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Top Ten Stories This Week
This Week’s Top 10 Posts
Latest News Updates & Research
- Looking Back: 1983 America’s Cup Trophy Room and the New York Yacht Club’s Hole in the Floor
Views: 182 This story is a personal account, shaped by growing up with a father who was a member of the New York Yacht Club and by experiencing the America’s Cup firsthand in Newport, Rhode Island, in both 1980 and 1983. I was there when the Cup still seemed almost impossible to lose, and again… Read More »Looking Back: 1983 America’s Cup Trophy Room and the New York Yacht Club’s Hole in the Floor - Eyewitness Account of the 1776 Capture of General Charles Lee at Widow White’s Tavern
Views: 75 Preface to James Wilkinson’s Account of General Charles Lee’s Capture The following account comes from General James Wilkinson’s Memoirs of My Own Times, published in 1816, and provides a remarkable first-person description of the events surrounding the capture of General Charles Lee at Widow White’s Tavern in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, on December… Read More »Eyewitness Account of the 1776 Capture of General Charles Lee at Widow White’s Tavern - Dr. Robert Finley, Founder of Basking Ridge’s Brick Academy, American Colonization Society, and Liberia Africa
Views: 12,223 In the News:What could the West African nation of Liberia possibly have to do with Basking Ridge, New Jersey? Liberia has recently returned to American headlines after agreeing to accept certain people deported from the United States who are citizens of other countries. The news has renewed attention on Liberia’s unusual and complicated… Read More »Dr. Robert Finley, Founder of Basking Ridge’s Brick Academy, American Colonization Society, and Liberia Africa - Time To Honor 1776 Route to Washington’s Delaware Christmas Crossing
Views: 694 The “Ten Crucial Days” of the American Revolution began with Washington’s crossing of the Delaware on Christmas night, 1776. They continued through the victories at Trenton, the Battle of the Assunpink, and Princeton on January 3, 1777. In little more than a week, Washington’s Continental Army transformed near defeat into renewed hope, saving… Read More »Time To Honor 1776 Route to Washington’s Delaware Christmas Crossing - Greetings From Historic Basking Ridge
Views: 365 Your History Tour Guide to Basking Ridge, and Yes, We Know It’s Bernards Township (officially). Let’s start with the elephant in the room. Although the municipality’s official name is Bernards Township, most people have embraced Basking Ridge as the name for the community as a whole. First off, welcome to our history share… Read More »Greetings From Historic Basking Ridge - Congress Declares A New Nation: Call Us “United States” Not “United Colonies” September 9, 1776
Views: 310 September 9, 1776 Two months after approving the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress took another important step in defining the new nation. On September 9, 1776, Congress ordered that the term “United Colonies” be replaced by “The United States” in all Continental commissions and other official documents. While the Declaration had proclaimed… Read More »Congress Declares A New Nation: Call Us “United States” Not “United Colonies” September 9, 1776 - THE 9.11 Ground Zero American Flag That Vanished for 13 Years
Views: 559 Raised above the ruins of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, this one American flag became an immediate symbol of courage, unity, and a nation that refused to surrender. Yet within hours of inspiring millions, the flag vanished. This iconic photograph, known as Raising the Flag at Ground Zero, was taken… Read More »THE 9.11 Ground Zero American Flag That Vanished for 13 Years - #911neverforget in the Somerset Hills
Views: 11,198 Twenty-five years ago, on the clear, crisp morning at 8:46 am on September 11, 2001, the first plane hit the North Tower, and our community was changed forever. Please take a moment to remember those 21 residents from Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, and Peapack who never came home that day. This is our tribute… Read More »#911neverforget in the Somerset Hills - Bernardsville’s Huffman-Koos and Finley Manor Hotel Memories
Views: 731 Long before Walgreens occupied the busy corner of Route 202 and North Finley Avenue, the property was home to one of Bernardsville’s more unusual redevelopment stories. What began as a large furniture showroom sat vacant for nearly a decade before becoming the Finley Manor Hotel. This project took years of hearings, zoning disputes,… Read More »Bernardsville’s Huffman-Koos and Finley Manor Hotel Memories - 25 of New Jersey’s Oldest Taverns & Inns Still Serving Today
Views: 720 Eating Your Way Through New Jersey History Long before New Jersey had diners, highways, turnpikes, or even became a state, the local tavern often served as the center of community life. These were places where a traveler could find a hot meal and a bed, where stagecoaches stopped, news was exchanged, business was… Read More »25 of New Jersey’s Oldest Taverns & Inns Still Serving Today - Trekking Native American Trails in Northern New Jersey
Views: 669 Long before anyone divided North and Central Jersey, Native American people lived, hunted, farmed, and traveled throughout the region. Archaeological evidence shows an Indigenous presence in New Jersey extending back more than 10,000 years. When Europeans arrived during the early 1600s, they encountered the Lenape, often called the Lenni Lenape, whose homeland included… Read More »Trekking Native American Trails in Northern New Jersey - Day Trips – Four Historic New Jersey Fall Locations You Must See
Views: 10,231 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 of catching peak color each year. Before you go, check out this great fall foliage… Read More »Day Trips – Four Historic New Jersey Fall Locations You Must See - Fall Is In the Air – So Much to Do and See in Mr. Local History’s 2026 Fall Magazine
Views: 695 Fall in New Jersey is more than colorful leaves, crisp mornings, and roadside farm stands; it is a season filled with great history and 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… Read More »Fall Is In the Air – So Much to Do and See in Mr. Local History’s 2026 Fall Magazine - So What Defines Peapack Village from Gladstone’s Village
Views: 655 Certainly, everyone knows when they’re in Peapack and when they’re in Gladstone, right? First off, a little clarification: the “Established 1701” on the borough’s sign date refers to the Peapack Patent, when the land encompassing present-day Peapack-Gladstone was granted to European proprietors. It marks the area’s colonial land history, not the borough’s incorporation,… Read More »So What Defines Peapack Village from Gladstone’s Village - A Historic Boardwalk on Jersey’s Lake Mohawk
Views: 456 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 America’s most famous boardwalks. What else could possibly be hiding here? Then you arrive at… Read More »A Historic Boardwalk on Jersey’s Lake Mohawk - Bardy Farms: From a Russian Immigrant’s Fields to a Somerset County Farming Dynasty
Views: 1,104 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 in autumn, and Christmas trees and wreaths mark the holiday season. It feels like a… Read More »Bardy Farms: From a Russian Immigrant’s Fields to a Somerset County Farming Dynasty - Then & Now: Post 9/11-Somerset Hills Family, Friends and Neighbors & Their Legacy
Views: 37,091 Twenty-five years ago on September 11, 2001, we lost friends, family, neighbors, and loved ones in a tragedy that changed our nation forever. Their absence is felt every day, yet in the years since that heartbreaking morning, we have also witnessed countless examples of strength, kindness, and resilience. Out of loss has come… Read More »Then & Now: Post 9/11-Somerset Hills Family, Friends and Neighbors & Their Legacy - “The Frippery” Thrift Store Extraordinaire is a Watchung Historic Gem
Views: 498 For Over Half a Century, the Frippery is Watchung’s Original Treasure Hunt Long before thrift shopping became trendy, generations of bargain hunters were already climbing the stairs and rummaging through the shelves at one of Watchung’s best-known hidden gems: The Frippery. The Frippery officially opened for the first time on March 10, 1971,… Read More »“The Frippery” Thrift Store Extraordinaire is a Watchung Historic Gem
Recent Comments
Thanks for writing. All of our magazines have been in a “digital-only” format since we started creating the online magazine…
I’ve spent some recent hours reading your Middlebrook and Morristown sections. I enjoyed them very much and would like to…
Meryl Streep indeed also lived in Madison, New Jersey on Valley Rd, as shown by the 1950 census, for apparently…
Good morning! On the Westfield lost businesses list there seem to be two missing 🙂 same building next to team…
Thanks for sharing this. I always pass that Cemetery and didn’t realize someone was actually buried there. I thought it…
The Vail family was scattered all around the Morristown/Plainfield/Somerville area, and we are all related. When I was a kid,…
My grandfather set the stone for Schmid Park on Pond Hill Road. He worked at the quarry when they had…
I grew up in Summit. We went to the Springfield WD. I graduated Summit HS in 1975. Before they tore…
All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Millington was built from Millington Quarry trap rock, donated by Frederick Schmidt. Until the quarry…
Gary is one hell of man I had the opportunity to work for Gary for a short time when I…
Back in the 1930s, there was a fair-sized wooden box for the drop-off of bread at the entrance to the…
Preservation NJ named the site of the former Lord Stirling School as one of the state’s most endangered due to…
Thank you for this research. I grew up in The Hills on the Bedminster side, in an affordable unit (that…
Hi: Abraham Southard the son of Thomas and Annica Southard had no record of having been married. He left a…
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…
Laird & Company in Colt’s Neck is considered America’s oldest distillery, renowned for producing Applejack and apple brandy. William Laird…
We used to walk to joralemons after school. We would get our root beer popsicles. My dad used to send…
Facebook Post 2019 – BINGEN BART’S WIND REPORT – conversation #53, recorded in Bart’s Vervloet’s office. Columbia Gorge Wind &…