Did
You
Know
That ?

1923 - The Friends of the Oak Tree was organized in 1923 to save the 600 year old oak tree in the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Churchyard. The tree trunk was cleaned of its disease, leaving space for four men to stand in its trunk. Three tons of Concrete were poured into the cavity.
The Basking Ridge famous Oak tree, a landmark for centuries, is Bernards Township's logo; two oak leaves, representing the villages of Basking Ridge and Liberty Corner.



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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

Map/Directions Click Here



Inside the Brick Academy The official newsletter of The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills. Download Now

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Engaging Young Minds to be
Mindful of Our Local History

Please join us in our efforts to promote, support, and engage the the youth of our communities in the Somerset Hills while helping THSSH power into the 21st century with youthful spirit.

" History VolunTEENS" Mentor Program
Bringing New Perspectives to Local History

Do you like local history? Here's a great way to become involved in working with other teens from around the Somerset Hills area and build friendships, share ideas, and increase your knowledge of history in your community. It's your history....help preserve it!

Find us faster next time: just type: www.historyvolunteens.org (Bookmark it!)

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Fall 2010 opportunities for community service hours:

High School Volunteer Night - Wednesday, September 29, 2010 - Bernards Twp Library 6-8pm

2010 Sign Up sheets will be available. 5-20 hr opportunities:

Somerset County History Weekend - Oct 9-10

Holiday House Tour - December 2010

Web Design - Need a VolunTeen to assist design and building THSSH Teen Word Press blog.

Facebook Representative - Post events to our Facebook Page

Recruit 5 students Program - Get hours just to help spread the word.

Oral History Program - 5-50 hour

2010 Holiday Christmas in Bedminster - 5-20 hours

Click Here to volunteer if you can help with any of these tasks.

Facebook will be the current online collaboration area where everyone can discuss, share, and sign up for volunteer activities. Click Here or the Fan link below and add yourself to the list.

Supervisor Updates:

Historical Society of the Somerset Hills/Teens on Facebook

Kristin Fox -
Social Studies Supervisor
Bernards Township Public Schools

Brooks Betz -
Technology, Communications
Trustee, Historical Society of the Somerset Hills

David Becker - Bernards 250 Celebration

Community Service Opportunities ranging from one hour to over 100.

Mentored volunteers support you all the way.

If you signed up at a recent event and did NOT receive an email update - send us an email now!

Get On the List - Click & Drop Us a Note

Meeting Notes :

2010 Gathering- Sept 29, Bernards Twp Library 6-8pm
Sign Up sheets available.

Group agreed to create Facebook Fan page - this will be our main collaborative tool to exchange ideas and volunteer for projects and research moving forward.
Volunteers agreed to build fan base and create discussion areas for communication.
VolunTEENS will select from a list of projects to sign up for.
Oral History Program at Ridge High School will be discussed in more detail.
Photography, animation, and video are all areas to that will be integrated into various project streams.
VolunTeens will be picking topics from list to be published in a new (see below)
Each VolunTEEN will start by selecting one referenced project Mentors will provide topics
Each article will follow a prescribed process and eventually be posted to a new THSSH Teen Blog website.
One additional follow up meeting will be scheduled in about 4 weeks.

Meeting Date: 11/10/2009

Earn Community Service Credit Awards

Currently available to Ridge High school students, the Historical Society of the Somerset Hills will issue service credits for any approved project where there is direct involvement in a project that results in a release to the local community. THSSH will comply with all requirements necessary to manage and maintain an accredited community service credit award. To find out more...click here.

The Sky's Your Limit

The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills have experienced trustees, members, and local support groups ready to support our teen volunteers. Creativity will be key. Your ideas are important to us and we want to hear them. Be the voice of your generation. Come and create history while you work to preserve it.

Not limited to just one town or one story!

Bedminster, Bernardsville, Bernards Twp, Far Hills, Peapack & Gladstone kids all get to participate in this program. So you aren't limited in scope to the local history of just one town. We're the historical society of "The Somerset Hills".

NEW

Online File Share - To access the files, please make sure you are a registered VolunTEEN member.
Click Here to request access.

New to "THE BOX"? - Click Here to get an overview.

Opportunities include:

Museum Guide Volunteer
Welcome public, and answer questions about exhibits.

Development & Membership Assistant
Assist with labeling and stuffing envelopes, and preparation of membership directory.

Communications & Publicity Assistant
Assist with press releases, flyer distribution, newsletter preparation

Research & Archives Assistant
Assist with archives conservation and digitization; conduct guided or independent research on local topics.

Public Programs and Outreach Assistant
Assist with setup and refreshments for speaker programs and provide THSSH representation at local fairs.

Other Possible Programs for VolunTEENS:

Web design and web support
Digital archiving
Summer Camp programs
Mentor lower grades/teaching aides
Social networking for local history
Integrating new technologies to present interactive local history
Building awareness of our local history
Teen user groups and community outreach development
Research projects

Possible additional programs include:

Local Firefighters History
Local Police History
Walking tour of Liberty Corner/Madisonville/Lyons/Bernardsville/Pluckemin
Then/Now photo essays
Education "In a Box" program development
Revolutionary war history
Developing Somerset Hills archive inventories
Depression era local history
The 60's local history
Famous local people historic profiles
New Online digital tour/virtual tour programs
Oral history digitization and presentation
Bernards Twp 250 celebration
Facebook/Myspace local history site
Twitter
Increasing YouTube Channel
Building out your own local history area online.
COME UP WITH YOUR OWN GREAT IDEAS.

Click Here to request more information

Come Join Us!

The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills has no paid staff. By contributing their talents to help with our programs and projects, scores of local volunteers, from high school students to retirees keep THSSH operating. Below is a list of current volunteer opportunities, most of which require only a limited time commitment. Training will be provided!

In order to become a VolunTEEN and help THSSH thrive - just click Contact Us link and say you want to sign up for the program.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Historical Society need my help?
The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills has a small staff and the mission is challenging. Because we preserve and interpret more than 200 years of history, the task is far more manageable (and fun!) with the involvement and support of community members.

What if I have the interest, but not the skills or knowledge?
We want your volunteer experience to be as rewarding to you as it is for the Society. Training is provided for all volunteer positions.

How much time must I commit?
The amount of time you volunteer depends upon the type of position you choose, as well as the time you have available. Museum Docents are asked to sign up for a shift once every week or two weeks. Other positions, such as Office, Collections, Archives or Research Assistants, have a great deal of flexibility. Still others, such as hospitality committee volunteers are needed only a couple of times a year.

What are some advantages of volunteering?
All of our volunteers receive invitations to all events, discounts on out-of-town tours and in the Museum , and our newsletter. You can also expect to meet interesting people and learn more about our areas history.

How do I become a volunteer?
Just click on the email link below. Someone will contact you to arrange an appointment for you to meet the staff, as well as learn more about the Historical Society and volunteer positions.