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Freeze Frame: Morristown, c. 1890

by MCHS Staff
February 10, 2026

A long-established crossroads of Morris County, Morristown has played an important and multi-faceted role in local history over the centuries. Growing and developing over its lifetime, the town’s streetscapes have changed dramatically from its earliest days to the present.  Around 1890, Charles N. Parker captured a snapshot of the town as it was in the late 19th century, now frozen in time in a booklet of photographs, and depicted it while it was on the cusp of new and monumental changes.

 

Among the earliest churches in the area, the First Presbyterian Church has evolved since the mid-18th century. Remaining active today, the current church building, which replaced the one pictured here, was built in 1893-94. 

 

J.R. Sutton‘s furniture store is visible on the right in this photograph of South Street from Dehart St. to The Green. Though records of  Sutton’s time in Morristown are spotty, two of his pieces are held in MCHS collections today: a pine cabinet and marble-top table. 

 

Constructed in the early 19th century, Mansion House  gained national attention under the ownership of B.C. Guerin, who expanded and updated the hotel to include steam heat, gas-powered lighting, and electrical bells in all 60 rooms by 1878.

 

The Morris & Essex Railroad reached Morristown in 1838 and provided fast transportation for passengers and freight alike. Today, the line lives on as the Morris & Essex Line of NJ Transit. 

 

General Washington famously headquartered at Ford Mansion during his second Morristown encampment during the winter of 1779-80. Purchased in 1873 by prominent Morristonians who created the Washington Association, the mansion was owned and cared for by the association until it became a national historical park in 1933.

 

St. Peter’s Church was founded in 1827, with its congregation steadily growing over time.  Following calls for an improved edifice, the renowned firm McKim, Mead & White (architects of the Vanderbilt-Twombly’s Florham) were hired to design extensive alterations to the building which began in the early 1890s.

 

The Maple Avenue School was founded as the town’s first public school in 1869. In the 1880s, the building was also home to the Morristown Sewing School  which taught practical sewing skills to young girls on Saturday mornings. 

 

As the population of the town grew, three additional primary schools were constructed to meet demand. The town’s second school building was built on Speedwell Avenue in 1887.

 

Located two blocks away from the site of the original structures, the third iteration of the Morris County Courthouse (pictured here) was designed by architect Lewis Carter of Chatham and built by Acorn Hall’s neighbor, Joseph M. Lindsley. Since 1827, the courthouse has experienced numerous additions to meet changing needs. 

 

Miss Dana’s School for Young Ladies was established in 1860 as the Morris Female Institute. Due to its rigorous curriculum, Miss Dana’s could guarantee its graduates entrance to Wellesley, Smith, and Baltimore (now Goshen) College, and boasted several eminent alumnae, including Caroline Foster of Fosterfields and writer/critic Dorothy Parker.    

 

A bird’s-eye view provides a glimpse of Fort Nonsense, which was acquired by the National Park Service to become a part of Morristown National Historical Park in 1933. 
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