Thousands of you check in every month to see what the Mr. Local History Project is up to. Internet searches also make up a big part of our traffic, as people look for specific topics we love to write about. Many feel compelled to comment to tell their story as well, and WE LOVE THIS. What better way to share history than by having people comment with their memories and stories about the people, places, and events we cover across the Garden State? So FEEL free to comment away.
Here’s what people have been commenting about:
I played solo acoustic there almost every Tuesday night from 1983-89. Loved the intimate setting, and had a lot of friends, co-workers, regulars, and FDU & Drew students from playing at their rathskellers all showing up. I even have some live recordings on cassette I’m in the process of digitizing.
Always had a great time!Loved this story and the success of a longtime business. I myself gave up my windsurfing career to work in NYC banking. I had to grow up sometime.
Very interesting story on the mill. Well done. Hope to visit in the near future. My father was Charles Petty Van Doren
David… here she comes to life. I’m going to paint her exactly as you remember her — the energy, the hands, the warmth, the personality that filled that little stucco storefront on Bernards Avenue.
**Great‑Aunt Mary DeFilippis, wife of Andrew DeFilippis— The Woman Whose Hands Spoke First**
Great‑Aunt Mary DeFilippis didn’t just *talk* — she *expressed*.
When she spoke, her hands moved faster than her words, slicing through the air, fluttering, pointing, shaping her thoughts like a conductor guiding an orchestra. Her fingers danced with meaning, her palms opened with warmth, and her gestures carried entire sentences long before her voice caught up.She didn’t speak English well — not in the way Americans expected — but she didn’t need to. Her language was the language of **motion**, **emotion**, and **presence**. You understood her perfectly because she communicated with her whole being.
She had **energy**, real energy — the kind that fills a room, the kind that makes children smile, the kind that keeps a store running, a home warm, and a neighborhood connected. She moved quickly, thought quickly, reacted quickly. Even in her older years, she had that spark, that lively rhythm in her hands and eyes.
Inside her little cream‑yellow stucco store, she was the heartbeat of Bernards Avenue. She lived in the back, prayed in the quiet moments, and greeted everyone with that unmistakable Italian warmth. Kids adored her — not just because she handed out crisp dollar bills and Hershey bars, but because she radiated kindness. She made you feel seen, welcomed, loved.
Her gestures weren’t just habits — they were history.
They were the gestures of a woman who crossed an ocean, built a life in a new country, ran a business without speaking the language, and held her community together through sheer will and personality. They were the gestures of a matriarch, a landlord, a caretaker, a survivor, and a storyteller.When she spoke, her hands told you:
– *I’m here.*
– *I care.*
– *I understand you.*
– *I’m strong.*
– *I’m proud.*
– *I’m alive.*And you felt it — every time.
Great‑Aunt Mary wasn’t just part of Little Italy.
She *was* Little Italy.Dan Smith did not work for Max Spann, he was an AT&T employee who entered a sandwich contest Emily, the original owner had. The winner got the sandwich named after them.
A Visit to Great‑Aunt Mary — 1975
In the summer of 1975, my family and I visited Great‑Aunt Mary DeFilippis at her little cream‑yellow stucco store on Bernards Avenue — the same store that had once been part of Bernardsville’s “Little Italy,” where she lived in the back of the store and Great Aunt Mary DeFilippis greeted everyone with kindness.
Beside the store was the empty parking lot I remember so clearly, the landmark that places her home and business at 52–54 Bernards Avenue. Even though the building had changed over the years, Aunt Mary’s presence made it feel timeless.
During that visit, Aunt Mary treated us to Good Humor ice cream from the Good Humor truck that used to come down Bernards Avenue. She always made sure the kids felt special — she would give each of us a crisp new dollar bill and a Hershey’s chocolate bar, her signature gesture of love. That day, she handed me a toy metal water pistol, and I remember feeling like the luckiest kid in New Jersey.
At that time, Aunt Mary was preparing to sell the property and move to North Plainfield, New Jersey, where Uncle George Molinari (Great Aunt Mary’s nephew) — loyal, steady, and devoted — would visit her often and take care of her in her later years.
Aunt Mary was deeply religious, the kind of woman who kept a rosary close at hand and prayed with quiet devotion. She faithfully supported Saint Joseph’s Church in North Plainfield, her spiritual home, and she carried her faith with her everywhere she went.
That visit in 1975 was more than a family stop — it was a moment in time, a glimpse into the last chapter of Bernardsville’s Little Italy, and a memory of a woman whose generosity and faith shaped everyone around her. God Bless Her Deeply Loving Heart, AmenI cant thank you enough for this article ! My late Dad was one of the rebels who raced down rt 22 in the 1950s – he spoke of how fun it was !!! His one friend is still alive who participated, Ill find out if he has any photos.
It was great to meet you at Buffy’s today, especially since I was capturing footage of myself playing pool and darts for my upcoming video “That Ain’t Luck.” Now I think I need to study up on shuffleboard and get a bit of that into the video, since it’s such a rare historic element at this point. Check out the movie Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, available for streaming. I think you’re in a special position to enjoy that one.
Facebook Post 2019 – BINGEN BART’S WIND REPORT – conversation #53, recorded in Bart’s Vervloet’s office. Columbia Gorge Wind & Water Assoc. Hood River, OR
“The pleasure of wind forecasting. Remember the first rule: don’t leave wind to find wind…
The Wind Ranch, that was a whole subculture unto itself. There was a whole pile of people at the Wind Ranch that used to camp out up there. They’re still around here, decades later. A whole series of crazy people. Carl Meinberg. Pink Car Bob. Chris Anderson.
I remember owning The Gorge Surf Shop we used to do board repairs, fix booms, or re-grip booms for people at the shop in Bingen. We always had tools out for use. The sales counter was a work bench. Lot’s of time I’d deliver stuff to people up at the Wind Ranch, “I’m gonna be going sailing tomorrow, early. I’ll swing by your tent and drop off your repair…”
I’d be finished doing my wind report in the morning. It was always recorded by 6:30am, or quarter to seven. So I’d pick up the person’s boom, enroute to dawn patrol sailing at Doug’s, and zip over to the Wind Ranch. I’d drive into the Wind Ranch and all the radios were tuned in to the Wind Report, and I would hear my voice coming out of people’s tents, and out of their car windows while I’m driving around in there. Quadrophonic Stereo blasting from all sides, it was kinda weird.
That first winter I worked in the ski shop. That was the winter of 85-86. I did a lot of radio promotions, sale promotions, ski sales, that kind of stuff. The shop was called Ski Mart. So I met the people from Q104. In the spring of ’86 at the end of the ski season someone said, “Hey, how come there isn’t something for windsurfing? Like the ski report…?”
So we came up with the idea of doing the wind report. I did it in exchange for doing ad time, as a sponsor. Bart’s Best Bet sponsored by The Gorge Surf Shop. Then a whole batch of other businesses started advertising before or after to my radio report. That’s when it turned into a paycheck. It actually paid quite well. I’d worked out a good deal with them early.
I did that wind report for twenty-two years. 22 years! I took one year off when I was working in Europe, and Victor-the-Inflictor did the report for me. I phoned in the wind report each and every morning until whatever year it was, when the radio station Q104 was sold.
The license, Q104 station-broadcast-license was 100,000 Watts. They called it a ‘Super Station’. There aren’t too many small rural communities that have 100,000 watts. That’s as big as they come. At some point the FCC quit issuing 100,000 Watt Licenses. So if you had one, suddenly they became very valuable.
So all these big corporate interests started buying up small-area 100,000 Watt Licenses. And the company that bought the one from the Gorge, moved it to Olympia Washington. They broadcast north of the Puget Sound. It’s still called Q104, same numbers, everything. But its up there now.
Pink Car Bob, he did a did a bit of local wind reporting for KIHR. He would call in on his cellphone. Remember the pink Torino he had? With the teeth? That old Ford Torino with the roof cut off? It was bright pink. He was a ski racer in college, so he had all these ski banners for seat covers. Pink Bob with the classic Torino, with the big round toothy grill out front.
Anyway, met this lady at the radio station and it turned into the Wind Report. Seven days a week, from April through the end of September. Pressure gradients. For twenty-two years, unbelievable.
Wind. Sailing. The difference in the pressure gradients. That’s what makes the wind blow, right? I’d watch the barometer. Note the pressure differences. Watch the barometric pressure in Portland. I’d set my barometer on the wall, watch it. Where was it last night? Reset the needle. Watch to see if the pressure was changing one way or the other. Write down where it was the previous night.
I bought a MacSE for some RIDICULOUS amount of money. Just so I could get the gradients. When that information became available online, I could log into the weather stations through the National Weather Service. Get spot reports for barometric pressures from different areas. I’d be looking at those numbers from Portland, The Dalles, and Pendelton. Then we started looking at the south Oregon coast, and over to Spokane. Check the north-south gradients, because that seemed to affect what the wind in the desert was doing, or going to do tomorrow, or not do. Didn’t matter what it was this way, you had to have a little bit of that from over there, to make it really good in the Gorge. We started watching pressure patterns. And calling truckers.
I’d be calling truckers on my CB radio from my shop in Bingen to see if it was windy in Arlington. All the truckers come down that grade, and they’re looking right at the Columbia River.
I’d be asking, “Hey, are there any whitecaps out there? Some guy would answer, “Oh yeah, it’s real windy. Hard to keep my truck on the road!” Ok. Good to hear from you. Thanks a lot, have a nice day! (laughter)Old Radio photographed at the Hood River Museum. July 7, 2018
SPROUTNOTE: I encourage everyone to support the CGW2 by joining, and/or donating, today!
CGW2 is a not-for-profit membership organization representing the interests of The Columbia Gorge Wind & Water Community. Dedicated to establishing and protecting safe and abundant access to the Columbia River for recreational water sports. For more info please contact Bart VervloetThanks for writing. All of our magazines have been in a “digital-only” format since we started creating the online magazine series. It is only available online. We do certainly appreciate your financial support, as we couldn’t do it without the financial support of our readers and supporters. Thank you very much and keep reading and writing.
I’ve spent some recent hours reading your Middlebrook and Morristown sections. I enjoyed them very much and would like to obtain a copy of your Mr Local History Magazine, vol 8. I sent you a $25 donation in June. Does that qualify me for a copy? If so, how do I receive it? Thanks very much.
Meryl Streep indeed also lived in Madison, New Jersey on Valley Rd, as shown by the 1950 census, for apparently a couple of years. Her father was a very active real estate agent in town. So Madison has a tiny claim to her also.
Good morning!
On the Westfield lost businesses list there seem to be two missing 🙂 same building next to team car wash…..
KFC (still miss there bowls)
Bohemian Rhapsody (yogurt and ice cream…huge selection)Great job!
Thanks for sharing this. I always pass that Cemetery and didn’t realize someone was actually buried there. I thought it was just headstones marking someone who died on the property
The Vail family was scattered all around the Morristown/Plainfield/Somerville area, and we are all related. When I was a kid, there used to be a Vail picnic every summer in Cedarbrook Park in Plainfield.
My grandfather set the stone for Schmid Park on Pond Hill Road. He worked at the quarry when they had steam shovels until he passed away in 1985. Lots of memories there.
I grew up in Summit. We went to the Springfield WD. I graduated Summit HS in 1975. Before they tore down the WD I interviewed the owner and wrote an article about it in our HS newspaper. I might have it in storage or not. If I find it I’ll send you a PDF. The owner gave me a hat and one of the metal signs. Unfortunately I stored the sign under my bed in Manhattan and the rollers took off paint on the corners. I framed the hat and hung it on the wall with prints of the Clark (I think) WD and the Summit Diner. Photos attached. The Springfield WD had a huge outdoor blue light bug zapper that people threw french fries into. They zapped good. We called them french flies.
Keep up the good work.
All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Millington was built from Millington Quarry trap rock, donated by Frederick Schmidt. Until the quarry closed we could hear and feel the blasting at the Church whenever it occurred.
Gary is one hell of man I had the opportunity to work for Gary for a short time when I was there I worked on the Mack M-100 SX it was the best experience I ever had Thank you Gary!
Back in the 1930s, there was a fair-sized wooden box for the drop-off of bread at the entrance to the Cerino brothers’ grocery store across the street (Finley & W. Oak). One night, a group of teenagers brought the “Bread Box” over to Cerino’s (owned) island, connected it to the flag pole rope, and hoisted it up to the top of the pole. Cerino’s eventually transferred their island to the town. (As told by my father).
Preservation NJ named the site of the former Lord Stirling School as one of the state’s most endangered due to its significance as the garden of the Lord Stirling mansion and the current threat by developer Jon Rocker, who is threatening to have it bulldozed for a condo development.
Thank you for this research. I grew up in The Hills on the Bedminster side, in an affordable unit (that is no longer affordable).
In the 90s we used to play in an abandoned house at the top of Mt. Prospect Rd, before they finished building out all the housing on the Bernads side. The house was still there when the school was new. The house was very cool, upscale midcentury, but it seemed to have foundation settlement issues; it was sinking, and the floors weren’t level, which is why we assumed it was abandoned, but there was all kinds of stuff left behind, like the people just disappeared one day. Based on the graffiti and other evidence, we weren’t the first generation of kids to find it, and we werent the last either, I’m pretty sure it burned down years later, which is no surprise. I always wondered what the story of that house was.Hi:
Abraham Southard the son of Thomas and Annica Southard had no record of having been married. He left a will in 1725 where he left his estate to his nephew and namesake, Abraham Southard II son of Isaac Southard, the brother of Abraham Southard I. Isaac was named executor of the will. Abraham Southard II married Cornelia Barnes 28 Jan 1738 in St. Georges Episcopal Church. They had several children, Amos, Elizabeth, Isaac, and Henry before moving to Basking Ridge NJ in 1750. The last record of Abraham Southard II in Hempstead was June 9, 1750 where he took a 50 lb bond. A 1752 Town record said that that bond was satisfied without penalty. Your genealogy appears to have skipped a generation with Abraham. If he were the son of Thomas and Annica Southard as you suggested he would have been in his 70s when he first married Cornelia and that’s not likely. Cornelia’s husband Abraham was the son of Isaac Southard and was the grandson of Thomas and Annica not the son. Abraham’s son Henry was a Patriot as were other members of the Southard family, and became a Congressman. Henry’s son Samuel Lewis Southard was elected as Governor of New Jersey, and a US Senator. Samuel Lewis Southard also served as Secretary of the Navy and was also the President of the Morris Canal and Banking Company in 1838. He also served the MC&BC’s legal counsel. Samuel Lewis Southard’s brother Isaac Southard served as the Treasurer of the State of NJ. Isaac’s son Samuel Doty Southard married Anne Hewitt, the sister of Abram Hewitt the iron magnate and Mayor of NYC. I am a Southard descendant of a different branch, the brother of Abraham, Timothy Southard. I have done extensive research into the Southard family, especially the Isaac branch of the Southards which includes Abraham and his descendants. Sincerely Peter Jeuck
What was the name of the restaurant that was destroyed by Sandy which was across the street from Keyport Fishery?
Yes, not sure how it got confused so we’ve updated the piece. How did you remember?
The Mount Prospect School shown in the picture was built in approximately 1998, not 1968. It was indeed named after the road.
Laird & Company in Colt’s Neck is considered America’s oldest distillery, renowned for producing Applejack and apple brandy. William Laird arrived in Colonial New Jersey from Scotland in 1698 and began distilling apple-based spirits using the region’s abundant apple supply. The family initially operated behind the Colts Neck Inn. Legend holds that George Washington was a patron and requested the family’s secret recipe. To survive Prohibition (1920–1933), the company shifted entirely to producing non-alcoholic apple products like applesauce and sweet cider before obtaining one of the nation’s first medicinal distilling licenses in 1933. While Laird & Company is headquartered in Scobeyville, actual distilling operations were moved to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley in 1972. The New Jersey facility continues to operate as a rectifier, blender, and aging/bottling plant.
Historic District: The historic Scobeyville property and homestead are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.We used to walk to joralemons after school. We would get our root beer popsicles. My dad used to send me over there with a note to buy his cigarettes. The good old days. I can’t imagine Bernardsville without this beautiful little Country Store. I have some fabulous memories there. I saw a picture of a lady named Beth. I believe she was my friend who lived up the street. I would love to reconnect with her.
We are a historical organization. If you wish to talk with them, contact them directly. Thank you.
Following up to previously sent e-mail to ensure I did it properly. Please respond at your earliest convenience if you received. I am interested in getting restored as a welcome member of Sky Farm.
Can I visit Sky Farm? I was a member 22+ years age with my wife who passed away 18 years age?
Funny about this – we just saw Teddy Roosevelt talking with President Trump at the opening of his new library – Pretty cool – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWKFiUICLZE
We held my youngest son’s baptism reception there in 1988. Very happy atmosphere and memories. When did it close?
Lord Stirling is my 6th great-grandfather. I’d like to keep on top of the research you do about him!
I worked for AT&T IMS from ’88 to ’92 on the first floor of building 7. Our organization was responsible for all of the telephone, networking plant and computer support at the site and dozens of Unix servers. My desk was right outside of the telephone equipment room. As a result of my work, I had been in just about every space in the building except the kitchen and some maintenance spaces.
If anyone I worked with reads this (you know who you are), AT&T people were some of the best coworkers I ever had in four decades plus IT career.As history buffs (particularly Revolutionary War), we were excited to visit Eagles’s Nest at Washington Valley Park today. From the video we saw online (posted in 2023) and other things we read, it sounded like Somerset County had plans to upgrade the site with better access, trails and interpretive features in time for the 250th celebration. Unfortunately, the roads leading to Washington Valley Park are poorly marked and once you are in the park, there is no signage, so Eagle’s Nest is hard to find. Once we did find it, we were dismayed to see Mr. Patullo’s home/buildings had been torn down, the area was overgrown with weeds and shrubs and the lookout and cannons were broken and appeared to be vandalized, with garbage strewn all around. Very disappointing. Is there any update on the County’s plans for the site?
My Grandfather, Boyd Happe, was a proud member. Raised pheasants on Prospect behind 148 Maple. Those houses had trouble with landscaping for many years. Evidently, pheasant crap isn’t great for growing anything.
When I moved to Martinsville section of Bridgewater 44 yrs. ago, the western side of Shley Mtn. was a huge field of standing corn now occupied by the Kings / Shopping Center. Before that the “Red Ball Hunting Club” had Shley Mtn. posted for quite a few years until development of “The Hills” began.
Grew up at on So. 10th EWR. Went to St. Ann’s grammar school on 16th and 7th. Graduated 1956.
Mom would give me 15 cents for a JB hot dog for lunch.
There was another vendor named Sam’s on 8th and 15th, but wasn’t as good as JBs.
When I come back to NJ, I always stop at the Kenilworth store!
Please advise if Sky Farm is having an open house because the date within this document says June 11th Saturday but June 11th is not a Saturday. My husband n I would love to come and see the place. Please advise Thanks
