Historical Sites in Morristown, NJ
History within Morristown, New Jersey
www.themorristowngreen.org
Virtual Walking Tour. . .
1. The Morris County Courthouse,
Washington Street
The “new” Morris County Courthouse was built between 1826 and 1827. It was designed by two local architects, Joseph M. Lindsley of Morristown and Lewis Carter of Chatham, and is one of New Jersey most important public buildings in the Federal style. For many years, bells rang from the belfry at the start of court and when fire threatened a building in town. Above the front entrance to the courthouse stands a wooden statue of Justice. She holds a scale to symbolize the balanced judicial system, and a sword to represent the protection of individual rights. Morristown statue of Justice is unlike most others because she is not blindfolded.
2. First Baptist Church,
Washington Street
The Baptist Church was the second church founded in Morristown. In June 1752, the First Baptist Church of Morristown was established by a gathering of 17 people who held services about one mile from the Green. In 1771, a church was erected on the northwest corner of the Green. The Baptists worshipped there until the present Romanesque Revival Church was constructed on Washington Street in 1892.
3. The Independent Hose Company,
15 Market Street
The Independent Hose Company was organized in 1834, and became Morristowns first incorporated fire department in 1867. Its fire house is believed to have been built around 1870. It is shared between the Independent and Washington Hose Companies. Morristown well-known political cartoonist Thomas Nast was a volunteer of this fire company.
4. The Canfield House,
5 Maple Street
(Private Home)
This house was built around 1800 for Israel Canfield, proprietor of Canfield and Wetmore General Store, and served as the first manse of the Methodist Church during the 1840s. This neighborhood was the Town first commercial district, as the Morris and Essex Railroad ran along Maple Avenue. In the mid-nineteenth century, the railroad moved its route to the other side of the Green, when plans to re-route the tracks across Bank St. Gulch and over the hill behind the Courthouse failed.
5. The Sansay House,
17 DeHart Street
(Private Home)
This house was built in 1807 and named for Monsieur Louis Sansay, a French dancing master, who brought gracious manners to town by directing a popular dancing school in his home. His house was the site of an elegant, men-only dinner, held in honor of a Revolutionary hero, the Marquis de Lafayette. Later, after Rev. Albert Barnes (Presbyterian Church on the Green) denounced the “sin” of dancing in one of his sermons, Sansay dancing school went bankrupt. The dance master left Morristown and was never heard from again.
6. The Pitney House,
43 Maple Street
(Private Home)
This house was constructed between 1860 and 1864 and was bought by Henry C. Pitney in 1864. Mr. Pitney was a distinguished Morristown lawyer, who served the community as County Prosecutor, Vice Chancellor of New Jersey, the President of the National Iron Bank, Director of the Library and Lyceum, and President of the Morris Aqueduct.
7. The Admiral Rodgers House,
40 Macculloch Avenue
(Private Home)
This Vernacular Gothic Revival house was built in 1852 for Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers and his wife Jane Slidell. Rodgers, the nephew of three naval commodores (including Oliver Hazard Perry), launched a successful naval career of his own. Admiral Rogers served in the Mexican Wars, as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, and Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Squadron. The wisteria which hangs above the front porch is said to have been brought back from Japan as a gift from Commodore Matthew C. Perry after his famous 1854 expedition. Admiral Rodgers died in 1892, and his house remains a private residence.
8. The General Porter House,
1 Farragut Place
(Private Home)
This Victorian house was built between 1880 and 1890 for General Fitz John Porter. General Porter was educated at West Point, where he served under Robert E. Lee. A Major General at the battle of Bull Run, he was court marshalled for refusing to obey commands. In 1878, Porter was cleared of any wrongdoing by an army inquiry and exonerated by Congress. Following his military career, General Porter helped to reorganize New York City government and also served at Greystone Park in Parsippany, NJ.
9. Macculloch Hall,
45 Macculloch Avenue
This Federal-style brick mansion was completed in 1819 for George Perrot Macculloch, best known as the “Father of the Morris Canal.” His vision for a canal that would connect Pennsylvania coal mines to Morris County iron foundries was realized by 1831. The canal operated for about ninety years, contributing greatly to the development of Morristown and its environs. The elegant manor house served as home to five generations of Macculloch descendants, until 1949. Today the mansion and gardens are open to the public, and house a collection of 18th and 19th century English and American fine and decorative arts. It has a gallery for changing exhibits, and is renowned for a major collection of the works of political cartoonist Thomas Nast.
10. The Kedge,
49 Macculloch Avenue
(Private Home)
The Kedge was built between 1870 and 1880 by Henry Miller, a grandson of George Macculloch. Mr. Miller had a distinguished career as lieutenant commander in the United States Navy. His house, called “The Kedge” (which means a small anchor) was originally built as a summer cottage. Later enlarged to serve as a permanent residence, the house remains the home of Macculloch family descendents.
11. The Thomas Nast House: Villa Fontana,
50 Macculloch Avenue
(Private Home)
Thomas Nast, Morristown celebrated political cartoonist, created the popular images of Santa Claus, the Republican Elephant, the Democratic Party Donkey, Tammany Tiger, and Uncle Sam, among others. Shortly after Nast exposed the corruption of New York Citys government under “Boss” Tweed with the Tammany Tiger, he moved his family to Morristown. In 1872, he bought Villa Fontana (built 1866). For the next 20 years, Villa Fontana served as a common meeting ground for the artistic community in Morristown, and the Nasts hosted visitors including Ulysses S. Grant and Mark Twain. Now a National Historic landmark, the house is privately owned and restored.
12. The Catholic Church of the Assumption,
Maple Avenue at Madison Street
The Catholic Church of the Assumption was formed in 1845 by Irish immigrants. For many years, this church marked the heart of the “Little Dublin” neighborhood in Morristown. In 1872, the original church structure was replaced by the present, much larger, Ruskinian Gothic style church. This edifice is now the oldest church building in Morristown. Following a fire in the 1980s, the church has been largely restored, and the altar area has been modernized. The Catholic Church of the Assumption is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
13. St. PeterEpiscopal Church,
South Street at Miller Road Rear View – Old Cemetery
Peter Episcopal Church was founded on January 1, 1827. Services were first held in George Macculloch home. Within a year the congregation built a place of worship that was used until the late nineteenth century when the current larger structure was begun. The construction of the McKim, Mead and White design took 24 years to complete because the church specified that no stone would be put in place until it was paid for. Between the church and the parish house are two cemeteries. Many well known Morristown residents are buried there, including George and Louisa Macculloch, and members of the Ford, Miller, Vail, Ogden, Wood, and Foote families.
14. The Vail Mansion,
110 South Street
Built between 1916 and 1918, the Vail Mansion was designed to serve as both a residence and a museum for Theodore Vail. He was twice president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, and considered the chief architect of the Bell System. The first floor of this Italian Renaissance Palazzo style mansion was to house Mr. Vail collection of art and family inventions, while the second floor was to be his living quarters. The bronze front doors contain eight panels that depict scenes from local folklore. Unfortunately, Theodore Vail died soon after the completion of the building and never lived there. In 1922, the building was acquired by the Town of Morristown for municipal offices.
15. The Joint Free Public Library of
Morristown and Morris Township,
1 Miller Road
The Morristown/Township Library was constructed in 1917 after a devastating fire destroyed the original Library and Lyceum. Grinnell Willis, a local philanthropist, personally funded the construction of Edward L. Tilton Gothic Revival design, and donated the facility to the town. The cornerstone, put in place on August 5, 1916, contains a copper box which included photographs of Mr. Willis, coins, newspapers, and photos of Morristown. In 1986, the architectural firm of Shor and Ford was hired to build an additional wing to accommodate the needs of this growing library.
16. The Wood Farmhouse,
83 South Street
The Wood farmhouse is believed to have been built in the late 18th century and has been remodeled several times since. Over the years it was used as a residence by a number of families, including members of the prominent Wood family of Morristown. From 1922 to 1961, the house was home to the Women Work and Art Exchange, a non-profit organization that helped women in financial need by providing a commercial outlet for their hand-made goods. The house was then used for retail shops and in 1995, was bought by the Joint Free Public Library of Morristown and Morris Township.
17. The South Street Presbyterian Church,
65 South Street
The South Street Presbyterian Church was formed in 1840, after the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church on the Green was divided by internal strife. In 1878, after a fire destroyed the initial building, the present structure was erected on the same site, following Josiah Cleveland Cady Romanesque Revival design. This church was used until the South Street congregation was reunited with the First Presbyterian congregation in 1926. Today, the South Street Presbyterian Church serves as the Sunday School, offices, classrooms and meeting rooms for the Presbyterian Church in Morristown.
18. The Dr. Lewis Condict House,
51 South Street
(Women Club of Morristown)
Dr. Lewis Condict served Morristown as a doctor, patriot and public official. He built this house in 1797 after completing medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Condict is said to have introduced a new British vaccine against smallpox by publicly inoculating his two-year-old daughter on the front stoop. He was also one of the founders of the Morris and Essex Railroad. The first railroad station in Morristown stood on “Railroad Avenue” (Maple Avenue) behind his home. The Dr. Lewis Condict House is now owned by the Womens Club of Morristown, which has maintained the home and provided a local meeting place for community organizations for more than 50 years.
19. The Church of the Redeemer,
26 South Street
The Church of the Redeemer was founded in 1852 by Lieutenant Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers, William A. Duer, John Hone and 38 other Morristown residents. Originally members of St. Peter Episcopal Church, they broke away in order to start a new congregation less influenced by formal (Oxford) church doctrine. Their first church was constructed in 1853 on the corner of Morris and Pine Streets. In 1886 the original church was moved to its present South Street location. In 1917, a fire destroyed most of the original church, so the parish erected the Gothic Revival church which stands today.
20. The Continental Storehouse
(Previously on the site of the east wing of Epstein department Store),
South Street
The Continental Storehouse structure once stood across from the Park Place/South Street junction. The building served as a military warehouse for the Continental Army during the American Revolution. It would have contained army supplies such as tents, tools, weapons, food rations, and various other items. According to one account, barrels full of sand were rolled in and out of the building when army provisions ran low, in an attempt to deceive British spies.
21. The United Methodist Church,
50 Park Place
Technically, this is the fourth Methodist church structure built in Morristown. The congregation outgrew its first two churches. The cornerstone for the third church was placed here in 1866, and the church was dedicated in 1870. This Norman-style edifice was designed by S.D. Hatch and financed by a $100,000 donation from the Honorable George T. Cobb (first Mayor of Morristown, State Senator, and U.S. Congressman). In 1885, a parsonage was completed on the south side. Both buildings burned in an enormous fire in 1972, leaving only the tower and front wall. Subsequently, the church was rebuilt; the tower and front wall were reconstructed using stone from the third church. The present church was re-consecrated in 1974.
22. The First Presbyterian Church,
Park Place
The First Presbyterian Church in Morristown is one of Morristown oldest and most influential establishments. Formed in 1733, the church was led for 52 years by the Rev Timothy Johnes, who was described as a towering figure in Morristown history. During the American Revolution, the church became a hospital for soldiers. George Washington reportedly worshipped and took communion here. The present (3rd) church was constructed between 1893 and 1894. The burial ground dates to 1731. Soldiers from the American Revolution are buried here, as well as town founders. A portion of the steeple from the 2nd church structure (1791-1892) is at the rear of the burial ground.
23. Arnold Tavern
Arnold Tavern once stood on the Western side of the Town Green and served as General Washington headquarters during the winter encampment of 1777. It was here that Washington issued the proclamation requiring all people in America to swear allegiance to the United States. The tavern is believed to have been built by Samuel Arnold before 1764, and operated for approximately 100 years, until the first floor was converted to retail shops. During the 1880s the building was scheduled for demolition until a horrified Julia Keese Colles purchased and moved it to Mount Kemble Avenue. There it served first as a boarding house and later as All Souls Hospital until the structure burned in 1918.
The Town Green
During the 1700s, the Green was used as a pasture for animals, and as a training ground for the local militia. In 1755, a log cabin was constructed on the western corner of the Green to serve as the town courthouse and jail. A pillory and a scaffold were also located on the Green, and numerous executions took place here until 1833. The Civil War monument, which stands at the north norteast corner of the Green, was erected in 1871. It is entitled “Soldier at Rest” and honors the men who lost their lives in the Civil War from 1861-1865. The Town Green has been the focal point of the community for more than 250 years.
