A Brief History of Morristown

Morristown Library & Lyceum, ca1895

Morristown: 1865-2015 The North Jersey History & Genealogy Center is proud to present a series of articles celebrating Morristown’s 150th anniversary. The exhibit, Morristown, 1865-2015: Identity, Tradition, & Enterprise, is on display in the F.M. Kirby Gallery of the Morristown & Morris Township Library through December 31, 2015.

Why start with 1865, when the English are believed to have settled the area known as “The Hollow” in 1707?

Because Morristown originally was part of greater Morris Township and was not incorporated as a separate entity until 1865. The original settlement was called New (or West) Hanover; and did not maintain a significant enough population to have its own church until 1738. A year later, Morris County was created and New Hanover changed its name to Morris Town.

Just before the Civil War ended, George T. Cobb worked with several individuals to convince the State Legislature to create the separate political entity of Morristown – their motivations are unknown but may have had something to do with the lower property tax rates afforded to those within Morristown’s newly created borders.

Homeowners just within the town boundary included: Joseph Thomson on Mt. Kemble Avenue, William H. Howland on James Street; John Sneden on Madison Avenue; Joseph M. Lindsley on Whippany Road; Mrs. G. Meeker on Horse Hill Road; E. Boonen Graves; Gordon Burnham on Speedwell Avenue; Byron Sherman on Sussex Turnpike; and Jacob T. Axtell on the Basking Ridge Road.

 

Red Cross Parade on the Green on April 6, 1918. Photographed by Frederick Curtiss.

J. Cowper Lord’s property was included within the town’s boundaries a year later.

After the Civil War, many wealthy New Yorkers built summer houses and permanent mansions in town.

Historian Carl Scherzer noted that “within a mile of Morristown Green are more captains of commerce than anywhere else in the world,” including millionaires Michael Van Beuren, Robert D. Foote, Luther Kountze, Gustav E. Kissell, James Cox Brady, Peter H.B. Frelinghuysen Sr., Theodore Vail and William Lidgerwood.

Morristown was also home to noted authors and artists Joyce Kilmer and Thomas Nast, as well as scientist Samuel Morse.

An influx of immigrants met the construction and labor needs of the growing affluent class, and from 1880 to 1900 Morristown’s population more than doubled in size to 11,267.

Many Irish immigrants initially provided domestic labor required to maintain Morristown’s great estates, while others helped build the railroads and Morris Canal. The work of skilled Italian marble workers and carpenters were sought after by those building ornate mansions across town.

In 1880, 293 African Americans lived in Morristown. By 1900 the population grew to 815; some migrated from Virginia and later, from North and South Carolina. Many African Americans also found jobs as domestics and laborers, until eventually establishing careers as restaurateurs, small business owners and police officers.

Morristown Library & Lyceum, ca1895. North Jersey History & Genealogy Center Photo Collection. 

In 1878, the Morristown Lyceum and Library opened on South Street with a 50,000-volume collection. The building had a reading room, ballroom and audience hall, and also was home to the Morris Academy.

Mark Twain and George Cable spoke at the Lyceum on the week of Thanksgiving 1884. They were hosted by political cartoonist Thomas Nast.

Sadly, a great fire in 1914 burned down the Lyceum and Library. Thanks to the generosity of Grinell Willis, the original wing of this library opened in 1917.

Mayor Clyde Potts speaking at the opening of the Morristown National Historical Park on July 4, 1933.
Mayor Clyde Potts speaking at the opening of the Morristown National Historical Park on July 4, 1933.

Morristown’s populace continued to show its generosity and patriotism during World War I with drives for the Red Cross, War Bonds, Community Funds, Soldiers and Sailors Aids, as well as through the famed gallantry of the 104th Battery Trench Artillery.

In 1872, Governor Theodore F. Randolph, Edmund D. Halsey, General N.N. Halstead and William V. Lidgerwood bought the Ford Mansion and its contents for $25,000; two years later they created the Washington Association of New Jersey, which maintained the property for 59 years.

Lloyd W. Smith, of Florham Park, led a committee that purchased much of the land of Jockey Hollow and several additional acres from Mrs. Austin Brady; in all, 1,051 acres were purchased for the National Historical Park.

In November 1930, the people of Morristown unanimously voted to donate the historic property owned by the town to the federal government, and on March 2, 1933, President Herbert Hoover signed the legislation that created Morristown National Historical Park.

Morristown, like many places across the country, experienced growth after World War II. In 1940, 15,270 people called Morristown home. By 1960, 17, 712 people lived in Morristown. Apartment buildings with colonial architecture were built on lower Elm Street and South Street.

It was then that the Lidgerwood Park and Robert Morris Park subdivisions, off of James Street, were built. Low- and middle income housing was built in the Pocahontas Lake section. Bamberger’s opened on the Green in 1949. Three banks modernized, including offering drive-through service, and the Morristown Savings and Loan Association opened for business. New schools were built and old schools were updated.

The downtown area changed dramatically in 1966 with the demolition of buildings along Speedwell Avenue and the construction of Headquarters Plaza, beginning in 1979 on 10 acres.

When Headquarters Plaza opened in 1982, the $120 million project included a 150,000-square-foot shopping center and 168-room hotel with two restaurants. It also held a 2,500-car garage. HQ Plaza was spearheaded by Raymond DeChiara, local head of urban renewal.

In 1999, Morristown received the Transit Village designation and changed the zoning near the train station. Since then, several condominium complexes have been built in town. A 2010 atate study estimated that just over 33,000 people live or work in Morristown on a daily basis.

Our town draws visitors to its restaurants, community theater, historic homes, and a multitude of cultural and religious venues. For all that has changed, Morristown remains a place where people gather to celebrate tradition, form identity, and embark on new enterprises.

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