The grandeur of the historic Wayside Inn exemplifies Denville's glorious past. Denville, the "Hub of Morris County," has retained its small-town atmosphere from its early days as a stop along the stage routes. Iron and good soil attracted the first settlers. Today, its scenic lakes, vibrant downtown, and many festivals attract tens of thousands each year. In Denville, the superb image collection of the Denville Historical Society & Museum provides spectacular views of this charming community. More than two hundred images and informative text about the town and its people fill the pages of this history. Along with the photographs of buildings, landscapes, and locals are images of historical figures, such as George Washington, who passed through on his way to winter quarters at Jockey Hollow, and William Penn, who first surveyed the area in the early 1700s, as well as local legends "Uncle" Jeddy Cooper and Rock Etam.

Denville in the 1950s was an idyllic place to live, yet a dark chapter in the era's history has remained uncovered. During the summer of 1953, a wealthy traveler with a secret rap sheet as a convicted sex offender arrived in town to continue his misdeeds. A group of thirteen local boys ranging in age from fourteen to twenty-two took it upon themselves to teach the man a lesson and drive him out of town. What resulted was his brutal death and the largest number of people ever indicted for murder in the nation at the time. The harrowing trial and its aftermath revealed a town forced to grapple with how to protect its youth and come to terms with the gruesome incident. Local historian Peter Zablocki covers the crime and a small town's path to redemption.

The bucolic small-town life of Denville in the 1940s would change forever with the outbreak of World War II. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the town mobilized, creating the Denville Local Defense Council, designating air wardens to watch the skies and establishing air raid sirens. Schoolchildren gathered around home radios to learn if there were enough supplies to heat the school, and families learned to live within the confines of a ration book. The Denville Salvage Committee proclaimed "Bomb 'em with Junk!" as it collected waste goods for the war effort. Hundreds of Denville men served valiantly in all theaters of the war, some earning prestigious military accolades and many tragically never returning. Author Peter Zablocki covers the history of World War II Denville, including interviews with members of the town's "Greatest Generation."

Union Hill was called Pigeon Hill by the earliest settlers and "a New Promised Land" by Quakers fleeing religious persecution. Prospectors established iron forges along what is now Den Brook, and the diverse community united to erect a one-room stone schoolhouse in 1816. No longer a religious sanctuary or iron mecca, this southern half of Denville Township is an upscale residential area that, despite great change, maintains many of the old homes and historic sites, including the old schoolhouse, which is being carefully restored today.

Two weeks after receiving Elizabeth Bennet's indignant refusal to his proposal of marriage, Fitzwilliam Darcy is dealt another tragedy when his beloved sister is presumed dead after a carriage accident. As her brother sinks into the depths of despair, Georgiana, amnesic but very much alive, finds her way to Longbourn and becomes Elizabeth Bennet's particular friend. When her memory shows no sign of returning, there appears to be little hope that either she or Elizabeth will be reunited with Mr. Darcy, until Georgiana's former, dishonorable suitor George Wickham arrives on the scene and sees in her affliction the perfect opportunity to finish what he started at Ramsgate.