Welcome to the Mr. Local History Project
“A 501c3 Non-Profit Dedicated to Preserving and Promoting Jersey History with a Social Twist”
As the Holidays and Year-End draw closer…
The holiday season is a time to reflect on what truly matters: family, tradition, community, and history. At the Mr. Local History Project, we celebrate the stories that bring our towns and families together, preserving the moments and memories that shape who we are. As the year comes to a close, this is also a critical time for giving. Your donation helps sustain our nonprofit mission to honor local heritage, educate future generations, and keep the spirit of community alive year-round. From all of us at Mr. Local History, we wish you peace, happiness, and cheer this holiday season, and our heartfelt thanks for being part of our story.
- Happenings On Christmas Eve: Our Hometown of Basking Ridge is Buzzing!
Views: 1,104 What’s Happening in Basking Ridge on Christmas Eve Our Readers’ Top 10 MLH Posts this Week - Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Sing 7PM – Watch on Your TV or Device
ONLINE STREAM: Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Sing on The Town Green at 7pm on Dec. 24th. - Holiday Tradition – Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Community Sing
The town of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, welcomes its 102nd Christmas Eve Sing on The Town Green at 7pm on Dec. 24, 2023. The town’s residents, friends, and guests gather to sing traditional carols and celebrate local history, documented by the Mr. Local History Project. - 18 Jersey Businesses That Have A Line Out the Door Every Christmas Eve
Views: 5,241 One thing is for sure: You can guarantee that each of these businesses in New Jersey will have lines out the door and down the block every Christmas Eve. Most are also “CASH ONLY,” so make sure you have planned for all the necessary protocols if you want to put “Jersey’s Best” on the table for the holidays. Mostly tied to butcher shops and bakeries, living here in North Jersey, the Mr. Local History Project team has a few favorites to… Read More »18 Jersey Businesses That Have A Line Out the Door Every Christmas Eve - The Candy Cane Man – Basking Ridge’s Own Christmas Eve “St. Nick”
Views: 418 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 Nick’s community efforts for decades. But we never covered this one – our own St. Nick, the Basking Ridge Candy Cane man. In every town, there is at… Read More »The Candy Cane Man – Basking Ridge’s Own Christmas Eve “St. Nick” - Mr. Local History’s 2025 Advent Calendar of Memorable Toys/Gifts & Their History
Views: 1,869 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 Toy, so make sure you bookmark and come back to see the next classic. Maybe you even had one! Follow along also on our News and Gossip Page Let’s see some of the most popular toys and jingles, as… Read More »Mr. Local History’s 2025 Advent Calendar of Memorable Toys/Gifts & Their History - Basking Ridge Live Cam – Mr. Local History’s Beautiful Town Green
Views: 9,945 Yes, there is sound too. You can mute it if you like.IF you just see the link, the stream is offline. Check back later. How’s life in Basking Ridge? Check in on the Town Green from atop the Presbyterian Church. Signature Downtown EventsSaturday, May 17, 2025 – 12:00 – 6 pm – Basking Ridge Charter Day Rain or ShineSaturday, November 29, 2025 – 9 am -12 pm – Basking Ridge Christmas Tree goes up and the famed BRFCo Donation BootSaturday, December 6,… Read More »Basking Ridge Live Cam – Mr. Local History’s Beautiful Town Green - Mr. Local History 2025 Holiday Gift Giving Guide / Magazine
Views: 567 If you got the word, you get the head start on the End Of Year Holiday News, Specials, Events, and MLH Stories The magazine is free and our gift to you.Please consider making a REALLY BIG YEAR-END DONATION to support our writers and our non-profit organization so we can hold events in 2026. We experienced a challenging financial year in 2025, incurring a significant loss.We’re tax-deductible too! Winter Magazine Articles: Click Title to Launch Story Volume 7 – Issue 4 –… Read More »Mr. Local History 2025 Holiday Gift Giving Guide / Magazine - Keepsake: Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Caroling on the Green
Views: 10,338 The Governor of New Jersey’s Historic Keepsake Village has decreed that a new icon should be added to the New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Collection, expanding the exclusive set of New Jersey collectible icons. Introducing the “Winter and Christmas Eve on the Green in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Every year on December 24th at 7 pm on “The Town Green,” residents, families, friends, and guests gather in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, for around 30 minutes to sing Christmas carols, wish good… Read More »Keepsake: Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Caroling on the Green
New Jersey Exclusive Cat’s Meow Wooden Collectibles and Flags Section
Exclusive keepsakes commissioned exclusively for the Mr. Local History Project. What started to honor Basking Ridge history has now expanded to over 40 collectibles across New Jersey, including Bernardsville, Westfield, Cranford, Wildwood, Asbury Park, and Jersey Food Icons like White Mana hamburgers, Krugs Tavern, and Jimmy Buff’s Italian Hot Dogs, and of course, NJ Diners. Check out the entire collection and availability HERE.
Clothing, Stickers, Bags Section
Print on Demand Services
Over 300 lost businesses have been digitally remastered from original ads from their time. We have collections for Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Cranford, Westfield, Route 22, Diners, Jersey Food, Jersey Motorsports, and more. You pick sizes, colors, and styles, and we ship right to your door.
Check out the entire collection HERE.
Our Readers’ Top 10 MLH Posts this Week
Posts for the Season
- Making That Christmas List Was Not a Click Away
Views: 125 …and some of the ways we’d all look for the best toys to put on our list. In the 1960s and 1970s, a Christmas list was something you worked on, not something you clicked. It started while lying on the floor during Saturday morning cartoons, where commercials taught you what to want. If… Read More »Making That Christmas List Was Not a Click Away - Happenings On Christmas Eve: Our Hometown of Basking Ridge is Buzzing!Views: 1,104 What’s Happening in Basking Ridge on Christmas Eve Our Readers’ Top 10 MLH Posts this Week
- Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Sing 7PM – Watch on Your TV or DeviceONLINE STREAM: Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Sing on The Town Green at 7pm on Dec. 24th.
- Holiday Tradition – Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Community SingThe town of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, welcomes its 102nd Christmas Eve Sing on The Town Green at 7pm on Dec. 24, 2023. The town’s residents, friends, and guests gather to sing traditional carols and celebrate local history, documented by the Mr. Local History Project.
- 18 Jersey Businesses That Have A Line Out the Door Every Christmas EveViews: 5,241 One thing is for sure: You can guarantee that each of these businesses in New Jersey will have lines out the door and down the block every Christmas Eve. Most are also “CASH ONLY,” so make sure you have planned for all the necessary protocols if you want to put “Jersey’s Best” on… Read More »18 Jersey Businesses That Have A Line Out the Door Every Christmas Eve
- Want To Be Part of Jersey’s History? Partner with Mr. Local HistoryViews: 76 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 – Will it Be You?
Views: 373 Mr. Local History’s 1 Millionth Visitor is Coming Soon If you’re 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… Read More »Mr. Local History’s 1 Millionth Visitor – Will it Be You? - Insights: General Charles Lee’s Capture at Widow White’s Tavern in Basking Ridge
Views: 863 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 - 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: 227 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: 8,557 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: 418 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: 378 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: 325 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 HistoryViews: 1,869 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 Toy, so make sure you bookmark and come back to see… Read More »Mr. Local History’s 2025 Advent Calendar of Memorable Toys/Gifts & Their History
- “Janice Meredith” – 1924 Silent Film Showcases American Revolution
Views: 272 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 - 100+ Mouthwatering “Best Burgers” From New Jersey – Krug’s Tavern Burger Porn Collection
Views: 23,906 Krug’s Tavern: Newark’s Burger Temple Since 1932, Krug’s Tavern on Wilson Avenue has been serving what many call the best burger in New Jersey. From the outside, it’s just a neighborhood bar, but inside, it’s a shrine to half-pound patties seared on a flat-top, juicy enough to drip down your wrist. We call… Read More »100+ Mouthwatering “Best Burgers” From New Jersey – Krug’s Tavern Burger Porn Collection - The Flagship American Eagle & America’s 250
Views: 14,761 To a sailor, one of the most impressive sights is to see a classic tall ship under sail. It has to be one of the most remarkable sights ever. And if you want to take a trip aboard the Eagle, booking a trip is simple…. fill out an application to join the US… Read More »The Flagship American Eagle & America’s 250 - Jersey Pizzerias and Heroin – The Mafia’s Pizza Connection Trial
Views: 13,970 UPDATE:Kinda laughed when I watched THE BEAR TV series and saw they were pulling currency out of tomato cans. They claim they’re not taking from the Pizza Connection story, but it’s remarkably similar! These cans, discovered in the restaurant’s storage, are revealed to contain a $300,000 loan that Mikey, the protagonist’s brother, had… Read More »Jersey Pizzerias and Heroin – The Mafia’s Pizza Connection Trial
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The Mr. Local History 2025 Holiday Shopping Guide / Magazine
See our quarterly digital magazine. Full of great local Jersey History.
Shre the photo on the Facebook group in the story. We also added two photos of which one I think…