Bloomingdale Historian Shines New Light on Rich History of Butler

from Hometown 13 April 2023

Mansion in May Returns in 2023 with Three Fields Designer Showhouse and Gardens in Borough of Mendham

By Tommy Hughes

History. A noun defined by MerriamWebster’s dictionary as a chronological record of significant events. Events that help build one’s upbringing. The foundation of a person, place, thing, event, or in this case, a city.

It is that foundation that led Tom Riley to become a historian. Upon graduation from what’s now known as Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, Riley returned to Bloomingdale and became a Social Studies teacher. Retiring after 40 years, he found a new way to expand upon his love of history by shining a light on what has yet to be told.

“The big thing for me is telling the story. I tell stories that haven’t been told. It’s filling a void because local history takes a back seat... that’s the teacher part of it. (The author) is sharing information that (the reader) has never heard of or known,” Riley said.

Growing up in Bloomingdale, Riley’s childhood home was one-half of a block away from Delazier Field. He would hear stories about how Babe Ruth once played on that same field, though no one had put those memories to paper along with the history of the Bloomingdale Troopers. This was what led to Riley’s first book. A labor of love that set into motion inspiration to continue to write his second history book, centered around the history of Federal Hill. Today, Riley has written 7 books. His 8th, Stories about Butler, continues this showcase of area history. A project he wanted to pen for the area museum.

From Butler’s connection to the sport of baseball, to the Butler Opera House and Whittle Hardware. From Butler’s oil pipeline to the aircraft spotting tower, the legacy of the borough of Morris County is now guaranteed to live on.

For Tom, the research is the fun part. It is not about profit, it is about putting into print something that was not there before. It is why he donates copies of each of his books to the museum and the Bloomingdale Public Library. Tom hopes that the lasting legacy of his research will carry over to the next generation. As New Jersey history is taught at the middle school level, Tom finds his research as a perfect tie-in for local history in the curriculum. From World War II’s connection to Federal Hill to Bloomingdale ties to the American Revolution. Tom knows how to make history fun and connect in mannerisms of the interesting.

“...each student is an individual the teacher has to get to...the teacher finds out what the student is interested in, or if the student shows a spark from what the teacher is teaching, go with that. Once the teacher has the student with them, the teacher can teach students anything.”

A sense of purpose. What adolescents realize about themselves as they grow and their discovery in their existence. The purpose of the teacher in helping the adolescent grow in their discovery and the history of the adolescent interest.

The purpose of the historian in sharing the history of said interest. An interest surrounded by a respective craft, sport, government, or in this case, a borough. One in the county of Morris in the Garden State, named in honor of Richard Butler 122 years ago.