October 11, 2025
While on a dual-purpose visit to Bedminster, MLHP stopped by to see the 2025 Bedminster Fall Fest and the 2025 Somerset County History Weekend, a county-wide celebration of history that includes the Jacobus Vanderveer House. While there’s good news, there’s also some sad news. On the positive side, there is a new leadership in place to oversee the JV / Knox House. Over 20 volunteers have stepped up to lead the way under the new direction of Bedminster Township. On the negative side, some of the artifacts are no longer in the house. We were there specifically to photograph the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment model, only to find out that the former President had taken the model from the house after stepping down from her position. We hope the new organization fights to get the model back as the house is the last structure that ties to the story of the Pluckemin Cantonment, in what we call the Greatest Untold Story of the American Revolution, the Pluckemin Cantonment that was part of the larger Middlebrook Encampment of 1778-1779.
July 31, 2025:
A new Bedminster Township-led commission has taken over the property and its contents, creating a new mission to preserve and promote the Vanderveer House and Museum in Bedminster Township, New Jersey.
Talk about an eye-opener!!!!!!
So, I went to take the dogs for a walk and stopped by the grounds of Bedminster’s Jacobus Vanderveer House to see what had changed since my last visit. And look what we found on the front door… an eviction notice! An eviction notice for the non-profit, whose blood, sweat, and tears over the last 25+ years in restoring this property have been nothing short of amazing. So what’s going on?
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Bedminster Township announced an ordinance to create the Jacobus Vanderveer House Commission, which was adopted unanimously, replacing the non-profit Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House (JHV), which had managed the site and its programs for 26 years. The municipally-owned, Revolutionary War landmark is located in River Road Park.
The governing body declined to extend the non-profit Friends group’s lease further and ordered it to vacate the JVH house by July 31, after concluding the group had become less active and lost touch with the community. Its membership reportedly dropped from more than 20 to six.
The ordinance to create a 15-member JVH Commission was introduced by the committee on Monday, June 16. It was subsequently amended to have 21 members, all of whom would be voting members:
- Darrick Anderson, a Friends group trustee, three years.
- Sean Blinn, a former Friends group trustee and township resident, three years.
- Cynthia Crosson, a Historical Society of Somerset Hills trustee and township resident, two years.
- Stephanie Daugherty, a Friends group trustee, two years.
- Jeanne Galbraith, a former Friends group trustee, one year.
- Wendy Weinstein Hickey, chair of the Bedminster Historic Preservation Commission, two years.
- Sue Mannion, a Historical Society of Somerset Hills trustee and township resident, two years.
- Bedminster Committeewoman Renee Mareski, one year.
- Leslie Mole, a former Friends group trustee and township resident, one year.
- Paul Muir, mayor of Bethlehem Township and trustee of the Morris Museum, one year.
- Steve Parker, a former township mayor and descendant of Revolutionary War soldiers, three years.
- Norm Penney, a grant writer and township resident, two years.
- Kathy Piersol, a reenactor and township resident, two years.
- Paula Podgurski, a Friends group trustee, will serve for three years.
- Township Administrator Robin Ray, a former Friends group trustee and a township resident, will serve for three years.
- Ray Sanderson, a Friends group trustee and reenactor, has been involved for three years.
- Craig Sutherland, a Friends group trustee, for one year.
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
One of the Board members of the Mr. Local History Project reached out to offer assistance to the board on a quick plan of action. Still, it seems that no one on the current board of the Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House nonprofit has the energy to challenge the eviction and the townships’ demands. But as they say, “it ain’t over till it’s over.”
“In New Jersey, it’s pretty hard to evict someone that doesn’t want to leave a property.
But you have to want to fight for your rights and it doesn’t seem Friends of JVH has the will.
The legal system could be tied up for years…..”
Posted on the Vanderveer House Entrance
Friday, June 13, 2025
Sorry to say, I’m not sure why the Bernardsville News didn’t publish our second letter (now two in total). I hope they revisit this story in an upcoming story. Not sure what the problem is. Perhaps they’re waiting to hear from the Board of Trustees at the Friends of the Vanderveer House. People have been asking, “What can I do?” One suggestion, call the Vanderveer House Friends and tell them to make a deal and an offer to volunteer would be a significant first step – (908)-397-3377
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Monday, June 9, 2025 –
After a round of emails was sent out this past weekend, we received a few responses and had a few calls. The assumptions are correct, as we’ve seen this before. It appears that the Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House has been struggling to secure talent to run the organization while maintaining its mission, bylaws, financial stability, and volunteer support and was unable to present an acceptable solution to Bedminster Township, the property owner. Basically, the Friends of JVH non-profit messed around for TOO LONG!
Discussions regarding a lease renewal of the property started over a year ago. Given the struggling JVH Friends leadership, the board has shrunk to a select few who have trampled on the previous 25 years of progress and ignored the obvious challenges it faces, stemming from the Covid pandemic, storms, and, most notably, a lack of solid leadership and commitment.
It appears that Bedminster Township has been more than willing to be flexible with new lease terms, but the non-profit has not acted in good faith to resolve any internal issues that must be addressed first. Today, it was announced that the current Friends of JVH President has resigned, potentially opening the door to a reconciliation. Former board members are hoping to gather and present a core set of principles that need to be implemented to satisfy the township, namely a $2,000/year commitment to partially offset the house’s utilities costs, which have been thoroughly covered in the past by the Township. There are a few other simple tweaks to the Board that the Friends need to align on so the Township can HELP the non-profit support their goals and bylaws at the same time. Problem is…. THE CLOCK IS TICKING!
So, Friends of JVH, who’s going to step up and secure a board concesus to broker a solution and secure a lease renewal?
Background
MLH Responded to The Bernardsville News Story
Bedminster History Posts
Pluckemin/Middlebrook Historic Series – Tell America
Views: 3,356 “Pluck-em-in” and America 250 – Perfect Together. Get to know this Great American History Story. Pluckemin, New Jersey, pronounced “PLUCK um in“, carries three enduring name stories. Some trace it to a Lenape word for persimmon tied to…
Was Pluckemin America’s First Military Academy? Expert Breaks Silence & Takes Position
Views: 568 Historic archeologist drops a verbal bombshell announcement at a New Jersey conference: The Rev War Pluckemin Cantonment WAS America’s first military academy, confirming the construction was done 24 years before the United States Military Academy at West Point.Dr.…
Remembering Gun and Rod Clubs Around Schley Mountain in the Somerset Hills
Views: 739 From Rev War Soldiers to Gliders to Gun & Rod Clubs: The Transition on Schley Mountain There is no well-documented evidence of a formal, dedicated police or public shooting range in the “The Hills” development itself. But we’re…
Middlebrook Symposium – Pluckemin’s Rev War Academy Analysis with Dr. John Seidel
Views: 927 Pluckemin, New Jersey, pronounced “PLUCK um in“, carries three enduring name stories. Some trace it to a Lenape word for persimmon tied to early Algonquian place terms. Others repeat the roadside tale of tavern keeper Jacob Eoff, who…
Northside or Southside – Train Determines Socio Economic Town Dynamics
Views: 1,001 Part of our Mr. Local History Train Series….. For years, the Mr. Local History research team has been digging into New Jersey’s railroad history. As we traced old rail lines town by town, something curious began to appear…
Passaic Valley & Peapack and the West Line Railroad – What if the West Line Succeeded?
Views: 466 A Retrospective The Mr. Local History Project conducted a deep dive into the beginnings of railroads in New Jersey, focusing on east-west corridors that sought to connect Pennsylvania with New York through New Jersey’s crossroads. Long before the…
Twenty-Four Years Before America’s West Point Military Academy (USMA) There was Pluckemin
Views: 201,643 America’s First Military Academy, the Pluckemin Academy (Dec.1778), was 24 Years BEFORE West Point (March 16, 1802). One of the greatest untold stories of the American Revolution.The Pluckemin Winter Cantonment, part of the overall Middlebrook Encampment of 1778-1779.…
Cockfighting in the Somerset Hills – How Times Have Changed
Views: 1,329 Picture a country barn set back from the road. Cars parked along a tree line, never too close together. Men arriving quietly, some local, others from out of town. Inside, cages line the walls and a small pit…
The 13 Paintings at the 1779 Pluckemin Academy’s French Alliance Ball Grand Pavillon
Views: 12,522 The anniversary of America’s Alliance with France was celebrated on February 18, 1779, at Pluckemin, New Jersey, at a very elegant entertainment and display of fireworks given by General Knox and the officers of artillery. It was postponed…
New Jersey Rev War Series Mr. Local History Project
Views: 15,387 New Jersey is known as the “Cockpit of the American Revolution” for a reason – because it was. More battles, more encampments, more strategies took place in New Jersey than in any other colony of the original thirteen.…
Retrospective: Lost & Torn Down Memories From the Somerset Hills
Views: 6,430 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 to…
Quicklinks – Tracking History From Selected Jersey Towns
Views: 4,457 Want a quick way to search for articles about the history of one of the towns we love to cover?The Mr. Local History Project has created a few quick searches to give you a head start. Our researchers…
The Tale of Two Bedminsters
Views: 19,842 Sister Towns in New Jersey and England Share a Common Bond – and a Name How fun was it when our friends across the pond contacted us, inquiring about what they were calling a “sister town” in New…
The Stolen Lillie Drawing of Pluckemin Artillery Park
Views: 1,251 The wind that swept across the Somerset Hills in the bitter winter of 1779 carried more than snow and smoke. It carried the sound of hammers striking timber, the commands of officers echoing across the ridges, and the…
Colonial Christmas To Shine Again at Bedminster’s Vanderveer House
The Jacobus Vanderveer House in Bedminster, New Jersey, is celebrating Colonial Christmas, an annual fundraiser event that combines history, tourism, tradition, and Christmas spirit. It offers an array of activities including music, reenactments, crafts, and holiday shopping.
Share Pluckemin Cantonment History With A Pocket Park – America 250 Ideas
Views: 1,819 With America’s 250th anniversary just around the corner, there’s no better time to recognize great American history about what we’ve coined “The Greatest Story Never Told” about the American Revolution – The Academy that came 24 years before…
Gliders Soar at Historic Schley Field in Liberty Corner, New Jersey
Views: 4,107 In the mid-1930s, after the Schley Field opened for Glider Competitions, the glider game changed. However, there was a glider field just east in the same town, which began attracting aviators to the Lyons section of Bernards Township.…
Historic Moment at the Pluckemin Cantonment – Archeologist Finds His Mark
Views: 3,128 It was a cold, winterish April afternoon at the Jacobus Vanderveer House in Bedminster, New Jersey, as a very special guest came to tell his story about what has become a signature event in the history of the…
The Hills Church & Cemetery & Pluckemin’s Pigtail Mountain
Views: 2,913 In the early 1700s, German Lutherans settled around Pluckemin and established one of the region’s first congregations. By 1715, they had built a small log church on what is the Second Watchung Mountain, known also as Pigtail Mountain,…
Ice Cream History around the Somerset Hills
Views: 11,320 July is National Ice Cream Month, so it’s time for Mr. Local History’s look back at the history, the good fun (and some “good humor”). The first official account of ice cream in the New World dates back…
New Jersey Hills are Alive with Distilling History
Views: 13,639 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…
The Besties – The Best of the Best in Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Bedminster in Northern Somerset County
Views: 20,114 2026 Suggestions? Drop Us a Note We dare to compare! Bedminster, Bernardsville, Basking Ridge, Far Hills, Peapack/Gladstone, also known as The Somerset Hills. It’s time for a real discussion about where to get the best things, based on…
Meet the Historians Series – Bedminster Township’s Dutzie Robbie
Views: 1,455 UPDATE:The Mr. Local History Project Research Team is seeking Bedminster historians with whom we can collaborate. If you know of someone who has a deep knowledge of Bedminster, NJ history, please drop us a note and let us…
The Boylans American Journey to Build Liberty Corner, Pluckemin and Bernardsville
Views: 4,777 Research Update:Are the Boylans and the Bullions the same family in Liberty Corner? Before Liberty Corner was Liberty Corner, it was Annins Corner AND we also found it named Boylans Corner (Bullions Corner). And what about that Bernardsville…
Grand History of the US Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, New Jersey
Views: 3,646 United States Equestrian Team Foundation Headquarters Hamilton Farm – Gladstone, New Jersey You must thank James Cox Brady of Bedminster, Peapack, the Wall Street Financier, for his vision for his “million-dollar coach barn.” Let’s Start with the History…
The Exclusive New Jersey Historic Wooden Village Keepsake Collection
Views: 16,454 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…
Non-Consecutive Term Presidents: Jersey’s Grover Cleveland and Now Donald Trump
Views: 8,969 Presidents #22 and #24 and Now #45 and #47 – Only Two Presidents to Serve Non-Consecutive Terms. Here’s how four presidential elections went down. Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, defeated Republican James G. Blaine of Maine and became the…
The Lost Lake Beneath the Hills: The Forgotten Silk City of Pluckemin
Views: 1,832 The “Lyons (France) of New Jersey” Then came industry. In July 1910 the Bernardsville News ran a whimsical headline: “The Lyons of New Jersey.” The article announced the arrival of “Big Bob” McCullough of Paterson, a larger-than-life entrepreneur…
Who Brings Their Jersey Village Collectibles out Just for the Holidays?
Views: 1,589 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…
Businesses Lost In Somerset Hills, New Jersey this Past Century
Views: 4,973 The Mr. Local History project has been researching and working with the public to create the most complete list of lost businesses in the Somerset Hills in northern Somerset County, New Jersey. The Somerset Hills includes Bedminster, Bernards…
President Trump’s Historic Summer White House in Bedminster, New Jersey
Views: 186,327 In a sleepy equestrian area in the Somerset Hills of central New Jersey, the former President of the United States still comes to summer at a house with a storied history. The Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster,…
Bedminster History Quiz – Are you a True Local?
The Mr. Local History Project has created a fun, interactive quiz to test your knowledge about Bedminster, New Jersey’s local history. The quiz includes corresponding answers and ancillary local history resources.
Remembering Willie Howard and Bedminster’s Willie’s Tavern
Views: 6,136 Often, Mr. Local History doesn’t search for stories as those stories find us. Case in point is this weird little story about a man who comes to America only to find that his life is remembered after Basking…
