Back in 1919, the Bernards Protective Association, a private organization formed the previous year to support the police, issued this warning to the “Automobilists” of Bernards Township (which then included both Far Hills and Bernardsville).

THSSH has released another Online Collection of documents—this time featuring Bernards High in Bernardsville, NJ.  Bernards High was built in 1905.  Two years later a class of two–Effie Beekman and Florence Rowell Conklin–became the first students to graduate. Until construction of Watchung Hills High and Ridge High, Bernards was the only high school in northern

In the winter of 1777, after the battle of Princeton, while the American army was encamped at Morristown, NJ, General Washington sent a division under General Nathanael Greene to Basking Ridge, about four miles to the south. A document called “A General Return of Waggons [sic] and Horses….,” relating to this time was received last year

The October issue of Inside the Brick Academy is available now and includes a page-one article on the Fenner House in Pluckemin, NJ, where General George Washington is said to have written his report on the Battle of Princeton.  The article is the first in a series covering Pluckemin historic houses. For the Bernardsville Centennial,

An archaeological team from Monmouth University returned to The Coffee House in Madisonville, N.J.,  last Saturday, September 21, 2024.   The group continued the excavation of foundations found in 2023 and surprisingly discovered that they extend further than originally thought–there may have been a second building at the site.  In addition to the work on foundations,

The 1766 map of Somerset County, NJ, by Benjamin Morgan and I. Hills shows many of the early landmarks and settlers of Bedminster Township.  Bedminster at that time included the Borough of Peapack and Gladstone (created 1912).     The surveyors paid close attention to the rivers and mills, which were key transportation and economic features.

This real picture postcard shows a “cottage” on the grounds of Froh Heim, the lavish estate of Grant B. Schley (1845-1917) in Far Hills, NJ.  Schley began building the estate, which also included a main house, barns and other buildings in 1888.  Froh Heim, which means “Happy Home” in German, eventually grew to several thousand

A classic picture postcard of Lamington, Bedminster Township, NJ.   The “bird’s eye” view looks north along Cowperthwaite Road.  The Lamington Presbyterian Church, founded in 1740 (current church dates to 1826, moved in 1885) can be seen in the distance.  On the left, are the steps into Lamington Black Cemetery.  Today, a historical monument stands next

Many of the early landowners of Bernards Township are shown on the Morgan-Hills map of Somerset County from 1766 (see section below).  The surveyors spell the township “Barnards” and in 1766, it still had its original boundaries, which included Bernardsville, Far Hills, and Warren Township. The closeup below displays the northeastern portion of the township.

In 1938, construction workers were hard at work on Bernards Township’s newest school, Oak Street.  These photos were taken November 21, 1938 by teacher Louise M. Flint (c.1889-1976) and preserved in her scrapbook. The title on the page reads “Basking Ridge School, West Oak Street.” Oak Street School was financed partially with an $80,000 grant