Welcome to the Mr. Local History Project
“A 501c3 Non-Profit Dedicated to Preserving and Promoting Jersey History with a Social Twist”
Countdown to America’s 250th Birthday
The Mr. Local History Project is about bringing New Jersey’s past into the present through the stories of real places, real people, and real communities. Focused especially on New Jersey history, 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.
Today in America’s History (We Update Every Day)
- 1778: Pluckemin, New Jersey. Continental Army artillery cantonment during the Revolutionary War, associated with Henry Knox and American artillery training and logistics.
- 1812: Following Louisiana's admittance as a U.S. state, the Louisiana Territory is renamed the Missouri Territory.
- 1825: General Lafayette, a French officer in the American Revolutionary War, speaks at what would become Lafayette Square in Buffalo, New York, during his visit to the United States.
- 1855: Major Henry C. Wayne departs New York aboard the USS Supply to procure camels to establish the U.S. Camel Corps.
- 1876: An express train called the Transcontinental Express arrives in San Francisco via the first transcontinental railroad, 83 hours and 39 minutes after leaving New York City.
- 1912: Massachusetts becomes the first state of the United States to set a minimum wage.
- 1917: The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pulitzer for history for his work With Americans of Past and Present Days. Herbert B. Swope receives the first Pulitzer for journalism for his work for the New York World.
- 1919: Women's rights: The U.S. Congress approves the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification.
- 1939: The Holocaust: The MS St. Louis, a ship carrying 973 German Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida, in the United States, after already being turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, more than 200 of its passengers later die in Nazi concentration camps.
- 1944: World War II: A hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captures the German Kriegsmarine submarine U-505, the first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the 19th century.
Two Great Calendars – One for Events, One for Exhibits
ABOVE: America Celebrating 250 Years in New Jersey Calendar
BELOW: New Jersey Exhibits across New Jersey Calendar
Readers’ Top 10 MLH Posts this Week
Latest Posts
New Series: Documenting the Ridge High School Sailing Program
Views: 50 This post is part of a series in which the Mr. Local History Project will document what we believe are the early stages of a new varsity sport across the state. We plan to meet with the New…
America 250 – Who Remembers 200? This Jersey Guy Does…
Views: 109 If you didn’t feel old, you might start feeling old if you read on. Where did time go? It wasn’t that long ago, was it? Boy, do I feel old. And it’s not that I really feel that…
Statue of Liberty History, Then Some Facts – Jersey Style of Course
Views: 309 The Statue of Liberty’s official name is “Liberty Enlightening the World”. In French:”La Liberté éclairant le monde” Her raised torch represents enlightenment, while the tablet in her left arm bears the date JULY IV MDCCLXXVI — July 4,…
High School Sailing Teams in New Jersey …Who Knew
Views: 304 Long before football stadium lights, marching bands, and Friday night rivalries, a quieter competition was taking shape along New Jersey’s bays, rivers, and coastlines. Students were racing sailboats. Today, high school sailing is an established part of the…
Overlooked Heroines of the Revolutionary War – Sarah Livingston Alexander
Views: 41 Part of the Mr. Local History Rev War and Lord Stirling Series As we were researching another story, we came across this really interesting piece published in 1914 about one of the Revolutionary War’s greatest generals, William Alexander,…
Why Morristown Deserves an Arch to Honor America
Views: 281 Perhaps you’ve heard that the US President wants an arch for Washington, DC to honor America’s 250th anniversary. The Mr. Local History Project has another proposal: how about a nationally recognized monument for Morristown, New Jersey, America’s first…
Burger Series – LOVE Jersey Burger History and National Burger Day
Views: 940 National Burger Day is Thursday, May 28, 2026For Us – It’s EVERYDAY! If you live in New Jersey, there is no doubt you are in one of the best burger environments in America. Join Mr. Local History as…
Bernardsville – Before Olcott Square, There was a Fountain but…..
Views: 281 In 1907, the Bernardsville Improvement Society launched an ambitious campaign to transform the village center into a more dignified public space, later known as Olcott Square, named in honor of philanthropist Frederick P. Olcott. Replacing a cluttered square…
Mr. Local History 2026 Summer Magazine Vol 8. Issue 2
Views: 393 Step into the unofficial kickoff to Summer 2026 with Mr. Local History for a fun, fast-moving journey through New Jersey’s past and America 250. Inside this issue: meet New Jersey’s 5 signers of the Declaration of Independence, revisit…
The American Flagman Honors Patriotism Every Day
Views: 10,862 UPDATE: We published this story a while back, and we said people needed to see it again. It is a classic American tale that goes unnoticed, but we continue to root out these great American tales. Stop by…
Memorial Day Tribute
Views: 5,613 Honoring those we’ve lost and those veterans who have served. Soldiers showcased in the video who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country: More Mr. Local History Our Readers’ Top 10 MLH Posts this Week
MLH Loves To See The Public Engaged….. The Latest Comments
I was a resident of Peapack , living on the road known as Matheny road during the years that Jacqueline…
Jimmy was an integral part of the services throughout the town and was always actively involved. He was always very…
A wonderful man, a hero and true friend of Basking Ridge. My father-in-law grew up with Mr. D and remained…
Jimmy & I have been the greatest of friends since kindergarten in Basking Ridge, going through Maple Ave School, Oak…
I was was blessed to be good friends with Jim. A fascinating person so dedicated to his country, his wife…
Knew Jim from the first day I opened my office. He was a greeter and now he will be greeted.…
Such Sad news….What a legend.He knew everyone and everything about the area, especially BR……..Jimmy Dee, rest easy you will be…
South Finley Barbershop will surely miss his visits. Jimmy was wonderful and I will miss so much him saying hey…
Just to clarify, the Betsy Chance Burden referenced in this post would have been Elizabeth Chace Gammack Burden (1911-2013), first…
Our Summer 2026 Magazine is HERE!
Full of great local Jersey History to keep you on the edge of your history seat.
Special Edition – America’s 250th The SEMI-QUIN-CENTENNIAL is HERE!
See our special digital magazine. Full of great local Jersey History.
Please advise if Sky Farm is having an open house because the date within this document says June 11th Saturday…