Somerset County (NJ) opened the Lord Stirling Manor archaeological site to the public on Saturday, June 21. William Alexander (1725-1783), known as Lord Stirling, was an American general during the Revolutionary War and owned the large estate in Basking Ridge (along Lord Stirling Road). The county is partnering with Monmouth University and Hunter Research to
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This picture postcard shows Allen’s Hotel in Liberty Corner, NJ, which, based on the sign, was also known as the Liberty Corner Hotel. The card’s undivided back dates the photo to 1907 or before. The hotel occupied the corner where the Exxon station now stands and faced Valley Road. According to the 1850 Somerset County map
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Sometime before 1980, Miss Mabel Clark shared this fantastic photo of herself in a class at Maple Avenue School in Basking Ridge, NJ (where the Bernards Township Library now stands). Not only does it provide close-ups of the faces, but the teacher and many students are identified. [on back]7th Grad, Maple Avenue School, 1914Teacher, Miss
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This class photo from the Brick Academy in Basking Ridge, NJ, is interesting on several levels. Although faded, the photograph shows students and teachers from the 1890s when the Brick Academy was used as a Bernards Township public school. Today, when students from Bernards Township and Bernardsville visit the building on their class trips, they
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If you run, bike, or walk your dog through Evergreen Cemetery in Basking Ridge, you may have noticed a large monument at the northern end near the railroad station. The Swaim family monument dwarfs its neighbors, including that of Ferdinand Van Dorn of Van Dorn’s Mill fame. Large monuments often tell interesting stories and the
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The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills (THSSH) released a new searchable online collection—Bernards Township NJ Voters’ Registers. The documents cover the years 1905 (District 1), 1930 (District 2), and 1947-48 (Districts 1, 2, & 3). In many cases, the streets where the people lived are given and, in some cases, whether they were Republicans
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A real picture postcard mailed Sept. 10, 1907 shows Spring Vale, the home of David Y. Moore (1872-1957). Moore was Basking Ridge’s last blacksmith and his house still stands at 58 North Finley Avenue, corner of West Craig. Moore’s blacksmith shop stood at the corner of Dayton St. and North Finley, and was razed in
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Archive staff recently found this classic photo of old Bernards Township Public Works equipment. An unknown photographer snapped the photo on Sept. 24, 1948, behind the old Maple Avenue School in Basking Ridge, NJ. The small dump truck and Galion roller both bear the lettering “Bernards Township” on their sides. A young boy sits on
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Additional information has surfaced on Reuben Freeman (1827-1912) who was profiled in the May 2024 THSSH Newsletter (scroll to page 3). Reuben was the free black man, born to slave parents in Liberty Corner, who was required by law to work for William Annin (1790-1872) until he reached age 25 around 1852. After that date,
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Rail service came to Basking Ridge in 1872 when the New Jersey West Line railroad (now NJ Transit) was extended from Summit, NJ. Back then, the line ended at Bernardsville and Basking Ridge was the next to last stop. The arrival of trains soon triggered a development boom on the northern side of the village.
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