There is a wealth of history to be learned from a map. We have historical and interactive maps embedded in many of our stories, and we try to list the research here. If you’re looking for something specific, try our search feature in the upper right-hand corner of the site.
History of Housing Developments in Bernards Township
Views: 14,143 Bernards Township has a long history of being a sleepy rural town. Then, the US built the Lyons VA, and everything changed as the population grew. Then AT&T came to town in the 1970s, and everything AGAIN started…
1766 Somerset County, New Jersey Map Tells So Many Stories
Views: 323 The 1766 Morgan–Hills Map of Somerset County Unlike most eighteenth-century maps that depict only towns and transportation routes, the Morgan–Hills map provides a remarkable snapshot of the county’s agricultural landscape by assigning numbered tracts to individual owners in…
The Museum in the Streets – Bernardsville Shares its History
Views: 1,829 BERNARDSVILLE, NJ — Did you know that Bernardsville now has its own “Museum in the Streets”? On June 1, 2025, the town unveiled 9 historical markers across downtown, turning a simple walk along Main Street into a self-guided…
New Jersey Taverns of the Revolutionary War
Views: 3,942 A fun community-driven Mr. Local History post where we need history sleuths who’ve read all those old documents and maps to help build the largest list of New Jersey Revolutionary War-era taverns. The road was long and worn…
The West Line Railroad: Fate That Created a Community Instead of an Industry
Views: 3,356 The iron rail that brought the steel horse to the Somerset Hills.This story is as much about the railroads that were built as it is about the railroads that weren’t. As our researchers identify new pertinent information, this…
Garden State’s Top Historic Gardens and Estates
Views: 9,469 April 14 is National Garden Day, so make sure you get out there and enjoy our Garden State’s beauty (and history) While the Mr. Local History Project typically focuses on historical research, stories, and events, we figured one…
New Jersey and America’s 250th Exhibits
Views: 1,753 “It’s the most extensive 250th Exhibit List we’ve seen for New Jersey.“ This free statewide exhibit list is open to all New Jersey organizers to share information about America’s 250th-anniversary exhibits happening across the Garden State. From local…
Map Research & Archives: Sharing Local History with Maps
Views: 14,684 Researching Local History with Maps As a historian, I believe maps are one of the greatest sources of information, capturing a time and place. We use these maps to research history and find buildings, families, farms, or streets.…
Sir Francis Bernard Honored With American Town Names
Views: 7,612 Sir Francis Bernard’s Legacy Carries On as Towns Honor the Royal Governor of New Jersey and Massachusetts In 1758, Francis Bernard, originally from Lincolnshire, England, was appointed Governor of the province of Nova Caesarea (New Jersey). He packed…
Lord Stirling Deep Dive Series
Views: 6,478 Some called him William, others called him General. Some even called him Lord Stirling. Whoever you called him (WA below), aka Lord Stirling, was one of the most interesting people of the Revolutionary War. The Mr. Local History…
Day Trips – Four Historic New Jersey Fall Locations You Must See
Views: 9,494 The 2025 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…
The History of Burgers and Mapping the Best Burgers in America
Views: 31,685 Start This Journey with 2 minutes of #burgerporn. Enjoy as we did! UPDATE:March 2026 – This Arch is a problem to the crappy chain burger wars….. Who doesn’t love a good burger? Ah, yes, even the statement opens…
Bernardsville’s Lost Dayton Home, Orchards and Mount Airy Nursery
Views: 3,424 UPDATE:Another Dayton family discussion came up…. we couldn’t refuse the query. MLH Introduces Ezra Dayton and the Dayton Families The name “Mount Airy” first appears in printed atlases and maps as early as the 1870s–1880s, when the hill…
Pocono Pines and Lake Naomi Area – Map Collection Showcases History
Views: 6,057 I’ve been creating a series of memories and researching the History of Lake Naomi, Pocono Pines, and the greater Pocono Mountains area. While some call me a historian, I’m more of a researcher who shares what I find,…
Meet the Historians Series
Views: 6,253 Featured individuals include longtime resident and historian Ruth Thomson (with ties to the Peapack-Gladstone area) and her son, Barry Thomson, along with other local history advocates dedicated to preserving the region’s cultural heritage. Bedminster’s Dutzie Robie, Bernardsville’s Marion Kennedy and…
The New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Keepsake Collection Keeps Expanding
Views: 42,568 The MLH Project is proud to be the exclusive reseller of the New Jersey Historic Wooden Keepsake Collection, created by the world-famous Cat’s Meow Village. Made in the USA!!! Latest Editions to the New Jersey Historic Village Collection…
Col. Samuel Colt Got His Start in Paterson, New Jersey
Views: 13,535 Starting in 1836 in Paterson, New Jersey, Samuel Colt’s revolver is one of the 10 most influential inventions EVER produced. The Colt Paterson revolver was the first practical revolving-cylinder handgun, and it was made in Paterson, New Jersey. For years,…
Jersey’s History with Bar Room Shuffleboard
Views: 28,011 Isn’t it interesting how history becomes a part of history? Take, for example, pay phones. When you were using them, you never thought about it, and then they’re gone and not just gone……totally gone. Then you see them…
Retrospective: Building AT&T Headquarters Basking Ridge
Views: 21,884 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 expand this piece as information becomes available. If you have any stories…
Best Crumb Cake in New Jersey – Discuss Now
Views: 103,411 Maybe we’re taking this too seriously, but we’ve been searching for bakeries serving New Jersey’s best crumb cake. If you’re not a fan of the cake, you might want to leave now because we’re really going to get…
New Jersey Hills are Alive with Distilling History
Views: 14,102 Distilling Revival across New Jersey and a Renaissance New Jersey has a deep history of distilling spirits that goes back to colonial times. The Somerset Hills is an area in central New Jersey’s Somerset County, comprising six similar…
Where is West Millington, Lyons and Madisonville Sections of Bernards Township
Views: 7,407 NOTE: 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. Mr. Local History Project…
Local Cemetery History Research
Views: 1,851 There is a wealth of history to be learned from a cemetery. We have a rich genealogy embedded in many of our stories, and we strive to describe other facts, analytics, and stories about those who make their…
Franklin Corners and William Childs Williamsburg-esque Vision
Views: 10,858 Tucked in the northernmost section of Bernards Township, New Jersey, along the Passaic River lies a small historic district. If you drive through it, you’ll notice the area’s rich history, marked by its grist mill and restored barns.…
Grand Mansions and Historic Estates Mapped in New Jersey’s Somerset Hills
Views: 45,063 Many people have asked why you post all this history stuff on the area you’re calling the Somerset Hills. Well, call it passion. Call it intrigue. Call it local awareness. I think the main reason is that the…
Remembering 5 Historical Sites in Bridgewater, New Jersey
Views: 9,646 Bridgewater is the second largest town by population in Somerset County, with 45,977 residents according to the 2020 Census. Its population boomed in the 1970s-1990s, but has been an important part of the County and State since the…
Bernards Township Charter Day Streetfair Memories
Views: 4,509 Bernards Twp. 2025 Charter Day is A MEMORYBut You’re Early for 2026 🙂 Weather Forecast Stop by the Mr. Local History Booth #89 on Henry Street Just outside the Washington House Side Entrance Watch the South Finley Livestream…
Gotta Love the Irish in Jersey – The History and All the Parades
Views: 3,708 Quick History – Irish Immigration to New Jersey By the mid-19th century, Irish immigration from Ireland to the United States surged, mainly due to the Great Irish Famine (1845-1852), which drove hundreds of thousands of Irish people to…
Mr. Local History Knows The Top 18 Daytona 500 Destinations to Hit During Speedweeks
Want to go to the #Daytona500 Speedweeks and feel like you know where to go? Here’s 20 years of experience all in one place where we’ve highlighted the top 15 Daytona spots to hit during Speedweeks. We’ve loaded THE BEST.
There’s a lot of History in These 100+ Jersey Dive Bars
Views: 10,967 The term “dive bar” originated in the United States in the 1880s and was initially used as a derogatory term. It referred to drinking establishments often located in basements or below street level, where patrons would “dive” down into the…
The Exclusive New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Keepsake Collection
Views: 17,067 The MLH Project is proud to be the exclusive reseller of the New Jersey Historic Wooden Keepsake Collection, created by the world-famous Cat’s Meow Village. Made in the USA!!! The New Jersey Historic Wooden Keepsake Village Collection The…
Finding New Jersey’s Giant Pizzas
Views: 6,700 People keep asking us why a non-profit is dedicated to researching New Jersey history and building food maps. The short answer is that history has what we call threads. We start researching one thing, which leads to another.…
VOTE for Jersey’s #1 Pizza Place
Views: 1,439 Many critics say New Jersey might have the best pizza places in America. Being from New Jersey, we can’t disagree. Why there would be any Dominos, Pizza Huts or Pappa Johns is beyond comprehension. Now it’s your turn…