Histories of Newark is a community history project drawn from the contributions of volunteer citizens and neighbors from all walks of life.  More than two years ago, academics, weekend scholars, civic-minded boosters, and simple lovers of local history heeded Mayor Vance Funk's call for residents to write a long-overdue update to the only "recent" history of Newark, Francis Cooch's 1936 Little Known History of Newark, Delaware and its Environs.  Led by Paul Bauernschmidt, Mayor Funk's appointed project director, a group of volunteers met monthly to collect text and images for the new history, envisioned to be a centerpiece of the city's 250th-anniversary celebration in 2008.