In 1900, a house stood where the tennis/pickleball courts now are on West Oak Street in Basking Ridge, NJ. This vintage photo looks east along West Oak and up the hill toward what is now Brownlee Place. On the 1873 Beers map of Somerset County, the house was shown as the property of Dr. Whitnall
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When my brother Stuart ‘Budge’ Booth (1939- 2002) was a kid in the early 1950s, he used to go across Maple Avenue and set traps over towards the Great Swamp. We lived on South Finley Avenue. In the morning before school he would check his traps, and if there was a fox caught, he would
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Bill Hine (1924-1997) was affectionately known as the “village guardian” of Basking Ridge. His full name was Willard Foster Hine, Jr., and he was born in Westfield. Bill suffered an oxygen deficiency at birth, which left him unable to work at a regular job. After his family moved to Spencer Road in Basking Ridge in
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This red and white pennant from Maple Avenue School in Basking Ridge dates probably to 1948-1969. Maple Avenue School, also known as Basking Ridge School, was built in 1903 to replace the Brick Academy and Franklin Corners School. In 1939, it was closed after the new Oak Street School was built. Bernards Township planned
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Have you found yourself, parents, or grandparents on the 1950 U.S. Census? The National Archives made this census public on April 1, 2022, and you can search for people by name after registering for a free ID at: https://www.familysearch.org/1950census/. The 1950 Census provides a wealth of information on individuals—famous and not-so-famous—and the neighborhoods they lived
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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
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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
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In 1932, Somerset Hills Airport was dedicated, and a commemorative envelope marked the occasion. Postmarked in Basking Ridge, NJ, 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.
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In the early years of the 20th century, mail was delivered in Basking Ridge by horse and cart. The inscription reads “ ‘Martha Bell’ after 6 years service on Route 1, Basking Ridge, NJ” (Nettie Allen Collection). The post office started experimenting with Rural Free Delivery (RFD) in the late 19th century and expanded it
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Passages from the memoir of Eliza Susan Morton Quincy (d. 1850) were reprinted in this memorable booklet by the Basking Ridge Historical Society (now The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills) for Bernards Township’s 200th anniversary in 1960. Eliza’s father, John Morton, brought his family to Basking Ridge in 1776 from New York City to
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