Jersey is all we do. We make each of these collectibles to promote New Jersey history, as our motto states: “History with a Social Twist.” Whether it’s our Wear Local History collection, flags, wooden keepsakes, or other items, the goal is to get history in your hands so you can share it. BE PROUD JERSEY!
All proceeds support the preservation and promotion of local history through our educational initiatives, research, and community gatherings. As we’re a registered IRS 501c3 non-profit charity, we also love tax-deductible donations, so our gift shop helps us not ask as much 🙂
All our items are only available here! Our store is open 24/7 and ships right to your door. Browse our real-time inventory, click on your cart, and check out using our safe and secure process. We accept all forms of payment and typically ship within one to two business days.
In 2024, we launched our new “Wear Local History Collection.” These are recreations of ads, logos, and places that we’ve lost in New Jersey over the years. Collections include lost icons in areas such as Route 22, Westfield, Cranford, Bernardsville/Basking Ridge, Paterson, and Lost Restaurants, with more added every week. Stickers, magnets, shirts, backpacks, and art are all available for immediate delivery! Check it out. Remember, all proceeds support our educational programs.
Exclusive Reseller: The New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Collection
How do I Get One of These Historic Limited Edition Keepsakes?
The easiest way to get one is to order online via Etsy or Red Bubble. Our online store accepts multiple forms of payment, including credit/debit cards and PayPal. Orders are now being taken online. The collection is the ultimate local personal gift. It’s great for those moving into the area or for those who’ve left the area. It also makes great gifts for those who just like to cherish the fond memories of the area.
Iconic New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Keepsakes
Mr. Local History’s New Jersey Cat’s Meow Keepsake collection has grown over the years and is now the most extensive collection available in New Jersey. Each site or event is a unique piece of art on the front with the history on the back. Once they’re gone, they’re gone! They also make a great gift to a collector. Always look for the “black cat” to ensure you have an official Cat’s Meow village piece—a true original.
Current Trending Nominations
With ongoing discussions and surveys with collectors and Jersey history fans, here’s what the community is endorsing to be added to the New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Collection:
- High Point State Park Monument – High Point, New Jersey
- Bernards Inn – Bernardsville, New Jersey
- Asbury Park Convention Center, Asbury Park, New Jersey
- Somerset Courthouse – Somerville, New Jersey
- Rutt’s Hut Hot Dogs – “Home of the Ripper” – Clifton, New Jersey
- The Red Mill – Clinton, New Jersey
Factors for selection into the NJ collection include the age of the event or property, its connection to the existing collection, local interest, and voting (where applicable). If you’d like to nominate an event or property, feel free to post a comment in the comments section, and the committee will consider your recommendation.
Historic Organizations – Want to be considered to be in the New Jersey Historic Keepsake Village Collection?
Do you know of a worthy historical addition to the New Jersey Historic Village Collection? Please email us as we love working with organizations to create a keepsake to be nominated to the New Jersey Historic Village Collection. We offer a great program where you can create your keepsake with our inventory for as little as $400.
People LOVE the Black Cat in Every Collectible
Many people collect other village pieces and build a collection of villages. The creations are part of the historic Cat’s Meow Village Collection, which has produced iconic wood ornaments for over 40 years.
Local organizations and businesses will produce limited batches of selected New Jersey Historic Wooden Keepsake Village collectibles. All collectibles will be available online via the Mr. Local History Gift Shop.
New Jersey Historic Village Collection Partner –
The Cat’s Meow Village Company of Wooster, Ohio
The Cat’s Meow Village is a small American company founded in Wooster, Ohio, in 1982. It started with one simple wooden house, Faline cut out on her grandfather’s saw in the loft of the hog barn. Thirty-five years later, Jones and her crew continue to craft “little wooden buildings” of local, national, and international landmarks that spark memories and kindle smiles on the faces of “real-life adventurers” like you.
More Gift Ideas and Details
More MLH Keepsake Collection News
History: ‘Down the Shore Everything’s Alright’ Collectibles
Views: 5,056 Yep, we said it….. sha la la la la la down the shore everything’s alright. Put some of the Jersey shore’s most iconic keepsakes out for display. Bruce Springsteen / Mr. Local History Project In Our Beautiful Jerse…
Honoring Four Historic New Jersey Eateries #2
Views: 559 Four limited edition wooden keepsakes to honor New Jersey’s historic icons honoring the state’s most famous eateries that have served Jersey for almost 100 years. Congratulations to our iconic New Jersey Diner keepsake, West Orange’s Jimmy Buff’s Italian…
Treasuring Basking Ridge New Jersey Historic Icons – The Cat’s Meow
Views: 1,278 Nine pieces of custom art on wood honor Bernards Township’s history. Start your collection of these beautiful, limited edition keepsakes. The Governor of New Jersey’s Historic Village has been working with Bernards Township historians to help preserve and…
Discounted Starter Bundles – New Jersey Cat’s Meow Keepsakes
Views: 1,012 Over the last five years, we’ve been slowly growing the New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Collection. It began with our first collectible, the Brick Academy in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, which is honoring its 75th anniversary. Since then,…
Lewis – Boudinot – Southard- Ross Farm in Basking Ridge
Views: 8,603 UPDATE:Mr. Local History is proud to announce, in partnership with The Ross Farm, the release of the 6th collectible in the series, the Somerset County 1777 Boudinot Southard Ross House. The collectible is part of the New Jersey…
Gilded Age New Jersey Mansions Honored for Their Historic Design – The Cat’s Meow
Views: 897 Honoring Two Stories – Two Men – Two Estates A key mission statement of the Mr. Local History project is to find new ways to “Share History with a Social Twist,” which means we try to incorporate the…
The Riverside Inn – History of Cranford’s (and New Jersey’s) #1 Dive Bar
Views: 4,621 Our researchers continue to dig and have finally found ALL of the deed records of the Riverside Inn property. It took us back to the late 1800s. If you have additional information about any of the owners, we’d…
Preserving Bernardsville’s History Collection
Views: 1,797 Supporting Bernardsville’s history via our MLH keepsake collection is growing as we honor Bernardsville’s local history. Here’s your chance, Bernardsville, to show your support for local history. Three Bernardsville icons have been selected, and if interest is strong,…
Does Another Jersey Hot Dog Icon Deserve a Historic Collectible? VOTE
Views: 1,107 Does the hot dog (not the Italian one) get a place in New Jersey’s Historic Foodie Wooden Collectible series?What about Rutt’s Hut, or any other of a handful of iconic hot dog eateries? The Mr. Local History Project…
The New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Keepsake Collection Keeps Expanding
Views: 25,219 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!!! NEW FOR 2025 The New Jersey Historic Wooden Keepsake…
Vote For Bernardsville’s Most Historic Venues
Views: 962 Take the Survey – What are the Most Historic Icons in Bernardsville? Olcott School, The Old Library, Jerolaman’s, the Bernards Inn, the Old Stone Hotel, Dunster Squibb house, Bernardsville Cinema, and Kenilwood, NJ Brigade are some of the…
Honoring Four Historic New Jersey Eateries Cat’s Meow Collectibles
Views: 11,292 Four limited edition wooden keepsakes to honor New Jersey’s historic icons honoring the state’s most famous eateries that have served Jersey for almost 100 years. Congratulations to our iconic New Jersey Diner keepsake, West Orange’s Jimmy Buff’s Italian…
Preserving Bernardsville’s History with Art on Wood Keepsakes – The Cat’s Meow
Views: 12,988 We start with a little video tied to three limited edition wooden keepsakes to honor historic icons in Bernardsville, New Jersey. Click the video below to watch. Supporting Bernardsville’s history through our MLH keepsake project is growing as…
100th Far Hills Race Collectible – Feel Lucky – Enter Chance to Win
Views: 2,708 UPDATED for 2024 – We’re having a raffle again to honor the 103rd edition of the Far Hills Race Meeting. Enter your chance to win the 100th Anniversary Far Hills Race Keepsake. One of our most popular keepsakes…
Keepsakes: Preserving Westfield NJ History – The Cat’s Meow
Views: 7,198 Congratulations to the Westfield Fire Department as Westfield celebrates its 150th year. The Mr. Local History Project (MLH) has been preserving and promoting local history since our non-profit organization was established in 2019. The all-volunteer group started a…
Widow White’s Tavern 7th Wooden Historic Village Keepsake
Views: 6,060 Be part of the Widow White’s Tavern limited edition run. Mr Local History is proud to announce the release of the 7th in the collectible series, the infamous 1776 Widow White’s Tavern in the village of Basking Ridge.…
Union Flagship on Route 22 Beautiful Keepsake Honors History
Views: 1,965 Congratulations to Union, Route 22, and the famous historic roadside attraction, the “World Famous Flagship – the ship that never sailed.” Your votes mattered, and the Route 22 Flagship is now officially part of the New Jersey Historical…
Keepsake: Bernardsville’s Olcott School Part of NJ Keepsake Collection
Views: 2,175 Olcott School Keepsake Official Launch Party: Wednesday, December 11, 2024 The Mayor of New Jersey’s Historic Village recently decreed that a new icon be added to the New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Collection in a bold move to…
The Washington House- A Basking Ridge Icon
Views: 6,399 New Jersey Historical Wooden Keepsake Collection Welcomes the 1871 Washington House The iconic Washington House in Basking Ridge Village has a rich history dating back to 1871. At almost 150 years of age, the grand hotel still serves…
Preserving Cranford’s History – Five Limited Iconic Collectibles
Views: 8,797 Congratulations, Cranford, on the five collectibles now part of the New Jersey Historical Wooden Village collection, a group of over 40 Jersey collectibles. Each keepsake brings awareness to historic Cranford icons. The Mr. Local History Project group is…
KMS Farmstead in Basking Ridge Honored with Painted Wooden Keepsake
Views: 867 Release Party: March 1, 2025 Celebrating the rich history of the Kennedy Martin Stelle Farmstead, this iconic Basking Ridge farm is honored with this beautiful wooden hand-painted collectible as part of the New Jersey Historic Village Cat’s Meow…
Does Your Preservation Work Deserve to Be Part of the New Jersey Historical Wooden Village?
Views: 860 Want to be part of the New Jersey Historic Keepsake Village Collection? It all starts with a nomination! The MLH Project is proud to be the exclusive organizer of the New Jersey Historic Wooden Keepsake Collection, partnering with…
Honoring New Jersey’s Cranford High School History
Views: 4,313 Cranford High School – Cranford, New Jersey – Three Locations – Three Icons 1st CHS – Cranford High School at Grant School Established in 1902, Cranford’s first High School in Cranford, New Jersey, began as a four-year institution…
Does Warren’s EggOmat Deserve a Keepsake in the NJ Historic Wooden Village Collection? Vote
Views: 1,369 The time – 1950s – the invention – The EggOmat, an egg vending machine enclosed in a wooden shed, born on Mountain Boulevard, across from the field that’s now home to municipal ballfields in Somerset County’s Warren Township,…
The Exclusive New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Keepsake Collection
Views: 14,517 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…
Collectible: Preserving Jersey Music History – Asbury Park’s Stone Pony
Views: 4,840 UPDATE:It’s HERE! The Cat’s Meow Village and Mr. Local History honors Asbury Park’s Stone Pony, joining the New Jersey Historic Village collection, now over forty keepsakes. Join the Party! Our Assumptions Were Correct…. Our assumptions were correct, and…
Keepsakes: Preserving Westfield New Jersey history is a Treasure
Views: 1,718 Congratulations to the Westfield Fire Department as Westfield celebrates the 150th year. 150th Anniversary of the Westfield Fire Department with a parade and community festival on Saturday, June 21, 2025: New Westfield Cat’s Meow Collectibles The Governor of New Jersey’s…
Keepsake: Wildwood Arrives to NJ Historic Wooden Village Collection
Views: 2,466 Ahhhhhhhh……those Wildwood Days are ready to enjoy in your home!A monumental new keepsake collectible from the Mr. Local History Project. The Governor of New Jersey’s Historic Village recently decreed that a new icon be added to the New…
Keepsake: Basking Ridge Christmas Eve Caroling on the Green
Views: 9,967 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…
Who Brings Their Jersey Village Collectibles out Just for the Holidays?
Views: 947 We have been told a terrible rumor. Is it true? Do some people bring out their Jersey Cat’s Meow collectibles only for the holidays? Read on…. Yes, we have been told many people bring out their Cat’s Meow…
Bernards Township/Bernardsville Historic Wooden Village Keepsake Collectibles
Views: 3,260 Congratulations, Basking Ridge and Bernardsville, on being the foundation for the New Jersey Historical Wooden Village collection, a group of over 40 Jersey collectibles. Each keepsake brings awareness to historic area icons created by the world-famous Cat’s Meow…
Preserving Cranford New Jersey’s History With Art on Wood-The Cat’s Meow
Views: 2,984 The Mr. Local History Project (MLH) has been preserving and promoting local history since its establishment as a non-profit organization in 2019. The all-volunteer group started a wooden miniature keepsake program to share history and artwork in partnership…
Hackensack’s Historic White Manna Honored With Miniature Wooden Collectible
Views: 3,075 The Mr. Local History Project is proud to announce that the board has accepted The White Manna Hamburger diner stand in Hackensack, New Jersey to be included in the New Jersey Historic Wooden Keepsake collection made by the…
Keepsake: Westfield’s Mindowaskin Pond in Winter is a Treasure
Views: 2,973 The Mayor of New Jersey’s Historic Village recently decreed that a new icon be added to the New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Collection in a bold move to expand the only set of New Jersey collectible icons. Introducing…
Newark’s 1932 Krug’s Tavern Wooden Collectible Honors Jersey’s BEST
Views: 4,133 Krug’s Tavern, a shot and beer joint that’s survived through WW2, the Riots, and gentrification, the four generations continue the family legacy with this legendary New Jersey tavern. Now Krug’s has reached its 90th anniversary and the non-profit…
Historic Jimmy Buff’s and the Italian Hot Dog Honored With Miniature Wooden Collectible
Views: 7,566 The ancestors of the creator of the Italian Hot Dog continue to serve up Italian hot dogs every day. Over the years, Mike Loikith says that about twenty locations came and went as his great-grandfather and grandfather passed…
Lucy the Elephant Added to NJ Village Collection
Views: 1,721 The Mayor of New Jersey’s Historic Village has decreed another Jersey icon be added to the New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Collection recently in a bold move to expand the only set of New Jersey collectible icons. Produced…
Ford Mansion Added to NJ Village Collection
Views: 1,029 The Mayor of New Jersey’s Historic Village has decreed two icons be added to the New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Collection recently in a bold move to expand the only set of New Jersey collectible icons. Produced in…
New Jersey’s MOST ICONIC Diner Keepsake
Views: 4,998 Nothing goes better than a fun Jersey day trip to an iconic town that starts on the Jersey shore and gives you many fun choices filled with food and history. Mr. Local History introduces you to Keyport, New…
Collectible: Preserving Bedminster’s History with a Special Keepsake – Trump’s Summer Whitehouse
Views: 15,778 #45-47summerwhitehouse Preserving Bedminster’s History – The Mr. Local History Project (MLH) has been preserving and promoting local history since our non-profit organization was established in 2019. The all-volunteer group started a wooden miniature keepsake program to share history…
Basking Ridge Historic White Oak Tree Honored in New Jersey Keepsake in Series
Views: 4,866 Mr Local History is proud to announce the release of the third in the collectible series, the 619-year-old Basking Ridge Historic White Oak Cat’s Meow collectible, which is now available online. The New Jersey Historic Village keepsake collection…
Historic New Jersey Cinemas Honored in Miniature Wooden Collection
Views: 5,480 Remembering classic movie theaters that not only showed first rate films, but anchored our towns and kept us full of memories. Three of the last remaining old-time, downtown movie theaters in New Jersey, each with over a century…
Keepsake Honors the Cranford Canoe Club – New Jersey’s Oldest Canoe Livery Operation
Views: 4,164 Get your own Miniature Wooden Keepsake to Honor the Cranford Canoe Club in Cranford, New Jersey Cranford Canoe Club History The Cranford Canoe Club is an iconic historic landmark at on the corner of Springfield and Orange Avenue…
Westfield’s Icon Jolly Trolley Enshrined in NJ Historic Wooden Village
Views: 1,344 Mr. Local History is proud to announce, after years of thought, that they will be producing a very limited run of a keepsake honoring the lost Jolly Trolley restaurant and Westfield Fire Department. The special commission will be…
1912 Astor Estate in Basking Ridge Selected as 6th Wooden Historic Village Keepsake
Views: 5,847 Exclusively Sold by the Mr. Local History Project. Order yours online now. Mr Local History is proud to announce the release of the 6th in the collectible series, the 1912 Samuel Owen home now known as the Astor…
Basking Ridge Church and 619 Year Oak Tree Honored in New Jersey Historic Village Collection
Views: 4,624 The Mr. Local History Project is so proud to share the release of the second in the historic New Jersey Historical Wooden Cat’s Meow collectible series, the 1718 Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church and the 619-year-old Basking Ridge Historic…
Historic Cat’s Meow Collection Created for Somerset Hills Historic Brick Academy
Views: 5,812 The Mr. Local History Project, in conjunction with T3 Consortium and the Cat’s Meow Village introduce the Inaugural Keepsake of the Historic Somerset Hills Village Collection, the 1809 Brick Academy in the Basking Ridge Village of Bernards Township,…