History of Morris Plains, NJ
Morris Plains, billing itself “the Community of Caring,” is a Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 5,236.
Morris Plains was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1926, from portions of Hanover Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 15, 1926.[7]
Morris Plains serves as a bedroom community for workers in New York City. The Morristown Line of New Jersey Transit provides commuters with direct access to New York Penn Station and to Hoboken Terminal.
Morris Plains is also a major base of operations for Pfizer, previously the headquarters for Warner-Lambert. Pfizer also sponsors the Health and Medical Science Academy at Morristown High School and has an annual 5k race around Morris Plains.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.8 km2), of which, 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2) of it (0.76%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,236 people, 1,955 households, and 1,477 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,018.7 people per square mile (780.6/km2). There were 1,994 housing units at an average density of 768.8 per square mile (297.3/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 92.91% White, 1.34% African American, 0.06% Native American, 4.32% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population.
There were 1,955 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.0% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63.
The Morris Plains Museum offers visitors a wide variety of objects to browse and learn about, each of which is a product of Morris Plains’s long history.
- Homer Davenport – Famous political cartoonist and author who moved to Morris Plains in the early 1900s. He is credited with Teddy Roosevelt’s election and the importation of Arabian horses into the United States. Museum holdings include:
- * Original Davenport drawings
- * Davenport books
- * Photos of Davenport, his family, and his horses
- Jonathan Roberts – Successful New York businessman who moved to Morris Plains in the late 1800s. He established what are now the Morris Plains Library and Roberts Garden. Museum holdings include:
- * Books
- * Family photographs
- * Business letters
- * History of Morris Plains Library
- Julia Beers – Morris Plains’s first historian, born in town in 1862. She wrote A History of Early Morris Plains in 1926, and was also the first librarian when the library was located on the second floor of the Morris Plains School on West Hanover Avenue. Museum holdings include:
- * Original manuscript and notes for the History
- * Microfilm copies of manuscript and notes
- * Photographs
- The Farmer’s Almanac – Headquartered in Morris Plains and operated by Daniel Merchant between 1907 and 1933. Museum holdings include:
- * Original editions of the Almanac
- Native Americans – Lenni Lenape tribe, who populated the Morris Plains area prior to the arrival of European settlers. Museum holdings include:
- * Arrowheads
- * Tools
- * Lenape language book
- Monahan’s Band – Local band started by blacksmith Lawrence Monahan. Museum holdings include:
- * Original instruments used by the band
- * Sheet music for songs performed by the band
- * Band uniforms
- * Photographs
- * Items created in blacksmith shop
- Morris Plains Fire Department – Formed in 1907 following a fire in 1906 that destroyed the Weise Hotel and two adjacent stores. Museum holdings include:
- * Squirrel Tail Hand Pumper
- * Original Morris Plains Fire Department uniforms from early in its history
- * Photographs
- Oral Histories from Longtime Residents – Captured on tape in the form of interviews by town historian Daniel Myers.
- Greystone Park – Greystone Park, originally named The New Jersey State Insane Asylum, opened in 1887 on 400 acres of prime farmland. It was the equivalent of a self-contained city and boasted the largest continuous building foundation in the nation prior to the construction of the Pentagon. Museum holdings include:
- * Maps
- * Early Annual Reports
- * Articles published in the print shop
- * Copies of the newspaper “Psychogram”
- * Pictures and postcards
- * Book of poetry written by a patient and published in the hospital print shop
- * Various handcrafted items made by the patients
- Postcard Collection – Our assortment of postcards includes:
- * Antique postcards of Morris Plains and the surrounding area
- * Antique holiday greeting cards. The illustrations and wording all express the true meaning of the occasion.
- School Days – A collection of pictures, yearbooks, and programs of schools attended by the children of Morris Plains. The schools include:
- * Morris Plains School (Hanover Avenue) built in 1866 and now an apartment house
- * The new Morris Plains School built on the corner of Speedwell Avenue and Academy Road in 1908
- * Saint Virgil’s School opened in September of 1910
- * Morris Plains Borough School built in 1923
- * Mountain Way School built in 1956
- * Community Park School built in 1966 and now the borough Community Center
- * Morristown High School opened in 1869
- Local Churches – A collection of photographs, bulletins, programs, and parish newspapers. The churches include:
- * Morris Plains Presbyterian, established 1876
- * Saint Virgil’s Catholic Church, established 1881
- * Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, established 1928
- * Trinity Lutheran Church, established 1954
- The Morris NewsBee – The newspaper is on microfilm from 1964 – 2000 and is available for local research.
- The Morris Plains Chronicle – The Chronicle is on microfilm from March 1929 to March 1930 and January 1940 to September 1941.
- Morris Plains Homes – Numerous pictures showing the transformation of Morris Plains from a farming community to a retreat for wealthy families to a modern day suburban borough. Museum holdings include:
- * Photographs of existing and demolished homes keyed into a map of town
- * Photographs of mansions destroyed by fires
|
Census Bureau map of Morris Plains, New Jersey
