Brief History of Morris County
1700 first entrance of the white man into what became Morris County.
1738 Morris County created by an Act of the State Legislature separating it from Hunterdon County. It was named for Lewis Morris, then Governor of the Province of New Jersey. The county included what are now the counties of Morris, Sussex and Warren.
1739 the Townships of Hanover, Pequannock and Morris were formed.
1740 Roxbury Township formed.
1749 Mendham Township formed.
The community of West Hanover was renamed "Morristown" and designated the county seat of government.
the Revolutionary War Gen. George Washington twice made Morris County the winter encampment for his Continental Army. (Recounted at the Morristown National Historical Park).
by 1800 Morris County was third in the nation in the amount of iron ore mined, with 568,420 tons. Works and mills were built at Morristown, Boonton, Dover and other locations.
1831 the Morris Canal, conceived and developed by a Morristown resident, George F. MacCulloch, was completed through the county. Crossing the state from Phillipsburg to Newark, a distance of 90 miles, it played a major role in movement of iron ore, coal and freight.
1838 the tracks of the Morris & Essex Railroad reached Morristown.
1848 the rail line extended to Dover, where the railroad's car shops were a major industry at the turn of the century.
It was in Morristown that the steam boiler and some of the machinery for the Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and parts of the first American locomotive were manufactured.
And it was also in Morristown that Samuel F. B. Morse and Alfred Vail perfected the telegraph. The old barn at Speedwell in which the two men conducted their experiments and sent the first message " A patient waiter is no loser ", still stands.
1880's the Dickerson mine became one of the most prominent mines after giving up more than one million tons of iron ore.
1882 rich sources of iron ore found in the Meabi region near Lake Superior starting the decline of the New Jersey iron industry.
1891 -- opening of the Morristown Field Club (for the wealth).
1894 -- founding of the Morris County Golf Club for the members of Society.
1896 -- the creation of the upper echelon of the wealthy (the 400) centered around Hamilton Mckeon Twombly and his wife Florence Vanderbilt and their 110-room mansion, Florham, erected in this year.
1898 the famous mine, Hurdtown, closed.
1900 many of the nations wealthy discovered Morristown and settled in the area, especially the four mile stretch of Madison Avenue from Morristown east to Madison. Some of the most opulent mansions were those of Otto H. Kahn, Hamilton McKeon Twombly, Charles Mellon, Eugene Higgins, the Frelinghuysens, Claflins, James, Allens, Wolffs and Kountzes.
1900s while the iron industry went out, a switch was made to research, pharmaceuticals and light manufacturing.
1903 -- founding of the Whippany River Club by 20 millionaires at a meeting on Wall Street.
1913 some of the last mines in Hibernia closed.
1920s the Morris Canal was dismantled.
1927 -- Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge was a founder of the Morris & Essex Kennel Club. A keystone of Society's social interaction, the Club continued for the next thirty years sponsoring an annual dog show that became internationally known as the worlds largest and most prestigious.
the 1930's and the 1940's the large Madison Avenue mansions were gradually demolished in response to the national income tax and to avoid rising property taxes, increased cost of domestic help and the rising cost of living.
1955 the Board of Chosen Freeholders via referendum established the Park Commission.
1975 -- death of the last of the great dowagers, Ethel Geraldine Dodge, favorite niece of John D. Rockefeller.
(Source: History of Morris County; http://www.co.morris.nj.us/history/history.html)
Cities and Towns of Morris County:
Boonton Township
Boonton
Budd Lake
Butler
Chatham Township
Chatham
Chester Township
Chester
Denville Township
Dover
East Hanover Township
Florham Park
Hanover Township
Harding Township
Jefferson Township
Kinnelon
Lake Telemark
Lincoln Park
Long Hill Township
Long Valley
Madison
Mendham Township
Mendham
Mine Hill Township
Montville Township
Morris Plains
Morris Township
Morristown
Mount Arlington
Mount Olive Township
Mountain Lakes
Netcong
Parsippany-Troy Hills Township
Pequannock Township
Randolph Township
Riverdale
Rockaway Township
Rockaway
Roxbury Township
Succasunna-Kenvil
Victory Gardens
Washington Township
Wharton
White Meadow Lake
OWNERS OF MANSIONS IN MORRISTOWN, MADISON, AND THE SURROUNDING AREA
(Source: John W. Rae. Images of America: Mansions of Morris County. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Press.)
George Marshall Allen. Glynallyn. Canfield Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 74.
Charles W. Armour. Ellerslea. Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township. Pp. 66.
Jacob Arnold. Peacemeal.Washington Valley Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 57.
Theodore Ayres. The Sycamores. Spring Valley Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 42.
Albert Baldwin. Shadowlawn. Madison Avenue, Morris Township. Pp. 26.
Robert F. Ballantine. Madison Avenue, Madison. p. 18, 20.
Daughter of Robert F. Ballantine. Madison Avenue, Morristown; married John O. H. Pitney. p.18.
T. Towar Bates. Woodlands. Kitchell Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 73.
Howard Bayne. Long Hill Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 44, 45.
Frederick A. Bell. Cecilhurst. Madison Avenue, Madison. Pp. 28.
Frederick G. Burnham. Burnham Park. Sherman Hill, Morristown. Pp. 94.
Dr. James Campbell. Drum-A-Cairne. Washington Valley Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 55.
John W. Castles. Van Beuren Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 50.
Julius Catlin. Fairholme. Whippany Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 69.
Ogden B. Chisholm, a banker. Airy Hall. Madison Avenue, Morristown. The mansion was the place of dances, socials and parties for the wealthy. Pp. 19.
John Claflin. Linderwold. South Street, Morristown. Pp. 87.
Charles Finny Clark. Fair Acres. Normandy Parkway, Morris Twp. Pp. 76.
Mary E. Clark. South Street, Morristown. Pp. 88.
Parker B. Clark. Twin Oaks. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 21.
W. T. Coleman Carpenter. Wyndmoor. Normandy Heights Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 65.
George T. Cobb. Morris Township. Pp. 67.
James H. Coghill. The Red House. Normandy Parkway, Morris Twp. Pp. 70.
Abner W. Colgate, of the Colgate Palmolive Peet Company. La Maisonette. Madison Ave, Morristown. Razed.. p.11
John Connors.. Blue Mill Road, Harding Twp., Pp. 47.
Corning. Acorn Hall. Morris Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 93.
Augustus Crane. Second owner of Acorn Hall. Morris Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 93.
Charles Cutler. Kahdena. Kahdena Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 53.
George H. Danforth. Cecilhurst. Madison Avenue, Madison. Pp. 28.
Adolph de Bary. Bellwood. Madison Avenue, Madison. Pp. 28.
Antoinette B. DeWitt. The Anchorage. Whippany Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 69.
Samuel Shepherd Dennis. Miller Road, Morristown. Pp. 78.
Andrew Derr. Blue Mill Road, Harding Township. Pp. 47.
Joseph B. Dickson. Wyndmoor. Normandy Heights Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 65.
Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, daughter of William Rockefeller. Giralda Farms. Madison Avenue, Madison. Pp. 29, 34. In 1923 she bought the Charles W. Harkness mansion. She used the mansion to house the officials of the Morris & Essex Kennel Club dog shows. The dog shows were held on the Dodges' polo fields annually at Giralda.
Marcellus Hartley Dodge. Hartley Farms. Spring Valley Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 49.
Jesse Leeds Eddy. Valley View. Normandy Heights Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 70.
Mark W. Emott. Headley Road, Morristown. Pp. 91.
Benjamin F. Evans. Twin Oaks. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 21.
Robert Dumont Foote. Spring Brook House. James Street, Morristown. Pp. 92.
Charles Grant Foster, a New York commodities exchange broker. Purchased The Willows/Fosterfields from Joseph Warren Revere. Route 24, Washington Valley. Pp. 60.
Samuel Harold Freeman. Ridgewood Park. Sussex Avenue slope of Sherman Hill, Morristown. Pp. 94.
George G. Frelinghuysen, president of P. Ballantine & Sons Brewery. Whippany Farms. Whippany Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 74.
Peter H.B. Frelinghuysen Sr. Twin Oakes. Woodruff Road, Morris Twp. Married Adeline Havemeyer. Pp. 75.
Arthur B. Frost. Moneysunk Treadwell Avenue, Morris Twp. Pp. 72
Abraham Quick Garretson. Sunnymeade. Old Glen Road, Morris Township. Pp. 67.
Louis C. Gillespie. Tower Hill. Picatinny Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 58.
Edward J. Hall. Kahdena Road, Morris Township. Pp. 53.
Charles W. Harkness. 1905. Madison Avenue, Madison. Pp. 34 Harkness was the third largest holder of Standard Oil stock. In 1923 the mansion was purchased by Mrs. Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge.
J. Boyd Headley. Headley Road, Moristown. Pp. 91.
Henry F. Hering. The Red House. Normandy Parkway, Morris Twp pp. 70.
Samuel Verplanck Hoffman. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Pp.20. Razed in 1975.
Hone. Acorn Hall. Morris Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 93.
S. Henry Hoyt. Glen Alpin. Mt. Kemble Avenue, Harding Twp. Pp. 40.
Dr. Frederick H. Humphries Jr. Ridgewood Hall. Sherman Park, Morristown. Pp. 90.
F. M. Hurlbut.. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 23.
A. Fillmore Hyde. Seldomere. Old Glen Road, Morris Township. Pp. 67.
D. Willis James. Madison. His estate purchased in 1916 by Marcellus Hartley Dodge. Mrs. Dodge ran the Morris & Essex Kennel Club from this mansion.
J. And D. Jardine. Ingleside. Olyphant Drive, Morristown. Pp. 93.
William P. Jencks. Hurstmont. Mt. Kemble Avenue, Harding Twp. Pp38.
George W. Jenkins. South Street, Morristown. Pp. 86.
Otto Herman Kahn. Cedar Court. Columbia Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 64.
Peter Kemble. Glyntwood. Mt. Kimble Avenue, Harding Twp. Pp. 39.
Walter Schuyler Kemeys. Tranquility. Washington Valley Road, Morris Twp. Razed. Pp. 57.
George Ketch. Sussex Avenue slope of Sherman Hill, Morristown. Pp. 94.
Willard Vinton King. Raggio. Kitchell Road, Morris Township. Pp. 71.
George G. Kip. Rurement. Madison Avenue, Morris Township. Pp. 24.
Lewis Kirby, Crestley. Van Beuren Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 48.
Rudolph H. Kissel. Inamere Farm. & Wheatsheaf Farms, Kahdena Road, Pp. 56, 59-60.
Mrs. Thor Knolle. Pleasantville Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 45.
Luther Kountze. Delbarton. Rt. 24, Morris Twp. Pp. 52.
Gustav Koven. Dickson Mill Road, Harding Twp. Pp.46.
William V. V. Lidgerwood. South Street, Morristown. Pp. 87.
Joseph Lindsley. The Anchorage. Whippany Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 69.
David H. McAlpin. Glen Alpin. Mt. Kemble Avenue, Harding Twp. Pp. 40.
George P. Macculloch. Macculloch Avenue, moved to Miller Road, Morristown. Pp. 77.
Arthur Allen Marsters. Van Beuren Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 48.
Richard Aldrich McCurdy. South Street, Morristown. Pp. 85.
Robert F. McCurdy. Wyndmoor. Normandy Heights Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 65.
Gertrude McCursy. Beauregard. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Louis A. Thebaud. Pp. 22.
Gordon McDonald. Duntulum. Lake Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 56.
Gen. Edward P. Meany. Alnwick Hall. Madison Avenue, Morris Township. Pp. 25.
Charles H. Mellon, a New York investment broker. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Razed. Pp. 18, 36.
George Macculloch Miller. The Knoll. Macculloch Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 80.
Captain Henry W. Miller, USN. The Moorings. Miller Road, Morristown. Pp. 77.
Abel Minard. South Street, Morristown. Pp. 86.
Thomas Nast.. Editorial cartoonist famous for his developing the modern-day look of Santa Claus Villa and for helping to bring the infamous Boss Tweed to justice. Fontana. Macculloch Avenue and Miller Road, Morristown. Pp. 81.
Henry Ernest Niese. Hill Terrace. Picatinny Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 55.
Joseph W. Ogden. Loantaka Farms. Pp. 91.
E. Ward Olney. Madison Avenue, Madison, opposite the Twombley estate.pp. 36.
David Olyphant. Ingleside. Olyphant Drive, Morristown. Pp. 93.
W. Parsons. Airy Hall. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Razed. Pp.19.
Wheeler Hazard Peckham. Brightstowe. Normany Heights Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 63.
John O. H. Pitney, a Newark lawyer. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Married daughter of Robert F. Ballantine. Razed. p.18.
John Tolman Pyle. Hurstmont. Mt. Kimble Avenue, Harding Twp. Pp. 37.
Gov. Theodore F. Randolph. Madison Avenue, Madison. Pp. 20, 23.
Henry Rawles. Knox Hill Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 62.
Joseph Warren Revere. The Willows/Fosterfields. Sold the house to Charles Grant Foster. Pp. 60.
Mary E. Richardson. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 23.
Raft D. Richardson of the Richardson Boyton Stove Works in Dover. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Razed. 17
Leland H. Ross. Bellwood. Madison Avenue, Madison. Now the Bayley Ellard Parochial High School. Pp. 29.
Irvin Rossi. Dunross Farm. James Street, Harding Twp. Pp. 43.
William Sayre. Washington Turnpike (Route 24). Pp. 54.
Dr. John P. Schermerhorn. First owner of Acorn Hall. Morris Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 93.
George R.D. Schlieffelin. The Sycamores. Spring Valley Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 42.
Max Eberhardt Schmidt. Hedgecourt. Madison Avenue, Morris Township. Pp. 26.
Charles Scribner. Gables. Van Beuren Road, Harding Township. Pp. 41.
Wallace C. Scudder, publisher of the Newark Evening News. Airy Hall. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 19. He bought the house from Ogden B. Chisholm.
Mrs. Bryon Sherman. Ridgewood Hall. Sherman Park, Morristown. Pp. 90.
William S. Shippen. Hampshire House. Madison Avenue, Morris Township. Razed. Pp. 27.
J. C. Skidmore. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 21, 23.
William B. Skidmore. Linderwold. South Street, Morristown. Pp. 87.
Willilam Spanjer. Ridgewood Hall. Sherman Park, Morristown. Pp. 90.
Frank W. Spencer. Knox Hill. Knox Hill Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 56.
Frederick W. Stevens. Madison Avenue, Morristown. Pp.21.
Henry Suydam. Sand Spring Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 46.
Louis A. Thebaud. Beauregard..Madison Avenue, Morristown.. Gertrude McCursy. Pp. 22.
Seth Thomas. Red Gate Farm. Van Beuren Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 43.
William V.S. Thorne. Gateways. Normany Heights Road, Morris Twp. Pp. 63.
Charles Wickliffe Throckmorton. The Grove. Macculloch Avenue, Morristown. Pp. 80.
Alexander Harvey Tiers. Farmlands. Sand Spring Road, Harding Twp. Fannie Hopkins. Pp. 51.
W. Parsons Todd. Airy Hall. Madison Avenue, Morristown. He bought it from Wallace C. Scudder. In 1949 he bought Macculloch Hall. Pp. 19.
Edgar H. Towar. Shadowlawn. Madison Avenue, Morris Township. Pp. 26.
Roy E. Tucker. Rolling Hills. Whitehead Road, Washington Valley. Pp. 54.
Hamilton Mckeon Twombly, husband of Florence Vanderbilt Dodge. Florham, 1896. Madison Ave, Madison. Florence Vanderbilt, now Madison campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, p.9
Stephen Vail. Speedwell Avenue, Morris Twp. Pp. 68.
Theodore N. Vail. South Street, Morristown. Pp. 88.
Dr. Frederick T. Van Beuren Jr. Spring Valley Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 42.
Edgar W. Van Vleck. Normandy Parkway, Morris Twp. Pp. 66.
Florence Vanderbilt. She married Hamilton Mckeon Twombly. Florham, 1896. Madison Ave, Madison. Hamilton It is now the Madison campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University p 9.
Robert Cora Walsh. Headley Road, Morristown. Pp. 91.
John Isaac Waterbury. Fairfield house. Madison Avenue, Morris Township. Razed. Pp. 24.
John H. Wenman. Fox Hollow. Sandspring Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 47.
Alfred R. Whitney. Glimpsewood. Egbert Hill, Morristown. Pp. 89.
Livingston Whitney. Egbert Hill, Morristown. Pp. 89.
Enos Wilder. Madison Avenue, Madison. Pp. 27.
Grinnell Willis. South Street, Morristown. Pp. 88.
Wilfrid Wood. Glen Alpin Road, Harding Twp. Pp. 48.