The eighth-grade class stands on the front steps of Oak Street School in Basking Ridge, N.J. in June 1948.  The photo shows 34 people including students and teachers.  The name “Flint” is on the back in upper left corner and refers to Louise Flint, a teacher at the school.  Also on the back are the signatures

In Holy Cross Cemetery in Basking Ridge, N.J., stands an unusual gravestone with an engraved baseball and bat.   It’s a memorial to John F. Gilmore (1907-1951), a ballplayer who died way too young. Gilmore was born in New York City and moved to Peapack-Gladstone with his parents as a child. He played football for Bernards

If you think you’ve scrolled to the end of the Internet, there’s probably a spot you’ve missed—Random Images by The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills (THSSH).  There, you can continue to browse historic images and documents from the Somerset Hills to your heart’s content. For more than two years, THSSH has been scanning and

Baseball was a thriving amateur sport in the early part of the 20th century. This photo from Peapack-Gladstone, NJ, shows the Gladpack Athletic Club in 1936. A caption, partially cut off indicates they were champions of the Inter-County League, which included teams from Rockaway, Bernardsville, Far Hills, and Stirling. The players are only partially identified

Remember the grand Bicentennial celebrations of 1976?  Long before that in 1876, Fourth of July organizers were already thinking big when they cordially invited “all the world and the rest of mankind.” The THSSH Archives preserves a poster that advertises the 1876 Centennial Celebration in Basking Ridge, NJ. The poster, printed by the Jerseyman Print of

The recent unveiling of the Frederic P. Olcott portrait in Bernardsville’s Borough Hall drew quite a lot of attention.  Olcott was arguably the town’s most important benefactor, and it’s fitting that he now has a place of honor.  But who was the artist who painted the portrait? Stephen Seymour Thomas was a Texan, born in San

For America250, THSSH is taking an in-depth look at our Revolutionary War-era artifacts and documents.  One of the most interesting is  “Widow White’s Brick.” The brick is reportedly from Widow White’s Tavern, the scene of the infamous British capture of American General Charles Lee on Dec. 13, 1776.  The tavern itself is long gone and

Somerset County hosted an open house on June 6 at the Lord Stirling Manor Archaeological Site in Basking Ridge, NJ.  The manor was the home of William Alexander, Lord Stirling, an American general during the Revolutionary War. From February to April 1777, the manor was also the headquarters of General Nathanael Greene. Today, the site

It’s Spring, in the heart of track and field season, and this week we spotlight the Bernards High (NJ) Track team—from 1942. The above photo shows the team with Coach Edward J. Black. Javelins, a discus, and a shot are on the ground in front. Several members signed the photo, including: Back RowGeorge Wissell Middle

A black-and-white photo shows the Bernards Township (NJ) Committee and staff on January 1, 1959, probably at its reorganization meeting. Mayor David M. Meeker with gavel, is front row center.  Meeker served five years on the committee and was mayor in 1959.  He also wrote a weekly column as “Uncle Jed” for the Bernardsville News