1951 - What was formerly the Blairsden (Peapack) stables, is sold to the Matheny School, (Walter and Marguerite Matheny founded in 1946) which is the present location for the Matheny Medical and Educational Center which focuses on children and adults cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida
1968 - John Jacob Astor Jr.'s estate originally built by Samuel Owen (1912), was once an apple and peach fruit orchard farm. The hilltop home and 28 acres were purchased from John Jacob Astor 6th by Bernards Township in 1968 for $140,000.
Hours of Operation: Museum Open Sundays 2-4pm
(except Summer
and Holidays) Library Open
First & Third Wednesdays
9:30am-12pm
or by appointment.
Street Address:
15 West Oak Street,
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
Telephone: (908) 221-1770
Historical Booklet of Bernards Township,
N. J. Published to Commemorate the Bicentennial: 1760-1960
Out of Print. Few copies still available at THSSH Museum
Store.
Booklets are available at THSSH.
Lord Stirling - William Alexander Author: George Helmke
Country Gentleman &
New Jersey Military Leader in the War for Independence
From the Early Years thru his military career, capture, and
close relationship with General Washington, as well as his life
in Basking Ridge; by George E. Helmke
Booklets are available at THSSH.
Walking Tour of Basking Ridge
A great way to see some of the most noted historical sites
in and around the downtown Basking Ridge area.
Published 2004
Online virtual tour is also available now. Click Here
Download Now
The Brick Academy, Basking Ridge, NJ
(1978)
Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary (1928-1978) of The Historical
Society of the Somerset Hills (then known as the Basking Ridge
Historical Society).
14 pages full of historic facts, images, and stories about
the storied Classical School and Academy.
Booklets are available at THSSH.
Somerset County
Historic Sites & Districts
A fantastic 59 page book including sketch drawings, town by town listings, and stories about all of the state and nationally registered historical assets in Somerset County, New Jersey.
Fall Speaker Series 'James Parker: A Printer on the Eve of Revolution'
September 18 • 7:30 PM 'Historic Churches of Somerset County'
October 16 • 7:30 PM Songs & Stories of Old Railroad Days
November 20 • 7:30 PM
What’s Inside…
Historic Preservation Awards
Frederic Olcott’s“Splendid Gift”
History Weekend – Oct 11 & 12
Antique Potbelly Stove
Historic October Events
1770s Festival – Oct 5
Flying Down the Church Hill…
Past Presidential Events
Historical SocietyCelebrates 80 Years
‘Open House’ Resumes
John Morton: The Rebel Banker
On the night of the 22nd between the hours of eleven and one o-clock, the house of the John Morton, at Baskenridge, was broke open by a number of armed villains, three of whom entered the house and robbed it."
Charter Day - May 17 Bernards Township's 14th Annual Charter Day will be held on Saturday, May 17. The celebration begins at 11 a.m. with the Town Crier Hank Barre and the Rural Felicity Fife and Drum Corps conducting the opening ceremony.
Culture & Heritage Commission Awards
Seven Recipients Are Honored
By Somerset Cultural and Heritage Commission The 1850 J. Staats House, Hillsborough, owners Barbara and Jerry Kaulius, Adaptive Use The Bernards Inn, Bernardsville, Continuing Use John Charles Smith of Far Hills, The Historic Map and Walking Tour of Peapack and Gladstone circa 1938, Education The Black River Journal of Pottersville, Lee and Christian Wolfe, Owners, Education Schoolhouses of Early Bernards Township by Josephine M. Waltz of Belle Mead, Education The Uncertain Revolution by John T. Cunningham of Florham Park, Education The Heritage Trail Association, Monique Rubens Krohn, Executive Director, Leadership and Education
Farm & Technology Musuem
For Bernards Township resident Jim Hallgring, his boyhood interest in the internal operation of machinery has lead from refurbushing lawnmowers to an impressive 30 year collection of antique engine and farm equipment.
Betsy Ross Burial
June 14 reminds us all of Betsy Ross (1752- 1836), our national heroine, credited with sewing the first American flag, at the request of General George Washington and his friends Robert Morris, in Philadelphia. Over the past two decades, more than half a dozen references to this story have been uncovered in our archives at the Brick Academy and in the files of the Bernards Township Library History Room.
2008 Historic Preservation Awards
Please join us on Wednesday evening, May 28, 2008, for the fifth annual presentation of awards for noteworthy preservation projects in the Somerset Hills!- Learn More
Welcome New Members:
Ralph and Margaret Skelly, Basking Ridge William and Marian Craig, Monroe Township
Rock-a-Bye Baby Railroad
The Borough of Peapack and Gladstone is very proud of its fine electric train service into Hoboken and it is used by many daily commuters. Back in 1887 John Melick of Morristown came forward with plans to build the first part of a...
Shop Online...Preserve Somerset Hills History
Do you shop online? Here is a fantastic opportunity to get online discounts and donate to the Historical Society at the same time. Trustee Brooks Betz has coordinated this new exciting shopping experience with ShopforMuseums.com. more online
John Morton: The Rebel Banker
On the night of the 22nd between the hours of eleven and one o-clock, the house of the John Morton, at Baskenridge, was broke open by a number of armed villains, three of whom entered the house and robbed it."
Charter Day - May 17 Bernards Township's 14th Annual Charter Day will be held on Saturday, May 17. The celebration begins at 11 a.m. with the Town Crier Hank Barre and the Rural Felicity Fife and Drum Corps conducting the opening ceremony.
Culture & Heritage Commission Awards
Seven Recipients Are Honored
By Somerset Cultural and Heritage Commission The 1850 J. Staats House, Hillsborough, owners Barbara and Jerry Kaulius, Adaptive Use The Bernards Inn, Bernardsville, Continuing Use John Charles Smith of Far Hills, The Historic Map and Walking Tour of Peapack and Gladstone circa 1938, Education The Black River Journal of Pottersville, Lee and Christian Wolfe, Owners, Education Schoolhouses of Early Bernards Township by Josephine M. Waltz of Belle Mead, Education The Uncertain Revolution by John T. Cunningham of Florham Park, Education The Heritage Trail Association, Monique Rubens Krohn, Executive Director, Leadership and Education
Farm & Technology Musuem
For Bernards Township resident Jim Hallgring, his boyhood interest in the internal operation of machinery has lead from refurbushing lawnmowers to an impressive 30 year collection of antique engine and farm equipment.
Betsy Ross Burial
June 14 reminds us all of Betsy Ross (1752- 1836), our national heroine, credited with sewing the first American flag, at the request of General George Washington and his friends Robert Morris, in Philadelphia. Over the past two decades, more than half a dozen references to this story have been uncovered in our archives at the Brick Academy and in the files of the Bernards Township Library History Room.
2008 Historic Preservation Awards
Please join us on Wednesday evening, May 28, 2008, for the fifth annual presentation of awards for noteworthy preservation projects in the Somerset Hills!- Learn More
Welcome New Members:
Ralph and Margaret Skelly, Basking Ridge William and Marian Craig, Monroe Township
Rock-a-Bye Baby Railroad
The Borough of Peapack and Gladstone is very proud of its fine electric train service into Hoboken and it is used by many daily commuters. Back in 1887 John Melick of Morristown came forward with plans to build the first part of a...
Copy of Rare Document Reveals Area Involvement in
Revolutionary War
Rev. Samuel Kennedy Relative
Visits Parsonage Farm
Facts/Figures About the Somerset Hills
Brick Academy Helped Educate Four U.S. Senators
Moguls, Millionaires, Statesmen, Captains of Industry,
Financial Giants, Media People, Society Figures, Politicos
-- Broken down by each town within the Somerset Hills
Charter Day Festivities May 18 Displays, Games, Crafts
Historic District Regulations
How Some Somerset County Towns Rank, According To
Age
Where does Bernards Township rank in age, with
respect to its sister communities in Somerset County?
Research done during the 200th Bicentennial in 1960
reveals that Bernards ranks fourth oldest.
Exciting Restoration Developments
Historical Society Of The Somerset Hills W i s h L
i s t
First In America – And From New Jersey
Arlington, steam engine, 1763
Burlington, chinaware, 1685
Camden, condensed soup (add water, heat/serve),
1897
Hoboken, brewery, 1642
Jamesburg, canned tomatoes, 1847
Morristown, successful telegraph tested,1837
Murray Hill, transistor, 1948
Menlo Park, incandescent lamp, 1879
Newark, patent leather made, 1818
Newark, malleable iron, 1826
Newark, successful plastics factory opened, 1873
Paterson, planned industrial city, 1791 at The Great
Falls
Paterson, silk factory started, 1838
Paterson, submarine made, 1878
Paterson, revolving pistol, 1836
Pompton Plains, rocket engines ,made during World
War II
Salem County, successful glass factory started,
1739
Trenton, iron beams for buildings, 1854
Trenton, railroad suspension bridge, 1855 (made
in Trenton to carry heavy trains over canyon near
Niagara Falls)
Trenton, American-made china used in White House,
1917 (before that all china was made in Europe)
Vineland, thermos bottle made, 1880s
West Orange, phonograph played, 1887
West Orange, movies shown, 1889
Kate Macy Ladd (Natirar)
Reproduced Brochure- Includes history, photographs and descriptions
of the services and estate grounds.
(1.75mb pdf download)
20 pages.
Also, see what Somerset County is proposing as a master plan
to preserve Natirar and the new Somerset County Park proposal. Click Here
Natirar Master Plan - Also, see what Somerset County
is proposing as a master plan to preserve Natirar and the new Somerset
County Park proposal. Click
Here
From the Volume set "The American Campaigns of Rochambeau's
Army 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783. Translated and Edited by Howard Rice
and Anne Brown, Princeton University Press, Brown University Press,
1927
From the Volume set "The American Campaigns of Rochambeau's
Army 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783. Translated and Edited by Howard Rice
and Anne Brown, Princeton University Press, Brown University Press,
1927
Thortons
1700 map of the East West Jersey region. John Thornton’s
massive atlas of maritime charts covering the entire nautical
world. On this copper-engraved early English nautical chart includes
soundings in New York harbor, Delaware Bay, and off shore. The
diagonal lines are early colonial boundaries. The beautiful hand-colored
outline and wash coloring is original.
North and South New Jersey (or East and West Jersey in colonial
times) have always differed in some respect—geographically,
politically. The northern areas were settled by the Dutch, and
had a commercial focus strongly oriented toward the New York City
market. The southern part of the state was settled by Swedes along
the Delaware, and was a more rural farm-based economy linked to
Philadelphia markets. The Dutch eventually took over the Swedish
colonies, and those were subsequently taken by the English. The
royal province of New Jersey was established by the English in
1702. During the American Revolution, New Jersey was a crossroads
of conflict.
A
Town In Transition 
Bernardsville 
