Is it Bernard or Bernards? Hummm

July 29, 2021July 30, 2021 Mr. Local History

Post Views: 129 The Mr. Local History project often digs into multiple archives looking for evidence of the areas collective past. But this one got us scratching our heads. There is no doubt that Bernards Township is named after Sir Francis Bernard. But is the town name really Bernard or Bernards? Could someone have added an “S” to Sir Francis’ surname? Where did the S come from? First Notice Our first instance takes us back to 1873 to the go-to F.W. Beers 1873 map collection of Somerset County, New Jersey.…

The Largest Antique Truck Collection in the World is in Basking Ridge

July 23, 2021July 31, 2021 Mr. Local History

Mahan Truck Collection - Basking Ridge - Mr Local History Project

Post Views: 580 You wouldn’t think, but in a quiet suburb of New York City, a man has amassed what is often referred to as the largest collection of Mack and antique trucks in the world. We introduce you to the Mahan Foundation of Basking Ridge. As with all Mr. Local History retrospectives, we often update the post when we learn stories and are sent photos from our internet community. We will continue to grow this piece as information becomes available. If you have a comment or photo, feel free to…

History of The Bernards Township Flag

July 5, 2021July 14, 2021 Local History

Banner Mr Local History Bernards Township Flag

Post Views: 323 Bernards Township has an impressive history that dates back to the early 1600s. One of the things that the Mr. Local History Project started digging into are the origins of the Bernards Township official flag. Let’s see what we’ve found. As with all Mr. Local History retrospectives, we often update the post when we learn stories and are sent photos from our internet community. We will continue to grow this piece as information becomes available. If you have a comment or photo, feel free to post at the…

Why List a Historic District on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places?

June 13, 2021June 17, 2021 Local History

Bernards Township Historic Districts - Liberty Corner and Franklin Corners

Post Views: 226 The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of New Jersey’s historic resources of local, state, and national interest. Created by the New Jersey Register of Historic Places Act of 1970 (N.J.S.A. 13:1B-15.128 et seq.) The New Jersey Register is closely modeled after the National Register program. Both Registers have the same criteria for eligibility, nomination forms, and review process. Nearly every municipality in New Jersey has properties significant in architecture, history, archaeology, engineering and/or culture that are eligible for the New Jersey and…

Retrospective: Franklin Corners Historic District and William Childs Willmere Farm Williamsburg-esqe Village

May 22, 2021June 6, 2021 Local History

Franklin Corners District Art Brooks Betz

Post Views: 575 As with all Mr. Local History retrospectives, we often update the post when we learn stories and are sent photos from our internet community. We will continue to grow this piece as information becomes available. If you have a comment or photo, feel free to post at the bottom of this page or drop us a note. Mr. Local History Project Tucked in at the northernmost section of Bernards Township, New Jersey along the Passiac River lies a small historic district that if you drive through it you’ll…

Bernards Township & Bernardsville Honor Fallen Soldiers and Veterans

May 20, 2021May 30, 2021 Mr. Local History

Bernards Township Honors our local veterans - Mr Local History

Post Views: 1,843 On Memorial Day and Veterans Day Bernards Township honors our military with a banner salute around the Bernards Township Municipal building and town hall. Special thanks to the Bernards Township Veteran’s Appreciation Task Force under the direction of Mayor James Baldassare who have been working on the project since early January 2020. Please take a moment to remember those who have served to preserve our freedoms and our way of life. Historic Photos – Somerset Hills I want to thank our Veterans Appreciation Task Force headed by…

The Lost Charters of Bernards Township & Bedminster

May 15, 2021June 26, 2021 Mr. Local History

Post Views: 4,715 UPDATE: While we wrote this piece years ago, the Bedminster Charter came back in the news on October 21, 2019 when it was announced that the Forbes family was donating the charter back to Bedminster Township. The story continues! This is a tale of three Charters in New Jersey that make for a great “what happened” story. Let’s first talk about what a Charter is. A Charter is a document, typically signed by the King of England granting rights to a particular area of land to a prospective…

Bernards BaseBall Club of 1867

May 15, 2021May 19, 2021 Mr. Local History

Post Views: 1,304 The history of Basking Ridge (Bernards Township) sometimes comes in unique ways. While researching the internet for another story we came across this auction selling an original score book from the Bernards Baseball Club. Today, there are a large number of men who love to play club ball. While mostly softball, there is a core group of club based ball players across New Jersey. Formed in 1867, while the Bernards Baseball Club is an interesting story, it’s all the letters, signatures and additional tidbits that came with…

Retrospective: Harry Dunham and His Park

April 29, 2021May 19, 2021 Local History

Harry Dunham Park Mr Local History Project

Post Views: 627 As with all Mr. Local History retrospectives, we often update the post when we learn stories and are sent photos from our community. We will continue to grow this piece as information becomes available. If you have a comment or photo, feel free to post at the bottom of this page or drop us a note. Mr. Local History Project As many Bernards Township residents know about the Harry Dunham Park, very few people know about Harry Dunham the man. Mr. Dunham was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and…

Basking Ridge Oak Tree Community Photo Album

April 22, 2021May 6, 2021 Mr. Local History

The Basking Ridge Oak Tree Photo Album - Mr Local History Project

Post Views: 586 On April 24-26, 2017 the New Jersey town of Basking Ridge lost its oldest resident, the Basking Ridge historic white oak tree. What was estimated to be over 600 years old, no one ever imagined that the tree would die during their lifetime and it came as quite a shock to the entire community. So we reached out to the community on our Facebook Page asking for any photos to add to our Basking Ridge Oak Tree photo album. If you’d like your photo added, join the…

The New Jersey Historic Miniature Village Keepsake Collection

April 13, 2021July 3, 2021 Mr. Local History

Local History Wooden Collectibles - Cats Meow Village - Mr Local History Project

Post Views: 3,082 The MLH Project is proud to announce that the Somerset Hills Historic Village has joined forces with the New Jersey Historic Village Collection. The New Jersey Historic Village keepsake collection is a wood painted collectible series honoring historic iconic buildings, properties, and fixtures that are part of the historic fabric of New Jersey’s history. Each keepsake was selected based on community feedback and a voting process. Brooks Betz stated, “we’re really excited to see how the public reacts to the next additions to this historic series.” The…

Walking Tour of Historic Basking Ridge Village

April 3, 2021May 22, 2021 Local History

Basking Ridge Walking Tour 2021 Mr Local History Project

Post Views: 844 Join the Mr. Local History Project as we present our annual walking tour of the historic village of Basking Ridge; our annual fundraiser for our local high school scholarship. Tour Date: May 15, 2021. The tour tells the history of the architecture at specific locations as you walk the streets of the historic Basking Ridge village. Listen as your costumed tour guide and local resident adds color to the tour about living in the town. You’ll learn things that you won’t learn anywhere else. The tour is…

Scholarship Donation – Our Gift

April 3, 2021July 7, 2021 Local History

Beers 1873 Map Mr Local History Free Map Offer

Post Views: 621 Make a Tax Deductible Donation – Get a Frameable Map Finding New Ways to Share Local History.We call it “Maps for a Cause” supporting Our Ridge and Bernards High Scholarship Funds The Mr. Local History Project continues its mission to get history in the hands, and on the walls, of our local residents. So we have an offer for everyone. You send us a tax deductible donation, and we’ll send you a custom created historic rendering of an iconic 1873 map. While we had hoped to do…

Comparing The Basking Ridge Oak to the Worlds Oldest Trees

March 12, 2021April 22, 2021 Mr. Local History

So what happened while the Basking Ridge Oak Tree was growing up - Mr Local History

Post Views: 7,090 On April 24-26, 2017 the New Jersey town of Basking Ridge lost its oldest resident, the Basking Ridge historic white oak tree. What was estimated to be over 600 years old, no one ever imagined that the tree would die during their lifetime and it came as quite a shock to the entire community. Are there other stories stories out there? We started to think; how does the loss of the Basking Ridge Oak tree rank against the worlds oldest trees. Here’s what we found. The 600 Year…

Somerset Hills Historic Cat’s Meow Village Collection has Joined the New Jersey Historic Village Miniatures Collection

March 1, 2021April 14, 2021 Mr. Local History

The New Jersey History Village Collection by Cat's Meow

Post Views: 554 The New Jersey Historic Village keepsake collection is a wood painted collectible series honoring historic iconic buildings, properties, and fixtures that are part of the historic fabric of New Jersey’s history. Each keepsake was selected based on community feedback and a voting process. Brooks Betz stated, “we’re really excited to see how the public reacts to the next additions to this historic series.” The Mr. Local History Project plans to introduce at least seven new keepsakes in 2021. Simply sign up to receive updates when the new…