The documents that you find on these pages are the result of an ongoing arrangement between the Millburn Free Public Library and the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society. The Society’s collection of local newspapers from the late 19th century and the mid-to-late 20th century provide invaluable week-to-week information about the full range of life in the community. Its newsletter, The Thistle, gives historical analysis and anecdotes about people and events that might otherwise be lost and forgotten
The mission of the non-profit Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society is to encourage interest in local history, and to preserve and disseminate relevant information concerning Millburn Township. It carries out this mission by the acquisition, preservation, interpretation, and exhibition of artifacts from Millburn's and Short Hills' past, particularly as expressed through its people, architecture, commerce, education, and topography. The Library is pleased to bring its technological resources to the partnership with the Historical Society in making this continually evolving collection available to the public.
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A History of Millburn Township by Marian Meisner
Marian Meisner wrote about it all -- from Millburn in the Ice Age to Millburn in the Space Age. Her exhaustive study of the history of the Township -- or Rum Brook or Vauxhall or Millville as it was sometimes called -- is the definitive resource for anyone with a question about or interest in Millburn's history.
According to her January 5, 1995 obituary in the Item,
Marian Meisner was a Short Hills resident for 50 years. It further notes
that in conjunction with the township's 1957 centennial celebration she
researched and published a meticulous and thorough series of articles
which were collected and presented to the community’s residents in the
1957 centennial book simply called Millburn; 1857-1957. That book is still
available for loan in the Library, but the full history can also be found
as the e-book that is accessible here.
The Budget ... of 1886 is an extremely rare 'Milburn' newspaper. The bound volume in the collection of the historical society is so extremely fragile that it cannot safely be handled by visitors to the museum. This digitized version, then, is a rare look at a newspaper that is not even in the state archives of NJ newspapers.
The Item, the familiar weekly source of
Millburn-Short Hills news, editorials and advertising specials began
publication as a monthly paper in 1888 as The Short Hills News Item
at a subscription id rate of $1.00 per year. It became a bi-weekly
paper in 1891. These issues offer a glimpse into an earlier world
through the eyes and pens of the people of Milburn Short Hills.
A very special collection of rare World War Two documents from Millburn's past. Included are the issues of the Millburn-Short Hills Item from 1941 through 1945, the issues of the Town Tattler, a newsletter written for Millburn's servicemen and their families and the Alert, Millburn's Civil Defense newsletter. This rare and fragile material has been digitized so that it may be viewed by the widest possible audience and saved for posterity.
Issues of The Item of Millburn and Short Hills
* The Library has archived copies of the Item...
** The following issues are only available within the Library
** NEW available only within the Library — on-line Item issues...
* Using a Library computer or your device connected to our Wi-Fi or
from the Internet.
** Using a Library computer or your device
connected to our Wi-Fi.
The Thistle ... is the newsletter of the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society. Every issue of the Thistle ever printed can be seen here and within each edition readers can find fascinating stories about Millburn and Short Hills and some of the colorful local residents. Learn about the history of the poor farm formerly at White Oak Ridge Park, Will Bradley, Taylor Park, and much, much more.
The City Directories
1850 - 1981
Before the Internet, before the Yellow Pages there were the City Directories. These volumes, once indispensible to businesses in town are now great sources of historical data about the businesses and people of Summit, Millburn, and Springfield. Illustrating the difficulties in finding (and preserving) this kind of treasure, the earliest directories, those prior to 1898, are typed copies or even hand copied listings. We have the directories of 1898, 1908 - 1924 (even years), 1925, 1928-9, 1932 - 1970 (even years) and 1973, 1976, 1979 and 1981. Later issues contain sequential (reverse lookup) phone listings.