Often, Christmas cards are discarded after the holidays, but this classic from the THSSH Archives contains many clues to local history.  The card was sent to Madeline Koechlein (c.1905-1991) of Liberty Corner, NJ, by her Aunt Mattie (probably Martha E. Boyle Fenner of Peapack).  Although not postmarked, the card probably dates to around 1910.  The

THSSH now has an Otto Heizmann beer bottle to go with our Heizmann whisky jug.  From previous research on Otto Heizmann (1879-1936), we were able to date both the bottle and jug to around 1911-1913.  Otto was born in Switzerland and by the 1910 U.S. Census was a wholesale liquor dealer living in Stirling, Morris

Everyone knows General Charles Lee was captured in Basking Ridge during the Revolutionary War, but who was his second in command?  In 1776, American General Charles Lee was taking his time moving his division across New Jersey to join the main army of George Washington, who he resented serving under.  Lee stayed too long at

If your bicycle broke down in Basking Ridge or Bernardsville in the 1960s, you would patch it together as best you could and pedal over to Whitenack Road. There Alan H. Jaquish (1925-2008) had a barn full of recycled bicycles and parts. Usually, he had the part you needed. During the 1970s, Jaquish went on

The Rectory and Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Bernardsville around 1905. The Rev. Joseph A. Ryan (1870-1929) served as the first pastor (1898-1914), at first without a church. Services were held initially at the Somerset Inn on Mendham Road. The church opened its doors in 1900 with major support from

Lurline Drive was accepted as a street by Bernards Township in 1962 and is a lasting memorial to Lurline Eberhardt (1925-1948), a young equestrian who tragically lost her life.   Lurline was the daughter of Paul W. Eberhardt and Lurline Belk.  Her father was a vice president of Walter Kidde & Co., which manufactured fire extinguishers,

This Post Office postcard encouraging the use of the 07920 (Basking Ridge) ZIP code is a recent addition to the Historical Society’s archives at the Brick Academy. A gift from Barbara Perkins, the card features “Mr. ZIP” and was found in a house on North Alward Avenue. ZIP stands for the “Zone Improvement Plan,” which

When they go to the dump, residents of Bernardsville and Basking Ridge always drive by this strange building at the corner of Pill Hill Road and Ann Street.  But what is it? The building is a sewage pumping station.  In 1952, the Bernardsville Council authorized $65,000 in bonds for its construction on a three tenths

The Bedminster Reformed Church was organized in 1758 and built three churches during its history. The second (photo left) was a wooden structure built in 1818. It stood facing south in the old cemetery on Route 202-206. After a new church was built on Main Street in Bedminster village in 1897 (currently Grace Chapel), the

In 1932, Somerset Hills Airport was dedicated, and a commemorative envelope marked the occasion. Postmarked in Basking Ridge, it went airmail of course! The airport was located on the east side of South Maple Avenue at the corner of Lord Stirling Road. The facility was built on the former Walter E. Fenner (1885-1965) property. A