Do You Know All The History in Millburn?

Take a historical tour through the southern part of town

Looking to find some more out about the town you live in? Well on Saturday, come out and stretch your legs while finding out about Millburn’s industrial past and the creation of the South Mountain Reservation.  Hosted by South Mountain Conservancy, it invites residents to join them at 9:30 a.m. in the Locust Grove Parking area for a historical tour of the southern Millburn section of the reservation. The tour is free for residents, starting in the Locust Grove parking area, at the end of a short driveway into the park opposite the Millburn First Aid Squad building on Glen Avenue. The event will be over by noon. Taking a look at history in the town, the tour will visit the North Jersey Quarry Company site, specifically the Lighthipe quarry…

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Historically Speaking

Local History: Searching for the Short Hills Cottage

Museum volunteers got in their cars to find the pictured cottage only to stumble on it a few blocks away.

The Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society museum is often visited by homeowners—and prospective homeowners—who seek information and photos of their Millburn Township home. The society maintains files on as many homes in the township for which information can be found. The Wyoming section's former resident architect and writer, Joy Wheeler Dow, brought much attention to the homes in that section of town and enabled the society to find many photos of those lovely historic homes. At the same time, Stewart Hartshorn was bringing attention to his Short Hills Park development as he brought in some of the finest architects in the area to design the homes in his "ideal community." Sketches of some of those homes appeared in a number of …

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Historically Speaking

Local History: A Place for Memories at the Millburn Theater

Local kids used to flock to the movie theater in the 1950s.

In his much-acclaimed memoir of growing up in Millburn in the 1950s, renowned author William Forstchen wrote in the Summer 2005 Thistle: "Another great place of memories was the movie theater. What is a movie theater today? A box in a mall, with eight or ten mini-boxes inside. The old Millburn theater was grand, complete with balcony, and, given its narrow space, a rather good screen. "In the late fifties there was a manager there whom all kids at Washington School just loved. On Friday afternoons he'd wander into the playground and we'd swarm around him as he passed out free tickets for the Saturday matinee. Since some of the kids in our neighborhood were recent immigrants and very poor, his gesture was a special blessing. I still …

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brian

3:44 pm on Saturday, April 16, 2011

Suzanne, cousin Briab Tighe send me copys I have some old photos of grandpops farm were your house is do want copys brian   more ›

Historically Speaking

Local History: In Search of Roskein

The Florence Roskein shop once resided on Millburn Avenue, but it's hard to find records of it.

Many times Millburn artifacts come to the collection of the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society from places far removed from Millburn. The most recent addition to the collection came from Baltimore courtesy of Carl Mink of Millburn Camera ASAP. This Florence Roskein hat box was found—and purchased—by Carl's sister and was donated by Carl to the historical society. Because of Millburn's long history of millinery-related businesses, the society has a collection of hatters' diaries, hats, hat boxes and other items from Millburn Township businesses. But the Florence Roskein item was a new addition and name. Museum volunteer Anna Gracey looked through the society's collection of directories, which record all local residents and businesses, …

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Historically Speaking

Local History: In Pursuit of Persis

A postcard leads to learning about a Wyoming section family.

As can be seen in last week's edition of Local History, researching the history of items in the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society collection is an important and ongoing process. The research is made dramatically easier with the resources available online, as was revealed in the research on the latest acquisition. Unlike what was found in last week's almost-accession, clearly this postcard was sent from our town, which the sender indicated was from the Wyoming section. The real-photo postcard of Smith's Pond was addressed to Mrs Ottie Newton in Indiana and the text on the back says: "Wyoming N.J.; July 12, '19; Dear Bro & Sister, It is very cold here. Rain every week. Ruby is having his vacation and is overhauling the machine. Every …

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Historically Speaking

Local History: The Other Millburn

Online research showed another Millburn further west and also unveiled information about a social club.

Photo research led to the discovery of another Millburn and information about now-defunct social clubs. The back of one of the eight 1914 real-photo postcards has written on it: "Camping at Millburn the week of July 24, 1914." The front of that card features 13 teenaged young men in casual clothes, sitting on rustic benches in what appears to be a wooded, parklike area, and holding a cloth sign that says "K-O-K-A; Chester; 2519." As can be seen here, one of the other postcards in the set shows the young men scattered around a field, with a small mountain in the background. The assumption was the young men of the K.O.K.A. were camping in South Mountain Reservation, as some of the photos also show them fishing in what seems to be one of the …

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Historically Speaking

Local History: The Advent of the Telephone

A look at how phone service was born and grew in Millburn-Short Hills.

It is challenging to think of any other invention that has influenced daily life like the telephone. Today, even landlines are beginning to be seen as old fashioned, as people struggle to keep up with the latest cell phone models. Now more than ever, it is increasingly difficult to roam the streets of Millburn-Short Hills without encountering a person who has the newest in phone technology. This is hardly surprising, as Millburn-Short Hills has always seemingly kept up with the latest cutting-edge technology in its history as a town. A recent addition to the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society archives is a 1946 booklet titled "Your Telephone Service, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow." From that booklet we learn that during the early …

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Historically Speaking

Local History: Shopping at Samuel-Meyers

Locals shopped for clothing at the downtown store in the late 1940s.

Dr. Elwood McPherson apparently got a jacket and slacks for Christmas sometime around the late 1940s. This receipt in the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society collection came from the McPherson estate and is dated Dec. 23 in an unknown year. It suggests that Mrs. McPherson was finishing some Christmas shopping at the men's clothing store at 358 Millburn Ave. where she bought a jacket for $24.50 and slacks for $11.95. The ad also seen here is from a 1950 edition of the Item, some editions of which can be viewed online at the Millburn library website. The store appears in some of the 1940s ads and first appears in the 1946 directory online at the library site. The 1946 entry states: "Samuel-Meyers (Samuel Ganslaw and Meyer Ilkowitiz), men…

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Historically Speaking

Local History: The Missing Mural

A mural that once was on the wall of the post office depicted the Battle of Springfield.

In his moving memoir about growing up in Millburn, which renowned author and history professor William Forstchen wrote for the historical society's 2005 newsletter the Thistle, the author reminisced about the Battle of Springfield mural in the Millburn post office: "The other place of history for me was the post office. There was this magnificent WPA mural on the west wall, 'The Charge of Light Horse Harry Lee.' It was wonderful—a true work of inspirational art for this 5 year old. It thrilled my imagination with the thought that this famous hero of the revolution lead a cavalry charge, undoubtedly right past my house. At night, when unable to sleep, I'd look out the window and imagine him thus." The entire memoir can be read online at the…

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Historically Speaking

Local History: Blizzard of 1888

The snow drifts in that storm were 30 feet.

Sometimes the old ways really are better. Reliable travel plans would have been pretty much assured even after a blizzard like Sunday's if residents still had the four-hoof drive and a sleigh seen in this early photo of a snowy corner of Millburn Avenue and Main Street. The photo is from the collection of the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society. The building on the left, behind the sleigh and horse, was a popular hotel and is now the site of the present Starbucks. The original building was later moved along Millburn Avenue to a place approximately opposite the Millburn Cinema. The steeply sloping streets of the Wyoming section must have been a challenge for those Millburn horses, especially going downhill in icy conditions, but no …

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