by Erin Feith, Coordinator of Research & Visitor Engagement
March 4, 2025
Morris County’s 39 municipalities are home to a fascinating tapestry of historic sites recognized on the state and national level for their significance. Some famous, some little known, together they preserve the story of the people, industries, and culture that shaped our community. In this blog series, MCHS highlights the sites to be found in each town and how they contributed to the diverse and multifaceted county we live in today.
Brookside Historic District: Originally known as Water Street, the unincorporated community of Brookside has long benefitted from its location near the Whippany River at the junction of Dismal and Harmony Brooks. With this available water power, an early mill industry took shape in the area beginning in the mid-18th century, with the earliest being sawmills. Despite these enterprises and the local iron industry, including nearby Rye Forge, most industry remained small-scale, although there were several successful mills such as those owned by the Days, Byrams, and Connets. The lack of industrial development and major transportation led Brookside to retain a largely bucolic atmosphere, which attracted the interest of businessman Benjamin Nankins as the 20th century began. Between 1914- 1929, Nankins purchased dozens of properties and implemented a residential vision for the community. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, the district is mainly comprised of private residences today, with touches of its enterprising past found in the Brookside Post Office, which occupies the site of the former general store.
Ralston Historic District: Located near the North Branch of the Raritan River, the Ralston Historic District, once known as Roxiticus, derived its name and much of its early development from one John Ralston. A native of Ireland, Ralston moved to Roxiticus by 1786, purchasing an interest in his father-in-law’s grist mill. From this venture, the business-minded Ralston expanded his enterprises to include the operation of a general store, cotton spinning factory, and woolen fulling mill – all within a short distance of his manor house where he lived with this wife and five children. Ralston’s descendants continued to influence local industry into the 19th century, with his grandson, John Ralston Nesbitt, constructing another grist mill in 1848 near Burnet Brook that would later be retrofitted as a cider mill, becoming the home of Thomas Laughlin’s Tiger Apple Jack Distillery. While the decline of mills led the area to adopt a residential character, vestiges of its past remain, such as the Ralston Cider Mill, which today operates as a museum. The Ralston Historic District was first added to the National Register in 1975, with expanded boundaries in 1999.
Community of St. John Baptist: By the close of the 19th century, the Sisterhood of St. John the Baptist, whose first American branch was formed in NYC in 1874, sought a new location for their ministry with ample space and a country setting that would promote health. In 1902, George and Frances Folsom gave a 33.18 acre tract off of West Main Street in Mendham to the St. John Baptist Foundation. Shortly thereafter, architects Mills and Greenleaf constructed an orphanage, known as St. Marguerite’s Home (1908), which provided care for children ages 4-18. Between 1913 and 1915, a convent was added to the complex, designed in the likeness of the Sisters’ original convent in Clewer, England by Freedley and Cordingley. Although certain features, like an intended quadrangle layout, never came to full fruition, the sprawling structure possessed a commanding presence on the hilltop, surrounded by the convent cemetery (1918) and garden (1915). Still an active convent and retreat center today, the Community of St. John Baptist was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
For more historic sites, check out these blogs:
Mine Hill and Wharton
Madison, Part 1
Long Hill
Boonton, Part 1
Parsippany, Part 1
Chester Township
Hanover Township, Part 1
Florham Park, Part 1
Dover, Part 1
Did you enjoy this blog? MCHS is an independent nonprofit. Please consider supporting our mission at morriscountyhistory.org/donate or become a member at morriscountyhistory.org/get-involved/ to help us continue to preserve and promote Morris County history through programs, exhibits, and blogs like this.
