might possess anything related to cricket clubs in Bernardsville back in the early 1900s – a trophy, a program, a sweater, a…
Remembering Gun and Rod Clubs Around Schley Mountain in the Somerset Hills
Views: 755 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…
Profiles in New Jersey Iceboating – 1889 – History of Ice Boating in Red Bank
Views: 437 Yachtsmen Preparing for The Winter (1889) New York Times Mr. Local History Jersey Ice Boat Time Machine SeriesJoin us as we look back at stories written about great ice yachts and those who made them iconic names in…
1898: ICE YACHTS: KING OF WINTER SPORTS
Views: 655 Mr. Local History Jersey Ice Boat Time Machine SeriesJoin us as we look back at stories written about great ice yachts and those who made them iconic names in the sport. This 1898 story describes ice yachting as…
New Jersey’s Historic Olympians – Who Shined in 2026?
Views: 4,868 Participating in the Olympics is a great accomplishment. Winning an Olympic medal is the pinnacle for some. With the 2026 Winter Olympics underway, who from New Jersey is going, and who has a chance to win or place?…
Sailing New Jersey- Yacht Clubs-Trophies- History
Views: 908 From early shore and lake recreation to organized racing, the culture of sailboats in New Jersey grew out of everyday life on the water. While formal club racing began with the New York Yacht Club in Hoboken with…
The New York Yacht Club Actually Started in New Jersey
Views: 1,180 If you asked most American sailors to name the single most recognized burgee in the country, the answer is almost always the burgee of the New York Yacht Club. That recognition comes straight out of history. Founded in…
The America’s Cup and a New Jersey Angle
Views: 585 If you asked most American sailors to name the single most recognized burgee in the country, the answer is almost always the burgee of the New York Yacht Club. That recognition comes straight out of history. Founded in…
Col. Samuel Colt Got His Start in Paterson, New Jersey
Views: 12,527 Starting in 1836 in Paterson, New Jersey, Samuel Colt’s revolver is one of the 10 most influential inventions EVER produced. The Colt Paterson revolver was the first practical revolving-cylinder handgun, and it was made in Paterson, New Jersey. For years,…
Jersey’s History with Bar Room Shuffleboard
Views: 26,920 Isn’t it interesting how history becomes a part of history? Take, for example, pay phones. When you were using them, you never thought about it, and then they’re gone and not just gone……totally gone. Then you see them…
History of the US Golf Association Headquarters, Museum and the US Open
Views: 20,978 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…
Bring Auto Racing Back to Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson New Jersey
Views: 10,645 The former mayor of Paterson, Joey Torres, had committed to seeing the restoration of the stadium by the end of his term in 2018. He left office in 2017 and accepted a plea deal in response to charges…
Growing Up at the Cranford Canoe Club
Views: 28,972 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.…
Grand History of the US Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, New Jersey
Views: 3,654 United States Equestrian Team Foundation Headquarters Hamilton Farm – Gladstone, New Jersey You must thank James Cox Brady of Bedminster, Peapack, the Wall Street Financier, for his vision for his “million-dollar coach barn.” Let’s Start with the History…
Cranford Canoe Club – Honoring the History
Views: 11,031 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…
Newark New Jersey’s Incredible Velodrome and Motordrome Racing Venues
Views: 6,092 PREVIEW RELEASE:Our researchers continue to work with this story as there are several conflicting points of view we want to continue researching. We will update over the next few weeks, but we wanted to let people see this…
Mr. Local History Motorsports Special Edition Magazine – Free!
Views: 12,101 Over the last few years, researchers at the Mr. Local History Project here in New Jersey have been busy at work and have released several stories related to the motorsports racing history in New Jersey. We’ve even now…
Wearing Lost Jersey Motorsports Icons is Fun History
Views: 4,637 Mr Local History loves history with a social twist. In fact, it’s our motto! So, we thought it would be fun to share some of the most beloved New Jersey businesses that have disappeared. We began researching and…
1926: Atlantic City Opened One of the Greatest Speedways in the World
Views: 8,639 The year is 1926. Welcome to the “Board Bowl,” which had 80,000 fans and was one of the world’s greatest motorsport spectacles—and it was right here in New Jersey! It’s funny how history weaves in and out of…
1905 – Cape May Auto Racing on the Beach Rivaled Daytona Beach
Views: 6,780 Yes, it’s true. While motorsports history has been very kind to the Daytona and Ormond Beaches in Florida, historians often overlook when Cape May, New Jersey, rivaled Florida for the title of the beach racing capital of the…
Bring Back the Thanksgiving Football Classic – Westfield vs. Plainfield
Views: 3,290 🏈 The Westfield – Plainfield Thanksgiving Day Football Game. Few local rivalries in New Jersey carry the history and heart of Westfield versus Plainfield. Their first meeting dates back to the turn of the 20th century, with the…
Wildwood’s Motorcycle Wall of Death is Back in New Jersey
Views: 6,061 Wildwood, New Jersey, drew summer tourists seeking respite from the Great Depression. Among the attractions on the boardwalk was the “Motordrome Wall of Death,” featuring motorcycles and race cars whirling around a wooden bowl-like enclosure. But the real…
The Soap Box Derby and Ties to New Jersey
Views: 9,967 The 15th annual High Bridge Soap Box Derby was a blast!History right in front of your eyes! Visions of custom-made and painted cars with young kids bearing helmets and a chance at fame, leveraging gravity in a non-motorized…
Baseball’s Bobby Thomson’s 1951 ‘Shot Heard Round the World’ was a Jersey Guy
Views: 10,278 Many people know of the 1951 Shot Heard Round the World by Bobby Thomson. No other play-by-play call in baseball history has ever come close to raising the hairs on the back of your neck like that call.…
Bernards Base Ball Club of 1867
Views: 5,855 The history of Basking Ridge (Bernards Township) sometimes comes in unique ways. While researching the internet for another story, we came across this auction selling an original score book from the Bernards Baseball Club. Today, there are a…
Lost New Jersey Racetracks Mapping Project
Views: 23,117 Boy, this has turned into an obsession. We keep digging and finding more racetracks that were once part of New Jersey motorsports history! The Mr. Local History Project is a non-profit organization that picks up on great local…
Far Hills Race Meeting is Real Social Jersey History
Views: 25,545 UPDATE:FS2 is carrying America’s Day at the Races today (Sat, Oct 18, 2025) from 12:00–6:00 pm ET, which includes coverage from Far Hills. First post at Far Hills is 12:50 pm ET What’s in a name? Some call…
Historic Profile: Somerset Hills Country Club
Views: 13,190 Somerset Hills Country Club – The SHCC logo has a crest of the Duke of Somerset in the middle with a phoenix and crown. Tucked behind the bucolic town center in the borough of Bernardsville, New Jersey, lies…
The Essex Hunt and the Far Hills Race Meeting
Views: 16,335 This is a continuation of the history of our earlier story For the better part of a decade, the Mr. Local History Project has been digging and investigating the history of one of the greatest events in the…
Bowling History in the Somerset Hills
Views: 12,071 The history of bowling is one of those notable glimpses back into American culture. I mean, who didn’t like bowling. Bowling has typically had two separate groups of admirers. There were league bowlers and social bowlers.Then we had kid bowling (with a…