Welcome to the Mr. Local History Project
“A 501c3 Non-Profit Dedicated to Preserving and Promoting Jersey History with a Social Twist”
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)
- 1741: Reverend Jonathan Edwards preaches to his congregation in Enfield, Connecticut his most famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"; an influence for the First Great Awakening.
- 1758: French forces hold Fort Carillon against the British at Ticonderoga, New York.
- 1775: The Olive Branch Petition is signed by the Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies of North America.
- 1776: Church bells (possibly including the Liberty Bell) are rung after John Nixon delivers the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
- 1876: The Hamburg massacre prior to the 1876 United States presidential election results in the deaths of six African-Americans of the Republican Party, along with one white assailant.
- 1948: The United States Air Force accepts its first female recruits into a program called the Women's Air Force (WAF).
- 2011: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program.
What Can You Do Today to Celebrate America’s 250th?
Our Readers’ Top 10 MLH Posts this Week
Latest Posts
Hackensack’s Historic White Manna Burger Diner is MOVING – And Going BIG
Views: 181 Big News in the Jersey Burger World! Hackensack’s historic White Manna is going for it and made the decision to relocate one of New Jersey’s most iconic burger joints, lifting it up and moving it up the road,…
America250 History Debunked: Separating Myth from Fact
Views: 446 In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, we’ve been on the road, attending many great speeches and presentations on our country’s history. But one speaker gave an interesting twist, asking the audience about some commonly stated facts that have…
YES… a Revolutionary Pub Crawl for America 250 is Coming to Bernardsville, New Jersey
Views: 114 YES… a Revolutionary Pub Crawl for America 250 is coming to Bernardsville, New Jersey, Saturday, October 10, 2026. Is there a better way to honor America’s 250th anniversary than to join General Washington, Ben Franklin & other time…
What America at 250 Means to Me Essay Series Open to All
Views: 467 As Americans experience our 250th anniversary, historians are asking how this moment should be understood and remembered. The Mr. Local History Project is preparing an in-depth story that brings together perspectives from respected voices across our region. This…
Show us Your Red, White, and Blue Contest – Celebrating America 250
Views: 498 America’s 250th birthday is a once-in-a-generation celebration, and there’s no better time to proudly display what America means to you. Whether it’s a porch draped in flags, a family dressed in red, white, and blue, a neighborhood gathering,…
Middlebrook’s 1778-1779 Encampment – 10,000 Troops and Bridgewater’s Legacy
Views: 946 Military protocol in the eighteenth century generally called for armies to suspend major campaigning during the winter months. Harsh weather, poor roads, limited food supplies, and the difficulty of moving men, horses, artillery, and wagons made large-scale operations…
Igniting New Jersey’s Revolutionary Signal Beacons for America 250 Effort
Views: 839 Long before telegraphs, radios, or cell phones, New Jersey’s mountaintops carried messages by fire. During the Revolutionary War, General William Livingston and Brigadier General William Alexander—better known as Lord Stirling—relied on a chain of signal beacons stretching across…
Meet HistOracle AI: New Jersey Team Brings History’s Voices Back to Life
Views: 505 For centuries, historians have relied on books, letters, artifacts, and exhibits to tell the stories of the past. But what if visitors could do something more? What if they could actually sit down and have a conversation with…
Communicating Life Stories – Digital Storytelling Oral History
Views: 7,412 Communicating Life Stories and Digital Storytelling For generations, family stories and personal memories were preserved through handwritten letters, photo albums, and conversations around the kitchen table. Today, those same stories can be recorded with a smartphone, shared across…
Mr. Local History’s America’s 250th Commemorative Magazine
Views: 2,880 This Special Issue of Mr. Local History Magazine celebrates America’s SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL, the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence, by bringing New Jersey’s Revolutionary past to life. From historic battlefields and museum exhibits to community events…
America’s Grandest Estate in Basking Ridge Archaeological Dig Continues
Views: 637 As New Jersey commemorates the 250th anniversary of the American experience, the archaeological work at Lord Stirling Manor represents one of Somerset County’s most significant contributions to the America 250 effort. By uncovering the physical remains of William…
MLH Loves To See The Public Engaged….. The Latest Comments
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Following up to previously sent e-mail to ensure I did it properly. Please respond at your earliest convenience if you…
Can I visit Sky Farm? I was a member 22+ years age with my wife who passed away 18 years…
Funny about this – we just saw Teddy Roosevelt talking with President Trump at the opening of his new library…
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…
As history buffs (particularly Revolutionary War), we were excited to visit Eagles’s Nest at Washington Valley Park today. From the…
My Grandfather, Boyd Happe, was a proud member. Raised pheasants on Prospect behind 148 Maple. Those houses had trouble with…
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.
We used to walk to joralemons after school. We would get our root beer popsicles. My dad used to send…