by Amy Curry, Executive Director
February 17, 2026
From Parsippany to Morristown, Chatham to Washington Township, Morris County’s African American history spans hundreds of years and locations far and wide. While some stories have been carefully recorded, others were unfortunately last over time. Dedicated to preserving the area’s rich and diverse history and those that have contributed to it, MCHS is excited and honored to undertake one of the most consequential initiatives the organization has ever tackled: Morris County’s first-ever county-wide survey of African American history and historic sites.
First conceived in 2021, the project was designed to identify, document, and preserve historically significant places connected with African American communities across the county while also supporting research, digitization of resources, the collection of oral histories, and public education efforts. Rooted in MCHS’s commitment to help broaden the scope, understanding, and preservation of local history, the survey will document and preserve how the Black community shaped Morris County for centuries. Now, after months of foundational work and securing grants from the NJ Historical Commission and NJ Council for the Humanities, as well as, most recently, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the main phase of research and documentation can begin.
A strategically assembled team of consultants, researchers, subject specialists, and partners are now working together to uncover and illuminate histories and sites for state and national recognition. Starting in Morristown, areas once the center of the town’s African American communities are being further researched, disparate caches of information connected, and resources identified for digitization. Artifacts, like Stephen Vail’s diaries, held by one of our partners, Morris County Park Commission, are being examined in a new light. Similarly, the Black architects responsible for designing both Calvary Baptist and Bethel AME Churches will serve as the basis for a symposium next fall.
Research is ongoing and the survey is anticipated to be completed in 2027, with programs and public updates planned along the way, including presentations, events, exhibits, and digital resources highlighting findings as the work progresses. Among the related initiatives being planned as part of local 250th events, MCHS looks forward to launching a website-based, self-guided driving tour of African American historic sites across Morris County, a traveling exhibit of key artifacts found during the archaeology of the slave quarters of Beverwyck Plantation (Parsippany), and a number of presentations that celebrate local African American history, including the lasting influence of Black architects in Morristown. Ultimately, sites of state and national significance will be nominated for a Multiple Properties Designation for the New Jersey and, potentially, National Register of Historic Places, recognition that could afford grant funding for preservation and restoration efforts. Upon completion, findings from this monumental initiative, only the second in NJ, will also be available on our website to ensure universal access and availability for all who are interested.
