Welcome to the Mr. Local History Project
“A 501c3 Non-Profit Dedicated to Preserving and Promoting Jersey History with a Social Twist”
Mr. Local History is about bringing America’s past into the present through the stories of real places, real people, and real communities. Focused especially on New Jersey, the project celebrates local history in a way that feels personal, engaging, and relevant not something locked away in textbooks, but history that lives where we live. As we head into 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States, Mr. Local History is turning history into a shared experience. With a social twist, this is about connecting online and in the community, sharing memories, spotlighting hometown stories, and honoring New Jersey’s outsized role in America’s founding. It is history you can explore, share, and be part of together.
Our Readers’ Top 10 MLH Posts this Week
Latest Posts
- Remembering New Year’s TV Marathons/Binge Blocks
Views: 10,184 Well, while Netflix releases the long-anticipated Stranger Things finale on Dec 31 at ~8 p.m. ET (not a marathon but a big watch event), you don’t want to move from the couch because it’s New Year’s Day. Don’t worry—if you’ve got cable, no fret—it’s time for a TV marathon. For those who remember,… Read More »Remembering New Year’s TV Marathons/Binge Blocks - Ring In America 250 with Jersey History Flair
Showcasing New Jersey’s part in the America 250 celebration. Ring in America’s 250th anniversary with Jersey style, a bold new collection created exclusively for New Jersey’s Mr. Local History Project. Honor the state’s deep roots, iconic places, and proud role in the nation’s 250th anniversary. Over 60 items, dozens of colors in every size imaginable. Get with the 250th with New Jersey flair. - 1776 Delaware Crossing – Did You Know There were Three Crossings?
Views: 104 Watch a great video that shares the history of the Christmas Day crossing of the Continental Army and the surprise wins at Trenton and Princeton that built the confidence of men who would free the colonies from the tyranny of Britain’s King George III. An Interesting Often Overlooked Footnote As our researchers were… Read More »1776 Delaware Crossing – Did You Know There were Three Crossings? - Ring In America 250 with Jersey History FlairViews: 252 Ring in America’s 250th anniversary with Jersey style, a bold new collection created exclusively for New Jersey’s Mr. Local History Project. Honor the state’s deep roots, iconic places, and proud role in the nation’s 250th anniversary. Over 60 items, dozens of colors in every size imaginable. Get with the 250th with New Jersey… Read More »Ring In America 250 with Jersey History Flair
- America 250 – The Mr. Local History Way
Views: 3,471 It’s time New Jersey – America is 250, and Our Jersey History helped make America the free country it is today. Join The Mr Local History Project as we celebrate all year long. New Jersey holds a central place in the story of American independence, earning its nickname “The Crossroads of the American… Read More »America 250 – The Mr. Local History Way - America’s 250th Anniversary is Coming – Looking Back at the Bicentennial… Jersey Style
Views: 3,208 It’s hard to believe the United States is beginning its 250th anniversary. That means it’s also been 50 years since the Bicentennial, and hopefully, almost everyone remembers that one. As this researcher was just 14 years old back in 1976, many things came to mind. As America begins 2026, we wanted to look… Read More »America’s 250th Anniversary is Coming – Looking Back at the Bicentennial… Jersey Style - Insights: General Charles Lee’s Capture at Widow White’s Tavern in Basking Ridge & Washington’s Delaware Crossing Impact
Views: 1,478 December 13, 1776, stands as the most electrifying day in Basking Ridge’s history, when the sleepy colonial crossroads suddenly became the center of the Revolution. At dawn, the infamous capture of General Charles Lee sent shockwaves through Washington’s struggling army and the entire young nation. British dragoons thundered down the roads, militia scrambled… Read More »Insights: General Charles Lee’s Capture at Widow White’s Tavern in Basking Ridge & Washington’s Delaware Crossing Impact - Year End Giving Campaign – Support Local History
Views: 117 Mr. Local History Needs Local Financial Support When you support the Mr Local History Project, you help preserve the stories that no one else is saving. We gather research, document social history, capture memories the community asks us to remember, and share the stories that define our towns. We live it, we preserve… Read More »Year End Giving Campaign – Support Local History - Happenings On Christmas Eve: Our Hometown of Basking Ridge is Buzzing!
So much is going on around our beautiful home base in the Somerset Hills of New Jersey, especially in Basking Ridge. Come check it out. - Want To Be Part of Jersey’s History? Partner with Mr. Local History
Views: 149 Are you a Historic Property that Wants to be Part of the New Jersey Historic Cat’s Meow Wooden Village Collection? How Do These Jersey Icons Make It to the Jersey Collection? Many historic properties want to be included in the collection. A few requirements exist to get nominated, but it’s a wonderful way… Read More »Want To Be Part of Jersey’s History? Partner with Mr. Local History - Mr. Local History’s 1 Millionth Visitor – Was It You?
Views: 842 Mr. Local History’s 1 Millionth Visitor If you were the 1 millionth Visitor and grab a screenshot with our homepage at 1,000,000 – send it in. We’ll reward you with special gift and recognition. So come back and visit again and again. Send screenshot Here What better way to kick off the historic… Read More »Mr. Local History’s 1 Millionth Visitor – Was It You? - Wreaths Across America – Saturday, December 13
Views: 80 The Mr. Local History Project Volunteers will be at the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church and the Somerset Hills Cemetery in Basking Ridge this Saturday, December 13, 2025. If you’re in the area and would like to help, please feel free to stop by sometime after 12 pm. Wreaths Across America will return to… Read More »Wreaths Across America – Saturday, December 13 - Widow White’s Tavern Series – A Basking Ridge American History Moment
Views: 312 December 13, 1776, stands as the most electrifying day in Basking Ridge’s history, when the sleepy colonial crossroads suddenly became the center of the Revolution. At dawn, the infamous capture of General Charles Lee sent shockwaves through Washington’s struggling army and the entire young nation. British dragoons thundered down the roads, militia scrambled… Read More »Widow White’s Tavern Series – A Basking Ridge American History Moment - December 13, 1776 – Basking Ridge , New Jersey Altered American History
Views: 8,845 The world might have had a different look if it weren’t for this day’s event.December 13, 1776 in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Basking Ridge, New Jersey’s most famous incident, occurred on December 13, 1776, at about noon. General Charles Lee (1731-1782) was “alarmed” by Major Wilkinson while writing a letter to General Gates… Read More »December 13, 1776 – Basking Ridge , New Jersey Altered American History - The Candy Cane Man – Basking Ridge’s Own Christmas Eve “St. Nick”
Views: 549 I think I first heard of who I call St. Nick about 20 years ago, gathering on the town green in Basking Ridge on Christmas Eve, as thousands of people before me have done since 1924, for the annual Basking Ridge Community Christmas Eve sing. Mr. Local History has been documenting some of… Read More »The Candy Cane Man – Basking Ridge’s Own Christmas Eve “St. Nick” - Hey Jersey – Taylor Ham vs. SPAM
Views: 501 The Debate That Divides New Jersey… And Now There’s a Third on the Rise… SPAM In New Jersey, there are a few things guaranteed to start an argument. Traffic circles. Jughandles. What exit are you from? But nothing sparks a full-scale civil war quite like the breakfast meat debate. In northern Jersey, it… Read More »Hey Jersey – Taylor Ham vs. SPAM - The Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Carol Sing – Black River Journal
Views: 408 The editors of the Black River Journal recently reached out to the Mr Local History Project with a simple request. They wanted to help tell the story of one of the region’s most cherished holiday traditions, the Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Community Sing on the town green. For generations, this gathering has brought… Read More »The Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Carol Sing – Black River Journal - Mr. Local History’s 2025 Advent Calendar of Memorable Toys/Gifts & Their History
Views: 2,130 And on the 25th Day of the Advent Toy History Calendar… Holiday Memories is such great history, and what better way to look back than remembering how Advent Calendars worked, but this time we mix gift memories with some history. Call it our Vintage Toys Advent Calendar – New Day – New Vintage… Read More »Mr. Local History’s 2025 Advent Calendar of Memorable Toys/Gifts & Their History - “Janice Meredith” – 1924 Silent Film Showcases American Revolution
Views: 420 Back in 1924, silent films were all the rage. Bernardsville was just becoming a borough and separating from Bernards Township, but there was still only one movie theater, The Liberty Theater. How fortunate was the theater to feature the film “Janice Meredith”, a film about the American Revolution featuring the famous General Charles… Read More »“Janice Meredith” – 1924 Silent Film Showcases American Revolution
The Mr. Local History 2025 Holiday Shopping Guide / Magazine
See our quarterly digital magazine. Full of great local Jersey History.