Fall in New Jersey is more than colorful leaves, crisp mornings, and roadside farm stands—it is a season filled with stories. In this issue, the Mr. Local History research team travels from the historic boardwalk and lakeside community of Lake Mohawk to the farm fields of Somerset County, uncovering the histories of Bardy Farms and Basking Ridge’s beloved Crane Farm. Along the way, readers will meet the families, immigrants, farmers, and community builders who helped shape the places we know today. So grab a cup of cider and join us as we explore another colorful chapter of New Jersey’s local history.
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Cover: Mr Local History Magazine Vol 8 Issue 3
Our cover honors one of the most iconic and beautiful fall destinations, like “the Niagara Falls of New Jersey”, the Paterson Great Falls. Worthy of a Fall visit to learn about Alexander Hamilton’s first industrial city in America and catch some of the most beautiful fall foliage in the State. Put it on your list.
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Volume 8 – Issue 3 – Fall is in the Air and with So Much Jersey History, There’s So Much to Do and See.
A Historic Boardwalk on Jersey’s Lake Mohawk
Views: 170 Just when you think you know everything about New Jersey, the state pulls another surprise from its seemingly bottomless bag of tricks. We already have ocean beaches, mountains, waterfalls, sprawling farms, colonial villages, busy cities, and some of…
Bardy Farms: From a Russian Immigrant’s Fields to a Somerset County Farming Dynasty
Views: 672 Walk into Bardy Farms on Washington Valley Road in Warren Township, and you are entering one of New Jersey’s increasingly rare family farm businesses. Fresh produce still fills the market, plants crowd the greenhouses in Spring, pumpkins arrive…
Donate Today and Get a Great Gift: 2026 US Mint RevWar 250 Quarters Collectible Set
Views: 260 Minimum donation: $25, but feel free to donate at any of the levels below. Your contribution is TAX DEDUCTIBLE. We only have a limited supply of these great keepsakes, so act fast. First come, first served, while supplies…
Crane Farm: The Little Farm Stand Preserves Basking Ridge’s Farming Past
Views: 1,496 RUMOR CONFIRMED:As Crane Farm approaches another turning point, word has begun circulating that Tyson and Doris Mertz are retiring October 31, 2026 and will not be renewing their lease with Somerset County. The Mertzes have not owned the…
Celebrating 100 Years of the Cranford Theater
Views: 471 As Cranford prepares to celebrate the theater’s 100th birthday on November 29, 2026, we’re taking a look back at the little movie house that became a Cranford institution, and the generations of people who have kept coming through…
New Jersey’s America 250 Events Calendar
Views: 10,644 BOOKMARK this Site and Come Back Often – Updated Daily “It’s the most extensive America 250 Events Calendar for New Jersey 250. This free statewide calendar is open to all New Jersey organizers to share America’s Semiquincentennial 250th…
Ghost Tales, Urban Legends and Cemeteries From Central New Jersey
Views: 1,279 Urban Legends, Ghosts, Murder, Nuns gone insane, the Devil, and other horror stories we’ve dug up from Central New Jersey’s past. Maybe urban legends, but they’re OUR stories! When the leaves start turning and the nights get cooler,…
Day Trips – Four Historic New Jersey Fall Locations You Must See
Views: 9,766 The 2026 Fall Foliage Map is the ultimate visual planning guide to the annual progression of leaf change. While no tool can be 100% accurate, this tool is designed to help travelers better time their trips to maximize their chances…
High Point State Park was Donated by Bernardsville Family
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…
Far Hills Race Meeting Collectible & Century Old History of this Fall Jersey Classic
Views: 9,852 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,…
ROADTRIP: Historic Waterloo Village Concept Works
Views: 14,918 Here’s an idea. How about a fresh air compound? Great open space. Historic homes, beautiful rolling, open fields, and a canal. Yes, a canal. Let’s throw in an infamous outdoor concert series while we’re at it. Just off…
Legendary Horror Tales and Ghost Stories from Central New Jersey
Views: 24,220 Urban Legends, Ghosts, Murder, Nuns gone insane, the Devil and other horror stories we’ve dug up from Central New Jersey’s past. May be urban legends, but they’re OUR stories! When the leaves start turning and the nights get…
Remembering Warren’s Schwaebische Alb – a Jersey Oktoberfest Institution
Views: 15,285 HELP THIS STORY: We are still looking for photos of the beer garden or any photos taken after 1970. We are also still researching the sale date to Warren Township and the final teardown date. Contact us if you…
Blairsden- The Horror, The Nuns and Other Urban Legends
Views: 73,035 Weird New Jersey magazine launched an all-out attack with urban legends about what went terribly wrong inside the Blairsden Estate in Peapack, New Jersey. This article was originally posted on another site back in 2007. We thought it…
The Tale of Jersey’s Devil Tree
Views: 43,210 The Devil Tree of Liberty Corner (Somerset County) Urban Legend 1 Devil Tree – The Tree and the Caretaker Me and my friends were all contemplating going up to the devil tree. I had been up there one…
Fall Day Trip – Historic Mohonk Mountain “House”, New Paltz, New York
Views: 34,873 Nestled in the Catskill Mountains in the southern portion of New York State lies the historic Mohonk Mountain House, also known to locals as the Mohonk Mountain Resort. The Resort is anything but a house, and you can…
