Morristown, NJ history

Samuel F. B. Morse and Alfred Vail built the first telegraph at the Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown on January 6, 1838.

The Mount Vernon Ladies Association has been maintaining the Mount Vernon Estate since they acquired it from the Washington family in 1858.

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

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.

In 1878, the Morristown Lyceum and Library opened on South Street with a 50,000-volume collection.

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.

Thanks to the generosity of Grinell Willis, the original wing of this library opened in 1917.

Morristown, like many places across the country, experienced growth after World War II. In 1940, 15,270 people called Morristown home.

Bamberger’s opened on the Green in 1949.

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.

Fowler, Alex Collection, 1771-1984.Historic Homes of Morris County, New Jersey.

First Baptist Church of Morristown Collection, 1752-1985.

In 1999, Morristown received the Transit Village designation and changed the zoning near the train station.